With average global temperatures rising, are cold weather hazards a thing of the past? Quite to the contrary. Deep freeze is still a very potent risk for Northern Hemisphere businesses through the middle latitudes. Even amid an overall warming climate, very low temperatures are possible and should be expected in otherwise warmer regions. One cause is the polar vortex, a pattern that brings very cold temperatures to normally warmer areas in the South. This phenomenon is not particularly rare or new, and it is happening about once every other year, as it has since the 1950s. Abnormally low temperatures can…

Our Nerds say:“When choosing a savings account, a high rate isn’t the only thing you’ll want to consider. You’ll want to see whether there are any monthly fees or withdrawal limits. “It’s also important to pick an account that meets your overall banking needs. If you want your checking and savings accounts to be at the same bank, for example, you’ll want to go with an institution that offers both checking and high-yield savings.”- Margarette Burnette, NerdWallet banking writerBest high-yield savings accounts: full list of editorial picksWhen selecting the best high-yield savings accounts, NerdWallet uses multiple data points, including monthly…

Most U.S. banks are not allowed to hold bitcoin directly. Despite this, CFTC data shows they are sitting on big post-election crypto gains. According to data from the Commodity Futures Exchange Commission (CFTC) Wall Street banks started loading up on bitcoin futures a few weeks prior to the U.S. presidential election. Their timing was opportune, as the cryptocurrency surged from $62,000 to nearly $90,000 recently. According to the CFTC’s Commitment of Traders report from November 5, the brokerage units of big banks took long positions amounting to $3 billion in bitcoin futures at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). This massive…

The U.S. population hit a significant milestone, this year, when the number of 65-year-olds reached its highest point in history. Dubbed the “silver tsunami” by AARP, the trend is important because 65 has historically represented the average retirement age, and in the case of the 4.1 million Baby Boomers who celebrated the event this year, the transition represents a major wealth planning moment. It also has big implications for the wealth management industry, which has helped make the Boomers the wealthiest generation ever and must now start thinking about their children and grandchildren. Much has been written about the financial…

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FINTECH SNARK TANK Conclusions from a new Apple study might make consumers rethink using ChatGPT—and other Generative AI tools—to get financial advice. And it should temper the plans of bank and credit union executives to use artificial intelligence (AI) to offer financial advice and guidance to consumers. Americans Use Generative AI To Get Financial Advice A survey from the Motley Fool revealed some surprising—and, frankly, hard to believe—statistics about Americans’ use of the Generative AI tool ChatGPT for financial advice. The study found that: 54% of Americans have used ChatGPT for finance recommendations. Six in 10 Gen…

OBSERVATIONS FROM THE FINTECH SNARK TANK In the past few weeks, two contacts of mine announced new jobs on LinkedIn. Nothing unusual about that, right? Except that both of them had announced their retirements in the past two months. As one of them told me, “I failed at retirement.” The Rise of the ReBoomers These examples are a sign of a much bigger trend. Baby boomers aren’t “retiring” in a traditional sense. They’re downshifting to become gig workers, have side hustles, and become influencers. They don’t call it any of those things, though—they call it “consulting.” Or, they’re coming back—full…

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.Certificates of deposit work as a short-term savings vehicle for goals such as upcoming home or car purchases. If you’re near or in retirement, you might wonder if CDs fit there too.For risk-averse folks, CDs can be appealing. Safety is central to them: CDs offer predictable returns, federal deposit insurance and no volatility in value such as in the stock market.“CDs are like…

A regional bank is a bank with assets between $10 billion and $100 billion, according to the Federal Reserve. Based on their assets, regional banks are midsize banks: They’re bigger than community banks but smaller than national banks. Though asset size is how the Federal Reserve defines regional banks, it’s not the only way to earn that designation. Banks with assets greater than $100 billion can also be considered regional banks based on the area they serve — generally, a specific and limited region.What does a regional bank offer?A regional bank typically caters to its local communities and offers many…

What is a bank failure?A bank failure is the closure of a bank by a government regulator generally when the bank loses the ability to pay back debts or return deposits to customers. A failed, or bankrupt, bank will have its assets, such as customer loans and investments for future profit, be worth less than its liabilities, such as customer deposits that the bank owes. When many customers lose confidence in a bank and try to pull out all their money at once, a bank run occurs.The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the federal agency that manages failed bank operations, has…

Allpoint is one of several major automated teller machine (ATM) networks that operate throughout the U.S. Banks might choose to work with ATM networks such as Allpoint that have a pre-existing infrastructure that helps customers withdraw cash and doesn’t require banks to set up their own networks. SavingsCash ManagementCDCheckingMoney MarketSoFi Checking and SavingsAPY4.20%SoFi members with Direct Deposit or $5,000 or more in Qualifying Deposits during the 30-Day Evaluation Period can earn 4.20% annual percentage yield (APY) on savings balances (including Vaults) and 0.50% APY on checking balances. There is no minimum Direct Deposit amount required to qualify for the stated…