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Happy Thursday, MarketWatchers! Don’t miss these top stories:
Personal Finance
People are spending $1.7 billion on Valentines for their pets
One in four people buy Valentine’s Day gifts for their pets, and almost half admit they cuddle with their dog more than their partner.
Your financial adviser is retiring before you do. Now what?
Should you worry if your investment portfolio is assigned to a junior associate?
OK, boomers and millennials: This next wave of home buyers is coming up fast
Gen Z is already influencing mortgage lending and builders, writes Sanjiv Das.
Trump’s bid to end Public Service Loan Forgiveness could mean ‘major life changes’ for some student-loan borrowers
The program wipes out student-loan debt for borrowers in certain nonprofit and public sector jobs.
I’m 34, built a $500K nest egg, own several properties and plan to retire by 40. My girlfriend bought a $37K Mercedes — and says I’ve saved enough for both of us
‘Am I being overly protective of my financial goals, or is she out of line for expecting to enjoy the benefits without making the sacrifices?’
‘My father has lived a life of crime and drugs. He threw away every opportunity we gave him.’ Now that he’s on disability, doesn’t he owe his kids something?
‘My siblings and I got him a used car. He drove it off the lot, went for a joyride, and wasn’t heard from for three days.’
Strikes are 257% up in 2 years, even though labor union membership is down — why more workers are taking a stand
It was more common for workers to walk off the job last year.
Your grocery store may not be doing enough to notify you about potentially dangerous food recalls
‘Consumers have a right to know about food recalls to protect their health from dangerous pathogens, chunks of metal, and unlabeled allergens.’
The airlines with the most valuable rewards
It depends on two factors: the value of award miles and the rate at which you earn these miles.
How to combat your recession fears and protect yourself
Here are some common fears among Americans, and how to protect your wallet if they come true.
Elsewhere on MarketWatch
ABCs of trade: If it can’t be made in America, it should be made anywhere but China
Tariffs on Chinese products are successfully moving the needle on U.S. trade flows.
How Democrats could end up deadlocked on a presidential nominee for the first time in 68 years
Contested convention, here we come? With just two 2020 Democratic presidential nominating contests in the history books, pundits are beginning to speculate that for the first time since the 1950s, no candidate will win the magic number of delegates on the first ballot at this summer’s convention.
Not one S&P 500 CEO is donating to Bernie Sanders
While the moderate 2020 Democrats lost to Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire, presidential hopefuls Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden are winning over the CEOs of S&P 500 companies, as the execs vote for them with their wallets.
‘Pretty good’ economy will keep being ‘pretty good,’ award-winning forecaster says
The economy is OK, and that’s pretty good, says economist Jay Bryson of Wells Fargo.
Why some index funds don’t provide the stock market diversification you need
Indexes increasingly are heavily concentrated in just a few stocks, writes Mark Hulbert.
