Selena Maranjian

1 month ago | fool.com | Selena Maranjian

Science fiction is often referred to as a genre that specializes in tackling "what if" questions. For example, what if we could time-travel? What if robots had minds of their own? What if aliens came to Earth to rule us? What if our society devolves into a dystopia? Whether you enjoy that genre or not, it's a good idea to engage in a little what-if thinking -- about your finances, for example. One worthwhile question to ponder is this: What if Social Security went away?

1 month ago | fool.com | Selena Maranjian

You may not realize it, but if you're saving for retirement with some tax-advantaged retirement accounts such as IRAs and 401(k)s, some of those accounts may require that you take required minimum distributions (RMDs) once you reach age 73. More specifically, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires us to take RMDs annually from accounts such as traditional IRAs, SEP IRAs, and SIMPLE IRAs annually once we reach the age of 73.

1 month ago | fool.com | Selena Maranjian

You probably know that Warren Buffett is a great investor. But do you know how great? Consider this: Over the past 60 years, he has increased the value of his company Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A -0.23%) (BRK.B -0.46%) by 5,500,000% (nearly 20% annually). In the same period, the S&P 500 index of 500 of America's biggest companies gained about 39,000% (10.4% annually, on average). It's a pretty sure bet that neither you nor I will ever become that good at investing.

1 month ago | fool.com | Selena Maranjian

President Donald Trump and his administration have been busy changing many things over the past few months. For instance, he's ending paper Social Security checks, requiring electronic fund transfers. That will save the government some money, but close to 500,000 Americans receive paper checks, so the change will be disruptive for them. One of the most recent new developments was unveiled on Monday, May 12 -- a big tax bill introduced by Republican members of the House of Representatives.

1 month ago | fool.com | Selena Maranjian

You may not realize it or have thought of it, but lots of well-known American companies actually generate much of their revenue outside the U.S. For example, in its last reported quarter, ExxonMobil posted total revenue of $6.8 billion, 72% of which was generated outside the U.S. And McDonald's generated 59% of its revenue for 2024 outside the U.S.Where a company's dollars come from may not always matter that much, but it matters now.