Are you buying the wrong LED bulbs? (12 10 24)

Author

Anthony Hazzard
December 10, 2024

It has been a great year for the U.S. stock market, but there have been a bunch of poor-performing stocks. Find out the worst performers later in this email. 

💵 Today’s Top Stories
LED BULB

A listener keeps having to buy new LED bulbs, which can sometimes last decades. What does Clark think the problem is? Read more.

Airport

This Midwestern airport earned the highest seal of approval from customers. While this East Coast airport earned the consternation of just about everyone. Read more.

Appliances

Team Clark analyzed six years of data to find out the best time to buy and the retailers that offer the best deals. (Hint: One of those times just happened and may still exist in some stores.) Read more.

Internet

Nontraditional internet providers continue to fight for your business. In fact, T-Mobile just announced a restructured pricing plan that includes a $35 per month tier. Read more.

Wells Fargo

It’s Wells Fargo, which Clark dislikes. And it’s a credit card that doesn’t offer 2% cash back. You may be surprised to know that Team Clark still likes this card … within certain parameters. Read more.

💻️ Tech Tip From Kim Komando

Stranger danger: If you use apps like FaceTime or WhatsApp for calls, your IP address could be shared with the person you’re talking to. Want to keep your IP private? Open the app, hit Settings, find Privacy or Connection, and switch off Peer-to-peer. Your calls might not be as clear, but your IP will stay hidden. Join 575K people who get tech smart with my friend Kim Komando’s free newsletter, The Current.

📉 2024 Stock Market Losers

It’s been a banner year for the U.S. stock market. The S&P 500 (+27.6%), Nasdaq (+33.7%) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (+17.7%) all have soared.

Individual stocks such as Nvidia (+188.2%), MicroStrategy (+433.2%), and United Airlines (+135.8%) are among the high-profile corporations that are setting money blogs and news sites ablaze.

But not every stock crushed it this year. Some companies even did worse than Boeing (-37.6%), which seemed to collect more negative headlines than the ocean collects water.

Here are some of the worst-performing big-name stocks:

  • Walgreens Boots Alliance: -66.8%

  • Moderna, Inc.: -59.4%

  • Intel Corporation: -56.5%

  • Celanese Corporation: -53.2%

  • Dollar Tree Inc.: -49.8%

But the reality is that even in good markets, some household companies can tumble.

If you’re betting on individual stocks – which is what you’re doing when you put a concentrated share of your portfolio into any given company – you covet the +433% of MicroStrategy (via its complex Bitcoin strategy), not Dollar Tree falling by half.

But the less diversified you are, the more at risk you are of underperforming the market in a major way.

When it comes to your financial future, bet on the American economy, Clark says. Not on individual companies that may do extremely well or extremely poor.

📊 Stat of the Day

✈️ $0: The price of two economy round-trip tickets on Air Canada for 50 lucky winners. The giveaway, from the country’s tourism board Destination Canada, is dubbed “SnOOOw Days” (OOO = Out of Office). You can enter at snowdaycanada.com through Dec. 20.

💰️ Deal Alert: Today’s Top Deals
Beach
🎙️ Podcast

With the rapid rise in home values, property taxes have gone up all over the country. North Dakota recently tried and failed to eliminate property taxes, and other states are trying to figure out a way to give homeowners some relief. What’s the solution? Also, there’s a trend in the country that has both positive and negative consequences: “un-retiring.” Clark shares some advice to handle the transition from full-time work to retirement.

☎️ Need Money Help?

The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information.

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