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5 financial to-dos before the end of 2025

As 2025 winds down, here are some moves to help you finish the year strong financially. Morningstar’s director of personal finance and retirement planning, Christine Benz, discusses strategies. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Q: What are the benefits of portfolio rebalancing, and who most needs to do it? A: The main benefit of rebalancing is risk reduction. You trim securities that have performed really well, presumably ones with higher valuations today. And you redirect the money into securities where returns have lagged, but valuations might be more ...

K-shaped economy: Why it’s being discussed

WASHINGTON — From corporate executives to Wall Street analysts to Federal Reserve officials, references to the “K-shaped economy” are rapidly proliferating. So what does it mean? Simply put, the upper part of the K refers to higher-income Americans seeing their incomes and wealth rise while the bottom part points to lower-income households struggling with weaker income gains and steep prices. A big reason the term is popping up so often is that it helps explain an unusually muddy and convoluted period for the U.S. economy. Growth appears solid, yet hiring is sluggish and the ...

K-shaped economy: Why it’s being discussed

WASHINGTON — From corporate executives to Wall Street analysts to Federal Reserve officials, references to the “K-shaped economy” are rapidly proliferating. So what does it mean? Simply put, the upper part of the K refers to higher-income Americans seeing their incomes and wealth rise while the bottom part points to lower-income households struggling with weaker income gains and steep prices. A big reason the term is popping up so often is that it helps explain an unusually muddy and convoluted period for the U.S. economy. Growth appears solid, yet hiring is sluggish and the ...

Business briefs

HATTON JOINS STAFF: Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell Ltd. has announced the addition of Jenna Hatton as an associate lawyer in its Warren office. She supports the firm in multiple practice areas, with a focus on business transactions and corporate law, as well as estate planning and probate matters. Hatton recently earned her Juris Doctor degree from Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, Wis., after completing her undergraduate degree in business administration at Ohio University. The Springfield Local Schools alumna is a Petersburg resident. Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell, Ltd. is ...

Edmunds: Cadillac Optiq outperforms Audi Q4 E-tron

There are many luxury electric SUVs to choose from, but they are often out of reach financially for most buyers. This is especially true now that the $7,500 federal tax credit has been eliminated. But there are some options if you’re working with a modest luxury budget. Two of the most compelling are the Audi Q4 E-tron and Cadillac Optiq. Audi introduced its Q4 E-tron back for the 2022 model year. It’s a bit smaller than the brand’s gas-powered Q5 but is still plenty practical. It also receives some updates for 2025, including a new base version with increased range and power, as ...

US Steel to resume steel production at Illinois plant shut 2 years ago

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — U.S. Steel said it will resume making steel slabs at its Granite City Works plant in Illinois as demand rebounds. The company shut down the last blast furnace there in 2023, and it even moved to wind down its steel processing mill there in September. However, it reversed its stance on the processing mill, under pressure from the White House, and now says it is going a step further by resuming steel making by reopening the blast furnace it idled two years ago amid strikes by the United Auto Workers. U.S. Steel on Thursday cited “customer demand” in ...