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    Wednesday’s big stock stories: What’s likely to move the market in the next trading session

    Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading in New York City. 
    Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

    Stocks @ Night is a daily newsletter delivered after hours, giving you a first look at tomorrow and last look at today. Sign up for free to receive it directly in your inbox.
    Here’s what CNBC TV’s producers were watching as stocks rebounded on Tuesday, and what’s on the radar for the next session.

    Costco Wholesale

    The members’ only store releases September sales on Wednesday around 4:15 p.m., Eastern time.
    Costco shares are 3.6% off the Sept. 13 high, and they’re up 1.57% in a month.
    So far in 2024, Costco is up about 35%.
    On a year to date basis, the stock ranks 14th in the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT) out of 80 names.
    I’m not saying these are apples-to-apples comparisons, but XRT constituents that also offer groceries — and are faring better than Costco in 2024 — include Sprouts Farmers Market, up about 140% year to date, and Walmart, up 51% year to date. Casey’s General Stores is up 38% year to date.
    Jim Cramer holds Costco in his charitable trust, having last purchased shares in June 2020. The stock is up 205% since then. That’s more than double the S&P 500 in the same time period.

    Stock chart icon

    Costco Wholesale in 2024

    IPO in the U.S.A.

    KinderCare goes public on Wednesday
    The Renaissance IPO ETF (IPO) is up 7.3% in the last month.
    The IPO ETF is 3% from the high hit three weeks ago.

    Boeing

    The aerospace giant was the subject of another warning on Tuesday: S&P put Boeing on “creditwatch negative.”
    The ratings agency says if Boeing’s machinists’ strike and the company’s problems continue, then it runs the risk of getting a junk rating. This would have consequences for Boeing’s bonds.
    Shares are flat after hours.
    The stock is 42% from the December 52-week high.

    Stock chart icon

    Boeing shares in 2024

    The airlines

    While Boeing shares slump, many of the carriers are faring well over the past week.
    American Airlines is up about 9.4% in a week. It’s still 26% from the March high.
    United Airlines is up nearly 7% in a week.
    Mesa Air is up 6% in a week. It is 36% from the July high.
    JetBlue is up 4.6% in a week. It is 7.6% from the high hit early this month. But at about $7 a share, it is far from the $31 all-time high.
    Southwest Airlines is up 2.6% in a week. The stock is 13% from the February high.
    Spirit Airlines is down 17% in a week. Shares are 90% from the high they hit nearly a year ago.

    The cruise lines

    Hurricane Milton doesn’t seem to be affecting the cruise line stocks. Many of them have significant operations in Florida.
    Norwegian Cruise Line was up 3.5% Tuesday. The stock is 4% from the March high.
    Royal Caribbean was up 2%.
    Carnival was up nearly 5% Tuesday, and it’s 4.4% from the December high. More

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    Here are key steps to file a homeowners insurance claim after a natural disaster, experts say

    It’s crucial to understand how to file a homeowners insurance claim after a natural disaster.
    Insured losses alone for Hurricane Helene are now estimated at over $6 billion.
    Hurricane Milton weakened slightly on Tuesday, but analysts still anticipate it could be a “once-in-a-century” storm with the potential to generate record-breaking damage when it makes landfall along Florida’s west coast on Wednesday.
    Here are three steps to take to file an insurance claim.

    David Hester inspects damages of his house after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28, 2024. 
    Chandan Khanna | Afp | Getty Images

    It’s crucial to understand how to file a homeowners insurance claim after a natural disaster. 
    Insured losses alone for Hurricane Helene are now estimated at more than $6 billion.

    Meanwhile, analysts anticipate that Hurricane Milton could be a “once-in-a-century” storm with the potential to generate record-breaking damage when it makes landfall along Florida’s west coast on Wednesday.
    Once you’re safely out of harm’s way, starting the insurance claim process is an important consideration. The sooner you report a claim, the sooner your insurance company can start the process and you can begin rebuilding, experts say. 
    “Your adjuster is assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis,” said Shannon Martin, a licensed insurance agent and analyst for Bankrate.com. 
    More from Personal Finance:A ‘man-made disaster’ could make it trickier to buy or sell a homeHere’s what’s not covered by flood insuranceHow to prevent hurricane damage on your home
    The processing arm of your insurance company is going to have a “tremendous amount of paperwork and claims coming through,” said Jeremy Porter, head of climate implications research at First Street Foundation, an organization focused on climate risk financial modeling in New York City. 

    “The longer you wait, you’re not only delaying the ability to have your claim approved and make its way to you, but you’re lengthening the time in which that claim will sit in the processing pipeline,” Porter said.
    Here are three important steps to quickly file an insurance claim after a disaster, according to experts.

    1. Call your insurer as soon as you can

    Experts recommend including copies of your insurance policies and contact numbers in a disaster preparedness kit, that goes with you if you evacuate and is securely stored, otherwise.
    Once a disaster has passed, immediately contact your insurance company to let them know that your home has damage from a recent disaster and you’d like to start the claims process, said Porter. 
    If you evacuated, “you can start the claim from anywhere,” Porter said. “You’ll eventually have to schedule with the insurance company to actually review and inspect the damage.” 
    But if you decide to wait out the storm in your house, you need to first prevent further damage to the home before calling, said Bankrate.com’s Martin.
    A typical home insurance policy has language requiring homeowners to lessen the impact and prevent further damage, she said. 
    “Then you can call the insurance company, take pictures of the damage and [move] items into safer locations,” Martin said.

    2. Make a log of damages

    During your call, provide your insurance company with some initial details, like if your roof blew off or several windows broke, said Porter. 
    “But they really won’t make their assessment until they come in and inspect the damage,” he said. 
    While the insurer will make its own inspection, it’s always important to document your damages, including taking pictures, so that you can align that with the formal inspection record that comes out from the insurance company, Porter said. 
    This way, you can dispute any claims if you have to later, he said. 

    3. Keep a record of receipts

    In the event of a loss, you have to give prompt notice to your insurer and you have a duty to protect the property, said Daniel Schwarcz, an insurance law professor at the University of Minnesota Law School. 
    You have to protect the property from further damage after the storm, make reasonable repairs and have an accurate record of repair expenses, Schwarcz said. 
    The receipts that you need to keep on file are for purchased materials used to prevent further damage on the property that’s already been damaged by a covered peril, said Schwarcz — meaning wind and trees, but not generally flooding unless you have a flood insurance policy. The insurer will generally reimburse you for reasonable expenses you incur. 
    If you don’t take such measures after the storm, and that inaction results in further damage, the insurer is not obligated to cover the loss, he said.

    Materials purchased to protect the home before the natural disaster — for example, plywood to cover windows — are oftentimes not covered. 
    You also want to keep a record of receipts when you start working with contractors to rebuild from the damage, experts say. 

    Differentiating damage from back-to-back disasters 

    One of the reasons why you want to document the damage immediately with your insurer is so that you can attach it to the event itself, increasing the likelihood of the event being covered by your home insurance, said Porter. 
    “Filing the claim immediately is the number one most important thing to do,” Porter said.
    It’s important to keep track of where the damage came from, and having evidence can help avoid problems down the road, he said.
    Port offers the hypothetical of of someone whose home sustained wind damage from Hurricane Debbie or Helene, but hasn’t filed a claim before the Milton makes landfall and causes flood damage. 
    “All of a sudden, you have a problem where the National Flood Insurance Program, which covers flood, and your home insurance company, which covers wind, can potentially start to argue over what actually caused the damage to the property,” Porter said.
    You want to make sure you file any claim within three to five days of when the incident occurred, said Martin. As long as you had submitted all of your information in a timely manner for the first incident, if something else arises, you’re able to show the adjuster that it happened from a second event, she said. More

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    Taxpayers in 25 states get extra time to file, but not to pay, 2023 federal taxes

    Join us on October 24th at 1pm for an online Your Money event: REGISTER HERE

    If you filed an extension for 2023 federal taxes, the deadline to file is Tuesday, October 15.
    Taxpayers in all or parts of 25 states and two U.S. territories have an automatic extension to file those returns.
    Extension gives more time to file tax returns, but not to pay taxes due, and the penalties can add up.

    About 19 million U.S. taxpayers requested an extension to file back in April, according to the IRS, giving them an extra six months to submit their 2023 federal income tax returns.
    For many of those taxpayers, the October 15 final deadline is fast approaching.

    Taxpayers in federally-declared disaster areas, which currently cover all or parts of 25 states and several U.S. territories, will have even more time.
    Eligible taxpayers will receive an automatic extension to file their 2023 federal returns, with new deadlines ranging from November 1 to as late as May 1, 2025, depending on where they live. Check the IRS database to find out if you may qualify for an automatic federal extension, and reach out to your state about next steps for your state return.  

    More from Your Money:

    Here’s a look at more stories on how to manage, grow and protect your money for the years ahead.

    From hurricanes to tornadoes and wildfires, these natural disasters occurred after the April 15 federal tax deadline, when tax returns and payments were due. So affected taxpayers who originally requested an extension will have more time to file, but not more time to pay, according to the IRS.

    Penalties can add up

    Ryan Creel takes a sewing machine from a pile of damaged belongings on October 4, 2024 in Camden, North Carolina. 
    Melissa Sue Gerrits | Getty Images

    For most taxpayers who requested an extension, but don’t file their return by October 15, the penalty for filing the return late is 5% of unpaid taxes per month or partial month, capped at 25%.
    If you didn’t pay enough tax by April 15, the late payment penalty is 0.5% of your unpaid balance per month or partial month, up to 25%. You will also incur an interest-based penalty.

    You won’t be penalized if you’re owed a refund. 
    Taxpayers can avoid or limit penalties by filing for an extension, estimating what they owe and making payments toward that balance before April 15 and in subsequent months, experts say.
    Then “there’s no failure-to-file penalty because they have an extension, or the underpayment penalty gets significantly reduced because they have had extra payments done throughout the year,” said certified public accountant Miklos Ringbauer, founder of MiklosCPA, an accounting and tax strategy firm in Los Angeles. 

    If you can’t pay, consider an installment plan

    Volunteers help residents to clean their homes covered in mud, following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Swannanoa, North Carolina, U.S., October 07, 2024. 
    Eduardo Munoz | Reuters

    If you can’t pay what you owe right now, the IRS recommends applying to set up a payment plan.
    A short-term payment plan gives you up to 180 days to pay if you owe $100,000 or less in tax, penalties and interest. A long-term payment plan lets you pay monthly if you owe less than $50,000.
    However, the IRS expects you to pay as you go, so you’ll continue to incur interest on unpaid taxes on those installment plans. But the failure-to-file penalty is cut in half while an installment agreement is in effect, according to the IRS.

    Start planning ahead

    There isn’t much you can do at this point to change the outcome of what you owe for 2023, but now is a good time to start planning ahead. 
    With provisions in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set to expire at the end of 2025 if Congress doesn’t take action, higher tax rates could be on the horizon.
    “Maybe you want to accelerate some capital gains or do some income shifting strategies,” said Jim Buffington, a CPA and advisory services leader for Intuit Accountants. “Now would be the time to begin talking about those so that you can make arrangements before the end of 2024.”

    Also, “consider adjusting your withholding or making estimated tax payments for this year so that you don’t get a surprise bill next April, and you won’t owe or will owe less of a penalty for underpayment,” said IRS spokesperson Eric Smith.
    If you increase the tax withheld from your pay now, he said, the IRS “assumes you made payments equally throughout the year and that works to your favor when it comes to any estimated penalty that would apply.”  More

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    Peru has attracted a slew of foreign investors into its credit market. Here’s why

    Molten copper pours into ceramic molds to form plates at the Southern Copper Corp. smelter facility in Ilo, Peru, on Jan. 30, 2017.
    Dado Galdieri | Bloomberg | Getty Images

    After years of political unrest in Peru, the relative calm of recent months has made international investors increasing their appetite for the country’s sovereign bonds.
    Foreign investors now hold 39% of Peru’s sovereign bond market holdings, the highest level across all emerging market countries. This underscores the increasingly positive sentiment surrounding the Peru’s fixed income outlook. Moody’s currently has a moderately stable Baa1 credit rating on Peruvian bonds.

    This comes after years of political unrest made investors wary of the Latin American nation. Lawmakers earlier this year called for President Dina Boluarte’s resignation amid allegations of illicit enrichment. Calls of an impeachment have currently faded and Boluarte and Congress are now at an impasse.
    But now “Peru is a bit ahead of the game,” said Pramol Dhawan, Pimco head of emerging markets portfolio management. “It has recognized the need to provide international investors positive returns on domestic assets, and for central banks to be aligned with international investors and provide positive returns on domestic assets.”
    Fixed income backdrop
    Some of the Peruvian economy’s standout characteristics are its low debt-to-GDP ratio, which is among the lowest within its Latin American peers, and its stable currency, the Sol. According to the International Monetary Fund, Peru’s debt equates to 33% of its GDP. That’s well below Brazil’s 86.7% and lower than Chile’s 40.5%.
    The Central Reserve Bank of Peru also lowered interest rates at its September meeting to 5.25%, the lowest level across Latin America. Peru also holds the steepest yield curve across global and emerging markets, Dhawan highlighted — a stark contrast to the inverted yield curves in the U.S. and many other countries. 
    “The real yields are high and the curve is steep; and as the [Fed] rate cut cycle continues, there is still a lot of potential upside for duration for local Peruvian bonds,” said David Austerweil, deputy portfolio manager for the emerging markets fixed income strategy at VanEck.

    A 2-year Soberano, the country’s local currency bond, is currently yielding 4.661% and the yield on the 10-year Soberano was last at 6.428%. Bank of America is long on Soberanos, the local-currency government bonds.
    Ironically, Peru’s political dysfunction — which has put its Congress at a gridlock and unable to pass meaningful legislation — likely has strengthened Peru’s fiscal health. 
    “In some sense, the lack of a strong executive has led to better fixed income outcomes,” Austerweil added.
    Dhawan also underscored that Peruvian fixed income is a high quality market for foreign investors. Dhawan noted that the political turmoil is not detracting from the country’s debt market outlook. The fixed income backdrop is helped by the relative stability of the Peruvian central bank. 
    “Peru has created an ecosystem which is largely conducive for international investment,” said Dhawan. “The central bank has been viewed as  the grown up in the room … It’s now validating what we think it should be doing, which is normalizing policy in-line with their domestic conditions.”
    What about the stock market?
    The Peruvian equity backdrop is less clear. The MSCI Peru Index has rallied 24.8% in 2024 and 55.8% over the last 12 months. That makes it an outperformer against the MSCI Emerging Markets and World indexes, which are up just 15.2% and 16.7% each on a year-to-date basis, and around 23% and 30% in the past 12 months, respectively. 
    “Whilst the commodity bonus has helped Peru in the short-term, it is hard to see a good longer-term equity story without a proper functioning political system,” Dhawan said. 
    Mining companies are among the largest market-cap stocks in Peru, making the stock market highly exposed to cyclical factors. Peru is one of the world’s largest producers of metals such as copper, silver, and zinc.
    Notably, copper prices have surged 24.5% year to date — and commodities prices are expected to climb higher with the recent China stimulus measures raising hopes for a rebound in economic activity. However, the commodities sector remains highly volatile and subject to external conditions, complicating the equity environment. 
    “Absent a big commodity supercycle, which is not our base case, it’s hard to see sort of sustainable growth, outperformance versus trend without being more conducive,” said Dhawan.

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    Credit card spending growth is slowing — ‘consumers have been in a pretty frugal mood,’ expert says

    Revolving debt, which mostly includes credit card balances, fell 1.2% in August, according to the Federal Reserve’s latest consumer credit report.
    Although credit card spending growth is slowing, it may be too soon to tell if August’s contraction reflects a real shift in consumer behavior.

    In the last year, credit card debt spiked to a record $1.14 trillion. But recent signs show consumers may now be pulling back.
    Revolving debt, which mostly includes credit card balances, fell 1.2% in August, compared to a year earlier, according to the Federal Reserve’s G.19 consumer credit report released on Monday. Nonrevolving debt, such as auto loans and student loans, rose 3.3%.

    After a prolonged period of high inflation and sky-high interest rates rates, spending habits are adjusting, according to Ted Rossman, Bankrate’s senior industry analyst. “Consumers have been in a pretty frugal mood lately,” he said.

    This could be ‘just a blip’

    However, it may be too soon to say whether August’s contraction reflects a real shift in consumer behavior, said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief credit analyst. “It is far more likely that is just a blip.”
    Even though spending has moderated this year, “it isn’t a huge decrease and I don’t think there’s really any reason to think that this is the beginning of a trend,” he added.
    “it will be very interesting to see what the NY Fed debt data says when it is released next month,” Schulz said. “I expect it to show that debts are continuing to climb. I’d be very surprised if it didn’t.”
    Heading into the peak holiday shopping season, lower rates and cooling inflation may encourage more spending in the months ahead, the National Retail Federation’s most recent analysis of retail sales also shows. 
    “Easing inflation is providing added spending capacity to cost-weary shoppers, and the interest rate cuts expected to come from the Fed should help create a more positive environment for consumers in the future,” Jack Kleinhenz, the NRF’s chief economist said in a statement.
    Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube. More

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    Your tax bracket may increase after 2025. Here’s how it could affect your brokerage account

    ETF Strategist

    Without action from Congress, trillions of tax breaks enacted by former President Donald Trump will expire after 2025, including lower federal income tax brackets.
    Higher brackets can impact “short-term capital gains,” or assets owned for one year or less, in your brokerage account.
    You can minimize capital gain payouts by investing in assets like exchange-traded funds, experts say.

    Shapecharge | E+ | Getty Images

    If you’re investing in a brokerage account, it’s important to know how assets can impact your taxes, especially with possible rate increases on the horizon.
    Without action from Congress, trillions of tax breaks enacted by former President Donald Trump will expire after 2025, including lower federal income tax brackets, among other provisions.

    Higher rates after 2025 could impact some brokerage accounts since investors pay annual taxes on earnings, experts say.

    More from ETF Strategist

    Here’s a look at other stories offering insight on ETFs for investors.

    If you sell investments that you have owned for one year or less, the profits incur “short-term capital gains,” or regular income taxes. The same rule can apply to mutual fund distributions, depending on how long the fund manager owned the underlying assets.
    “Generally speaking, it’s good to avoid short-term gains as much as you can,” said Samantha Pahlow, wealth management chair of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management in Portland, Oregon, which ranked No. 10 on CNBC’s 2024 FA 100 list. 

    Generally speaking, it’s good to avoid short-term gains as much as you can.

    Samantha Pahlow
    Wealth management chair of Ferguson Wellman Capital Management

    After 2025, short-term gains in a brokerage account could become more expensive, with brackets scheduled to revert to 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, 35% and 39.6%, experts say.
    But it’s unclear whether Congress will allow lower brackets to sunset, particularly with control of the Senate, House and White House uncertain.

    Exchange-traded funds are ‘more efficient’ for taxes

    Regardless of future tax law changes, investors should consider the types of assets they use in brokerage accounts, along with the possible tax consequences, experts say.
    Exchange-traded funds “are certainly going to be more efficient than those actively traded [mutual] funds that may have very high turnover rates,” said Shea Abernethy, a Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based investment advisor representative.
    Actively managed mutual funds often trigger capital gains payouts, even when investors haven’t sold shares, which can be a costly year-end surprise. 

    But minimally-traded funds, such as ETFs or index funds, typically offer more year-to-year tax savings, said Abernethy, who is also chief compliance officer for Salem Investment Counselors, which earned the No. 8 spot on the FA 100 list.  
    When aiming for tax efficiency, “mutual funds are kind of the dinosaur of the past,” added Tommy Lucas, a certified financial planner and enrolled agent at Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo in Orlando, Florida.
    However, it’s important to consider more than taxes alone before making an investing decision, experts say. Ultimately, your assets should reflect your risk tolerance, goals and timeline. More

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    Tuesday’s big stock stories What’s likely to move the market in the next trading session

    Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during afternoon trading on October 03, 2024 in New York City.
    Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

    Stocks @ Night is a daily newsletter delivered after hours, giving you a first look at tomorrow and last look at today. Sign up for free to receive it directly in your inbox.
    Here’s what CNBC TV’s producers were watching as stocks slid on Monday, and what’s on the radar for the next session.

    PepsiCo

    The soda-and-snack giant reports Tuesday before the bell.
    Shares are up 1.7% in three months.
    Pepsi is 8.8% from the 52-week high hit in May.
    It’s not a cola-to-cola comparison, but Coca-Cola is up 8% in three months. It’s 6% from the September high.

    Stock chart icon

    PepsiCo shares in 2024

    Boeing

    The airline maker reports September orders and deliveries on Tuesday at 11 a.m., Eastern time.
    Boeing is down 1% in a month, and it’s down 15.6% in three months.
    The stock is 42% from the December high.

    The insurance stocks

    After many of these names had record runs, insurance stocks fell Monday ahead of another major hurricane approaching Florida. This time it’s a Category 5 monster called Milton.
    Travelers fell 4.3% Monday. It is 7% from the high three weeks ago.
    Progressive fell 3.85%. It is 5.75% from the mid-September high.
    W.R. Berkley lost 3.47% Monday. It is 8% from the September high.
    Hartford lost 3%. The stock is 4% from the high hit last week.
    Hanover Insurance dropped 2.8% Monday. The stock is 4% from the Sept. 19 high.

    Stock chart icon

    Traverlers Cos. in 2024

    The bonds

    Super Micro’s super jump

    The stock was up nearly 16% on Monday as Super Micro Computer said sales are still going strong.
    It remains 61% from the 52-week high hit back in March.
    The stock closed at $47.74. The all-time high is $122.90.

    Stock chart icon

    Super Micro Computer’s performance in 2024

    Amazon and Apple

    Both giants were hit with analyst downgrades on Monday.
    Wells Fargo took down its rating on Amazon to equal weight from overweight. Jefferies dropped Apple to hold from buy.
    Both stocks lost about $5 a share Monday. That’s a 3% decline for Amazon, and a 2.25% decline for Apple.
    Amazon is now 10% from the July high.
    Apple is 6.5% from the July high.

    Nuclear

    The White House’s national climate advisor Ali Zaidi said Monday that the administration is working to restart more nuclear reactors in the U.S.
    He mentioned the two projects CNBC has previously reported on. One is in Michigan, and the other is in Pennsylvania. It’s unclear if more are coming soon.
    Vistra dropped 5% Monday.
    NextEra fell 4.25%. It is 6.75% from last week’s high.
    Uranium Energy fell 3.46% Monday. It is now 20% from the Feb. 1 high.
    The Sprott Uranium Miners ETF (URNM) declined about 2.4%. More

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    Many Americans would rather talk about politics than money. Not having those conversations can cost you

    Many Americans would rather talk about who they’re voting for in the November presidential election than money, a recent survey finds.
    While most people are reluctant to talk about money, the good news is that some money conversations are happening more regularly.
    Here’s why experts say it can cost couples and parents who don’t discuss financial issues.

    Voters cast their ballots on the second day of early voting in the 2024 presidential election at the Board of Elections Loop Super Site in Chicago, Illinois, on October 4, 2024. 
    Kamil Krzaczynski | AFP | Getty Images

    There are few topics Americans would rather not talk about more than money.
    They would even rather reveal who they’re voting for in the November presidential election than talk about their finances, according to new research from U.S. Bank based on a survey of 3,500 individuals.

    That’s on top of separate research that found personal finances are almost as difficult to talk about as sex, a recent Wells Fargo national survey including 3,403 adults found.
    Most people are reluctant to talk about money, according to Wells Fargo’s research, and revealing how much they have saved or how much they have earned are two topics they’d prefer to avoid.
    Still, for most people to be willing to talk about the U.S. election over their personal finances is a “big surprise,” said Scott Ford, president of wealth management at U.S. Bank.

    People are likely more hesitant to talk about money because it is wrapped up with their anxieties, worries and aspirations, said Preston Cherry, a certified financial planner, founder and president of Concurrent Financial Planning in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
    Moreover, while money is a “deeply personal,” everyday relationship, presidential elections are just once every four years, said Cherry, who is also a member of the CNBC FA Council.

    Despite their reluctance, the research from U.S. Bank shows families are increasingly breaking the ice on financial topics, particularly with regard to conversations parents are having with their kids.
    “The good news is people are talking more [about money], but it’s still at the surface,” Ford said.
    U.S. Bank’s survey included 1,000 respondents from the general population, 1,000 mass affluent respondents with at least $250,000 in investable assets excluding their primary homes and retirement accounts, and 500 high-net-worth individuals with at least $1 million in assets excluding their primary homes and retirement accounts.

    ‘Missed opportunities’ of not talking about money

    For both couples and families, not having those crucial financial conversations can cost them, financial advisors say.
    “When you don’t have the knowledge, or you don’t feel like you have the ability to talk to your loved ones and people around you about money, then you also can’t build wealth effectively,” said Winnie Sun, co-founder and managing director of Irvine, California-based Sun Group Wealth Partners. She is a member of the CNBC FA Council.
    “Avoiding money conversations will lead to misunderstandings, financial misalignment and, overall, just missed opportunities to plan effectively for the future,” said Douglas Boneparth, president and founder of Bone Fide Wealth, a wealth management firm based in New York City. He is also a member of the CNBC FA Council.

    Have talks ‘before an emergency situation arises’

    On a positive note, some money conversations are happening more regularly, U.S. Bank’s research found.
    Today’s parents are almost twice as likely to discuss financial concepts with their children — such as investing in stocks and bonds — than their parents did with them, according to the firm.
    Still, 45% of respondents say they are unaware of their parents’ financial situation, U.S. Bank found. Many believe they will have to provide financial help to their parents or in-laws in the future, according to the research.
    A lack of family financial discussions can become an issue if aging relatives have a health scare, said Ford, who recalled having to scramble to pay the property taxes for a loved one who fell ill, without even knowing where the checkbook was.
    “What I tell everyone is you want to have those conversations before an emergency situation arises,” Ford said.
    To start to better understand older family members’ financial situations, it may help to begin with everyday items, like the cost of prescription medications, and build from there, Ford said.
    “Our advice is just to start to have the conversation, start small,” Ford said.
    More from Personal Finance:How to frame financial decision making amid election uncertaintySocial Security’s death benefit has been $255 since 1954. How that may changeIRS free tax filing will be available in 24 states for the 2025 season
    If those conversations are avoided, it can prevent important estate planning, health-care decisions and intergenerational wealth transfer, according to Boneparth.
    “When these things aren’t accounted for, there could be costly legal mistakes or tax inefficiencies, either presently or down the road,” Boneparth said.
    Ultimately, families want to have a full emergency plan in place, complete with knowledge of bank account information, long-term health-care plans, a will and a durable power of attorney, which is a legal document that gives someone else the authority to make financial or medical decisions on someone else’s behalf.
    It may take some prodding for older family members to open up about their finances, said Ted Jenkin, a certified financial planner and the CEO and founder of oXYGen Financial, a financial advisory and wealth management firm based in Atlanta. He is also a member of the CNBC FA Council.
    “It’s always best to approach parents and say, ‘Listen, we could care less how much money you have. We just want to make sure the proper things are in place to make sure that we’re not dealing with tons of legal hassles down the road,'” Jenkin said.

    Couples often don’t agree on money

    A lack of communication among couples can also lead to financial problems.
    More than one-third of Americans don’t agree with their partners when it comes to how to best manage their money, both when planning for their current circumstances and retirement, according to U.S. Bank.
    At the same time, 30% say they have lied to their partner about money, the firm found. Other research has shown that dishonesty — often referred to as financial infidelity — can be common when couples aren’t on the same page financially.
    “Couples sometimes struggle,” Cherry said. “They struggle with sharing each other’s perspective without judgment in order to reach a common goal.”
    To work past financial standoffs, it helps for couples to create a more welcoming environment to engage their partners in money conversations, Cherry said.

    Financial advisors can often serve as mediators and objective third parties in those conversations, Ford said.
    More than half — 53% — of investors surveyed who have at least $250,000 in assets said their financial advisor has helped them work through uncomfortable family money conversations, U.S. Bank found.
    Many people may be hesitant to consult a financial professional if they don’t feel they have enough money or know the questions they should ask.
    But taking that first step — whether it’s talking to an advisor or doing the research to educate yourself about personal finance — can help shift your mindset and reduce financial stress, according to Sun.
    “Most financial advisors, especially the good, experienced ones, will give you a free first initial consultation,” Sun said. “That is super powerful, and you should take us up on it.”

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