Author: Juana Baumgartner

Top 5 US Banking Stocks
Stock Prices / Us Finance

Top 5 US Banking Stocks

- by Juana Baumgartner

Banking stocks are typically more volatile than other sectors, but they can also have a lot of upside potential. These are companies that offer a wide range of services for both consumers and investors.

Bank stocks are generally favored by value investors because they often pay high dividends and offer a lot of growth in earnings per share over time. They also usually have lower regulatory risks than other types of stocks.

Bank of America

Bank of America is a large and well-diversified financial institution serving consumers, businesses, governments and institutions worldwide. It provides a full range of banking, investment and asset management products and services.

It offers savings and current accounts, investments, lending facilities, credit cards, mortgages and other consumer and commercial financial services. It is a member of the S&P 500.

The company’s operations and management are divided into five divisions: Retail Banking, Commercial and Global Markets, Financial Institutions, Global Transaction Services and Wealth Management.

Consumer Banking is the largest of the divisions and accounts for 38% of the company’s total revenue. The company’s retail divisions offer consumer deposit accounts, a wide range of loans and credit cards, mortgage services, merchant services and brokerage services.

The company’s net income rose to $7.1 billion in Q4 2022, topping analysts’ expectations. The results were driven by higher interest rates and loan growth. Expense management also helped drive operating leverage for the sixth consecutive quarter, CEO Brian Moynihan said in a statement.

Citigroup

Citigroup, based in New York, is a diversified financial services holding company. It serves consumers, corporations, governments, investors, and institutions in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions.

The company has two segments: Global Consumer Banking and Institutional Clients Group. The former offers traditional banking products and services to retail customers through local branches, offices, and electronic delivery systems. …

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How the Senate Finance Committee Staff Prepares and Conducts Hearings
Department Of Finance / Senate Finance

How the Senate Finance Committee Staff Prepares and Conducts Hearings

- by Juana Baumgartner

The senate finance committee staff oversees legislation that is primarily concerned with taxation, debts and trade. This includes legislative oversight of public employees’ retirement systems and agencies such as the Department of Revenue and State Treasury. It also focuses on preserving Medicare and protecting retirement security, updating the nation’s tax structure with a focus on growth and fairness, and ensuring that fiscal policy supports American jobs.

Preparing for a Hearing

Whether legislative, oversight, investigative or confirmation, hearings share common elements of preparation and conduct. Among the most important are those that govern public announcements of a hearing, critical decisions regarding witnesses, and administrative arrangements.

Frequently, committee rules contain provisions that regulate these aspects of a hearing. For example, Senate rules generally require committee chairs to publicly announce a hearing at least seven days before the date of the public notice.

However, there are a number of exceptions to this rule. For example, the rules of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry permit hearings with less than a week’s public notice only when the chair determines that “special circumstances” require swift action.

Despite this flexibility, it is advisable for witnesses to prepare their statements in advance of a hearing. This helps ensure that witnesses are prepared to address all of the committee’s questions.

Preparing a Media Packet

One of the most exciting and rewarding tasks for committee staff is preparing a media packet. The best media packets include a selection of eye-catching visuals that tell a story about the subject matter of the hearing in an entertaining and nonchalant manner. These materials include a well-thought out table of contents, a concise list of witnesses, an attractively designed briefing book, and a dazzling array of color and black and white photographs and charts to spruce up any office or meeting room.…

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Senate Banking Committee
Business Finance / Senate Finance

Senate Banking Committee

- by Juana Baumgartner

The senate banking committee has jurisdiction over matters related to banks, price controls, deposit and loan regulations, mortgage policy, and federal monetary policy. It also handles legislation affecting housing, urban development and mass transit.

The committee held 28 policy and oversight hearings in the 116th Congress, which was less than the 39 in the previous Congress under Republican leadership. Public testimony is accepted telephonically or via the web portal.

Legislative Activity

The Senate Banking Committee has been assigned jurisdiction over a wide range of issues including banking and currency, federal monetary policy, price controls, deposit insurance, nursing home construction, urban development, and mass transit. It also has oversight responsibility for the Public Employees’ Retirement Association, Department of Revenue, and State Treasury.

The committee has held a large number of hearings, ranging from 113 in the 112th Congress (2011-12) under Chairman Tim Johnson to 50 in the 114th Congress (2015- 16) under Chair Richard Shelby. During the most recent Congress (2019-20), the committee held just 55 hearings.

The committee has also made extensive use of investigative subcommittees. For example, during the 80th Congress, the committee formed special subcommittees to investigate temporary regulation and control of consumer credit and the Reconstruction Finance Corporation; export controls; a coffee price increase; Illinois banking problems; and other matters. The records include committee papers   relating to these investigations. These include correspondence, subject files, questionnaires, legislative and staff memoranda, reports of studies, and testimony.

Oversight Hearings

Committees are an essential part of the legislative process, and they perform a wide range of functions. They monitor on-going governmental operations, identify issues suitable for legislative review, and gather and evaluate information.

A committee’s responsibilities may also include oversight of the executive branch– specifically, the review, monitoring, and supervision of the implementation of legislation. One way a committee engages in …

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Real-Time Stock Quotes
Finance Quotes / Stock Market

Real-Time Stock Quotes

- by Juana Baumgartner

Stock quotes are a valuable tool for investors who want to know the price of a particular security. However, the stock market is volatile and quotes can fluctuate quickly from one minute to the next.

Most financial websites and networks provide delayed quotes. These show where a stock stood 15 or 20 minutes ago. They’re enough information for most investors who don’t intend to trade the stock.

Real-time quotes are more accurate

The stock market is a dynamic and highly volatile place. Some actively traded stocks can shift in price dramatically from one minute to the next, or even second by second.

This makes it important for active traders and investors to know the real-time value of a particular stock at all times. This information can be useful in determining whether a certain stock is worth buying or selling.

Investors may not need to read stock quotes in real-time, though; they can use delayed quotes instead. These quotes, which typically lag behind real-time ones by several minutes, are less precise than their real-time counterparts but still provide useful information for making decisions about investing.

In most cases, financial news services such as Reuters offer both real-time and delayed stock quotes. They also include other information, such as after-hours trade details and other supplemental data. Some of these sites are free, while others charge a fee for access to real-time quotes and other data.

They are more convenient

Unlike delayed stock quotes, real-time quotes are more convenient for active traders and investors. They rely on real-time price fluctuations based on market volatility to help them decide whether or not they can execute their trades successfully.

They also display supplementary information, including bid prices and ask prices, price changes on a given day, trading volume and the last trading price of a …

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Motivational Quotes for Finance
Finance Quotes / Personal Finance

Motivational Quotes for Finance

- by Juana Baumgartner

Motivational quotes can inspire us, uplift our spirits, and boost our confidence. They can also lighten our moods, reinforce an idea, and showcase our knowledge.

Financial motivational quotes can also help you focus on your goals and keep you on track to make them a reality. Whether you’re working toward a debt snowball payment, saving up for that vacation, or building credit, here are some inspiring finance quotes to help you along the way.

1.   Don’t let money be the master

There are a few things that you should keep in mind when it comes to finance. The first thing is that money is not the master.

The Bible says that we should not love wealth more than God. It is a snare and a lure that will pull us away from him (see Mat 6:33).

We should seek God first, then we can serve him with our wealth and our possessions.

It does not mean you will not enjoy wealth, but it is a wise choice to do so with a balanced perspective and disciplined stewardship.

This quote by one of America’s founding fathers is particularly applicable when it comes to credit and finances, as he warns against small leaks that can derail an otherwise solid budget.

2.   Make your money work for you

One of the best ways to make your money work for you is to plan and budget. Creating and following a budget will help you keep track of your expenses, understand where your income is going and determine where to cut back on expenses.

Another great way to save money is to take advantage of rewards for everyday purchases and items that you already spend on. This can include using credit cards to earn cash back on gas, groceries or other purchases.

Phineas Taylor Barnum, …

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