Washington can feel pretty gridlocked these days, with the impeachment proceedings against President Trump dividing politicians by party lines. Still, both Republicans and Democrats have rallied around a number of bills that could deliver real changes to your personal finances. Currently, your out-of-pocket health costs must be more than 10% of your income for you to claim the medical expenses tax deduction. Only people who itemize their deductions qualify, and that number has dwindled with the

Even though stocks are trading around all-time highs, CFRA’s Sam Stovall thinks Wall Street isn’t bullish enough. According to the firm’s chief investment strategist, an under-the-radar historical trend suggests the S&P 500 will continue to reach record levels through December. We had a positive move in the market in both January and February,” Stovall said on Thursday. Stovall points to another unusual characteristic of the year’s record run: Stocks hit highs this month, too. Stovall came into

“We see addiction and possible related regulatory, litigation or taxation consequences for the video game sector as a ‘black swan’ – largely not discussed or discounted,” Jefferies analyst Simon Powell said. The video game industry has an estimated 2.5 billion active players worldwide, with mobile accounting for nearly 50% of the market. “These issues aren’t front of mind or priced-in for some stocks … [we] don’t believe that these issues are at all high on investors’ list of priorities or conce

Here are some of the best analyst calls on Wall Street this week:Maxim – Apple, downgraded to sell from holdMaxim downgraded Apple to a rare sell rating and said it was worried about lower iPhone sales in 2020. Jefferies – Grocery Outlet Holdings, Buy ratingJefferies reiterated its buy rating on Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. after the company’s strong earnings report. The firm said chains in the value space continue to make inroads with bargain minded consumers. Given Grocery Outlet delivers a WO

Schommer manages the Janus Henderson Contrarian I (JCONX) fund, which has nearly $3 billion in assets and has been on fire in 2019. The fund is up nearly 37% year to date and ranks in the top percentile among its peers, Morningstar data shows. Schommer also added Disney to the portfolio when the stock was trading near its 2019 lows. Schommer says he tries to find companies with “misunderstood business models” to invest in, noting that nearly half of the portfolio is made up of such companies. Cr

Their stock prices have handily outrun the S&P 500 over the past year, and investors have endowed them with a valuation premium to the broad market of 40%-50%. The companies range from $100 billion to $340 billion in market value, so in part the stocks benefit from a broader preference in a mature bull market for companies of heft that can preserve value over the very long term. They are financially potent enough to make heavy growth investments while also buying back plenty of stock and paying

On average, Americans received more than 2,000 robocalls every second in October, up 25% from the previous month. With 49 billion robocalls so far this year, all four major U.S. phone carriers now offer some form of blocking or screening service. Congress and state officials passed new robocall regulations in recent months and have seen an uptick in successful cases against the scammers. Meanwhile, hundreds of tech start-ups are developing new ways to tackle the problem. Watch the video to see h

Some services already exist (Netflix, HBO) and will be largely grandfathered in by their existing subscriber bases. Disney is charging just $6.99 per month for nearly its entire back catalog of Star Wars movies and related series, Marvel movies and series, Pixar movies, old Disney movies, 30 seasons of “The Simpsons,” Disney Channel shows, 35 original movies and shows in year 1, and much more. If a streaming service were selling just Marvel and Star Wars series and movies, it would a significant

What’s goodAmazon Echo Flex Todd Haselton | CNBCThe Echo Flex provides access to Amazon’s voice assistant Alexa wherever you have an electrical outlet, and without any cables. Amazon Echo Flex Todd Haselton | CNBCThe Echo Flex works like any other Echo. Amazon Echo Flex Todd Haselton | CNBCYou don’t need either one, but I liked the nightlight on the Echo Flex I put in the bathroom. What’s badAmazon Echo Flex Todd Haselton | CNBCI wish the speaker on the Echo Flex was better. Amazon Echo Flex Tod

It imagines the U.S. under attack from a foreign country, through the power grid. More than 6,500 government officials and big players in the energy sector came together this week to conduct a simulated cyberattack on the electrical grid. Last year, a saboteur of unknown origin was found to have been tampering with the safety systems of large industrial systems in the Middle East. This fragmentation and complexity is why power grid cybersecurity is often focused on minimizing the damage and spre

If you’re planning to stop at the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving, avoid going between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to a new report by Google Maps. Using Android users’ location services data from Thanksgiving week 2018, Google Maps analyzed when traffic will be the best and worst this Thanksgiving. In addition to national trends, Google Maps created a tool that generates the best and worst traffic times during the Thanksgiving holiday for 26 cities, from Boston to Tampa to Cleveland t

What it’s like to be a bartender in NYCCNBC Make It reporter Kathleen Elkins makes a trip to The Penrose in New York City, a gastropub on the Upper East Side, to see what it’s like to go behind the bar and serve drinks to customers during happy hour. She spends a day in the life of bartender Don Young to see if she has what it takes to be a bartender.

There’s more to bartending than pouring beers and shaking cocktails, especially in the city that never sleeps. On a busy night, bartenders in New York City are juggling multiple drink orders from a continuous flow of customers. “I learned very quickly, in a very harsh way, that there’s a lot that goes into bartending.” The job can be exhausting but lucrative in a bustling city like New York. The best way to learn the profession is ‘trial by fire'”Anyone can be a bartender,” says Young.

This has been a bad stretch for video games social media, particularly the accounts of the sports publishers. 2K Games had their social media hacked almost across-the-board yesterday evening, including the account of 2K Sports’ Ronnie Singh, better known as Ronnie 2K. — Ronnie 2K 2K20 (@Ronnie2K) November 16, 2019Social media accounts across the 2K label were compromised early Friday evening. Twitter’s own chief executive, Jack Dorsey, had his account hacked at the end of August, after all. So,

“We really are looking for some sort of stimulus that would suggest it could propel the market forward. That health-care sector, though, remains a scary one for long-term investors, given the political risk that is at the center of the lower-for-longer thesis in market returns. Breaking traditionDe-risking is likely to be a theme under most scenarios going forward. “Give the fact that returns are likely to be lower going forward, it’s important to find ways to minimize fees, minimize taxes, some

Microsoft shared an incredible new trailer for the newest iteration of its legendary Flight Simulator franchise. Microsoft Flight Simulator will be launching next year for PC and Xbox One. That’s despite Microsoft Flight Simulator X getting a quasi-remaster with a Steam Edition in 2014. At X019, we’re thrilled to reveal many of the great aircraft manufacturers we are partnering with to make Microsoft Flight Simulator the most realistic flight simulation yet. The breadth of partnerships we have f

During X019, Microsoft finally showed the first-ever look at the Age of Empires IV. Just as expected, Age of Empires IV indeed was featured at X019. We know that our community has been eager to learn more about Age of Empires IV since we announced it at gamescom in 2017. Sadly, Microsoft didn’t share any details about the release date but we are hopeful that Age of Empires IV will come out in 2020. In the meantime, you should absolutely check out the newly released Age of Empires II Definitive E

Ninja Theory’s upcoming battler, Bleeding Edge, is coming to Xbox One and PC on March 24. A Steam page for Bleeding Edge opened up before X019 and revealed not only the release date, but closed beta and pre-order details as well. Bleeding Edge was announced at E3 2019, but since then Ninja Studio hasn’t said much else about the upcoming competitive battler. If you pre-order Bleeding Edge, you’ll gain access to two closed betas as well as the ‘Punk Pack,’ which is a collection of skins, stickers,

Assassin’s Creed has always been a stylish franchise. Superhuman Streetwear has teamed up with Ubisoft for a collaboration Assassin’s Creed fans have always wanted, but probably never saw coming. I say “premium” because the cape alone costs $175, while the hooded jackets will run you $525. The Auditore jackets are available in Assassin White, Wetlands Ebony, and Roman Gilded Onyx, while the cape only comes in ebony and onyx. You can pre-order your Assassin’s Creed jacket and expect it to ship De

“This is a return to my roots,” Guy Ritchie tells our sister publication Total Film of The Gentlemen, a crime caper bursting with banter and bickering, blackmail and bribery. For The Gentlemen, Ritchie’s rounded up a motley gang of A-listers, including Hugh Grant, Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Eddie Marsan, and Colin Farrell. “It’s a good cast but we just asked people, and they were around,” shrugs Ritchie modestly. The trailer makes it clear he’s having a