Latest news with #financialstrategies
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RBC Raises Price Target on Amentum Holdings (AMTM)
On Wednesday, May 21, RBC Capital Markets raised the price target for Amentum Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMTM) to $24 from $22 while keeping a 'Sector Perform' rating. This decision came after a series of investor meetings between the company's top executives and investors. Amentum Holdings, Inc.'s (NYSE:AMTM) CEO John Heller, CFO Travis Johnson, and Head of Investor Relations Nathan Rutledge discussed the company's financial strategies and future prospects with investors, focusing especially on the company's free cash flow (FCF) and plans for organic growth. A cybersecurity expert monitoring the security of the company's assets, emphasizing the importance of data protection. Long-term investors were interested in Amentum Holdings, Inc.'s (NYSE:AMTM) FCF prospects, which are supported by the company's plan to de-leverage. There is also an expectation that the company will see organic growth in the second half of 2025 and the full fiscal year 2026. However, some concerns regarding risks to the company's revenue were raised. These risks come from the timing of contract awards and the potential effects of the Department of Defense's budgetary decisions. Despite this, RBC Capital Markets believes that as confidence in Amentum Holdings, Inc.'s (NYSE:AMTM) FCF grows, the company's market value could rise. Amentum Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMTM) is an American government and commercial services contractor that specializes in advanced engineering and innovative technology solutions for the environment, space, intelligence, and defense markets. The company serves the US and allied government agencies. While we acknowledge the potential of AMTM as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AMTM and that has a 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 11 Stocks That Will Bounce Back According To Analysts and 11 Best Stocks Under $15 to Buy According to Hedge Funds. Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
18-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Financing Career Changes: What It Really Takes To Move In Midlife
Richard Alderson, CEO As working lives stretch across six decades and the pace of workplace disruption accelerates, career changes are becoming a feature of the new 60-year career. Getting good at these transitions requires knowing how to fund them. The idea of staying in the same job or even the same field for life is fast becoming obsolete. Increasingly, professionals in midlife are yearning—some by choice, others from necessity—for reinvention. But if there's one thing that stops them in their tracks, it is money. Finances are often the silent saboteur of career transitions. A recent UK-based survey by Careershifters and Phoenix Insights reveals just how deep this anxiety runs. Almost everyone (73%) considering a career change worries about the financial impact, resulting in only 8% feeling confident enough to proceed with a move. This is a sobering statistic—and one that urgently needs reframing. Because career change doesn't just happen at the beginning of our working lives anymore. For many, it will increasingly (and repeatedly) occur in our 40s, 50s, and 60s—and we need better financial strategies to support these second, third (or more) acts. Especially as the OECD has proven that actually making a change can boost your career - and your salary. Yet much of the financial anxiety around career change is based on assumptions, not reality. The Dominant Emotion About Career Shifts: Fear As the UK's Careers Can Change campaign highlights, successful career reinvention is more about mindset and planning than miracles or massive windfalls. It takes clarity, support, and sometimes, just enough of a cushion to make the leap feel possible. As Richard Alderson, founder of Careershifters, puts it: 'The biggest barriers we see are not financial, but psychological. It's fear—of the unknown, of instability, of getting it wrong. But it's also a lack of exposure to possibility. You cannot be what you cannot see.' Perception vs. Reality Whether you're dreaming of leaving the corporate grind for a purpose-led path or considering a return to work after caregiving, burnout, or a trip around the world, here are five key lessons from those who've made it happen. Some career changes will cost more than others. Some may come with short-term dips in income, others with unexpected upside. Until you've explored the real numbers—minimum income needed, retraining costs (if any), and timeline to re-entry—you're navigating blind. Replace fear with facts. Successful career changers don't have a magic sponsor or fund, they cobble together support from a range of sources: Most used personal savings, many cut down on regular spending, and a minority leaned on family or partners. Getting The Money To Move There's no one-size-fits-all approach, and you'll likely use more than one strategy. The point is not perfection, but planning. Our money beliefs are shaped early—by parents, culture, class, and gender. These stories can silently sabotage our boldest aspirations. Are you holding back because you were raised to believe work must always be secure? Or that 'starting over' is irresponsible at a certain age? Bring the biases to light and consciousness. Then they can be rewired. Avoiding your budget is a recipe for anxiety. Understand your baseline monthly needs, the gap a career change might create, and how long you can afford that gap. There are a growing number of online resources to help. Careershifters built a free Career Change Budget Calculator complete with a 'How to Finance Your Career Change' quiz (resource links below). Planning boosts both realism and resilience. Talk to people. Trusted friends, family, colleagues. Not for permission, but perspective. As Alderson stresses, 'Career change is a process of innovation. It's messy, iterative, and filled with dead ends. It's not meant to be done in isolation. Do it with others—it accelerates everything.' Real-life stories offer both inspiration and grounding. Take James Moan, a former teacher who transitioned to personal training. He took a 50% pay cut—but the payoff in energy and satisfaction has proven worth it. 'Things were tough in the beginning,' he says, 'but now it's balanced out, and I'm far happier.' Ashley Maready, on the other hand, pivoted from the museum sector into freelance personal finance writing—and saw her income increase. 'If I'd known my life could look like this a few years after switching,' she reflects, 'I would have gotten serious about it much sooner.' Ash Gornall Ash Gornall moved from corporate training into launching a fire solutions business. 'Money was the most stressful part of changing careers,' he admits. 'There's a lot to be said for a steady pay-check. But having savings as a buffer made all the difference.' These stories highlight the wide spectrum of financial outcomes. Career change isn't always a climb—it can be a dip before a rise, or a dip you choose to accept. But with foresight and support, it can be managed rather than feared. The Careers Can Change survey had 1,000 UK-based respondents but found an important gendered dimension to their research: 70% of respondents were women. Women, already more likely to pause careers for caregiving, often face greater financial fears when contemplating a shift. Yet they also lead the way in redefining work on their own terms—especially in midlife. Alderson confirms this imbalance. 'Two-thirds of our audience are women. They're often more open to exploring change, more willing to ask for help. Men are increasingly engaging too, especially when triggered by a life event—illness, redundancy, or bereavement.' This isn't just an issue of personal choice anymore—it's a feature of our ageing societies with their much longer working lives. The size and scope of the need to collectively upskill and reskill labour forces means it also offers a broader opportunity. For financial institutions, employers, and policymakers to recognise that supporting career transitions is an integral part of any longevity strategy. If we're expected to work longer, we'll need the infrastructure—flexibility, retraining, income bridges—to pivot when our interests, industries, or circumstances shift. A half-century ago, we defined work by permanence. Today, we define it by adaptability. Reinvention is the new résumé. The question isn't if you'll change careers, it's when—and how. Midlife shifts may mean temporary instability, but they can unlock long-term alignment. More purpose, more autonomy, sometimes even more income. But only if we stop letting money fears keep us stuck. That's where initiatives like Careers Can Change are invaluable. They offer not just tools and templates, but hope—and honesty. Their financing toolkit includes quizzes, decision trees, and calculators (see below). Not to map the 'perfect path,' but to help each person navigate their own, eyes wide open. In Alderson's words: 'This isn't just about one shift. It's about building the mindset and the transition skills to navigate the many changes we'll face over longer working lives. We call it career innovation. And it's a capability we all need to develop.' In the end, financing your midlife career change isn't just about money. It's about belief—and a plan.
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Credit card balances are falling. Here's how to reduce yours now.
We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. If you're carrying a high balance on your credit cards, there are a few strategies you can use to try and lower it now. Getty Images After reaching a historic peak in the last quarter of 2024, credit card balances are finally showing signs of improvement across the nation. Credit card balances fell to $1.18 trillion in the first quarter of 2025, according to the latest Household Debt and Credit Report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, released this week, down $29 billion (2.4%) from the previous quarter. This marks a welcome reprieve for cardholders who have been grappling with record-high credit card debt since surpassing the $1 trillion milestone in 2023. Despite this quarterly improvement, though, credit card debt remains 6% higher compared to the same period last year. That uptick in the total credit card debt year-over-year reflects, at least in part, the ongoing struggle that many cardholders are facing with carrying debt in today's high-rate environment. With credit card annual percentage rates (APRs) exceeding 21% on average, the compounding nature of credit card interest can cause significant headwinds that make escaping the debt cycle increasingly difficult. As a result, it's crucial for those who are carrying credit card balances to find ways to reduce their debt. Luckily, if you're among those looking to lower your credit card balances, there are several methods to consider. Tackle your high-rate credit card debt today. How to reduce your credit card balance now The strategies outlined below could help you reduce your high-rate credit card balances, making it easier and more affordable to pay off what's owed: Try and settle for less than what's owed Debt settlement (also known as debt forgiveness) may sound extreme, but this strategy can offer big relief to borrowers who are seriously behind on payments. With this approach, the goal is to work with your creditors, typically with the help of a debt relief company, to negotiate a lump-sum payoff amount that's less than what you owe for the balance. If negotiations are successful, the settlement is paid and then the remainder of the balance is forgiven. The tradeoff is, however, that you typically have to stop making payments while negotiations occur (and while you're saving up for a lump-sum settlement), which can damage your credit score in the short term. Forgiven balances over $600 are also often reported as taxable income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), so be prepared for a possible tax bill. Still, if your credit card debt is unmanageable and you're facing collection calls or the threat of legal action, debt settlement may be a better path than defaulting or filing for bankruptcy. Find out how to get help from a debt relief expert now. Consolidate multiple debts and lower the interest charges If you're juggling multiple high-rate credit card balances, debt consolidation can be a smart strategy to lower your overall interest burden and make repayment more manageable. When you consolidate your debt, the goal is to roll multiple debts into one loan, lowering the interest and streamlining the payments. There are a few ways to do this, including: Personal loans: You can take out a fixed-rate loan to pay off your cards, replacing multiple payments with one predictable monthly bill. Rates depend on your credit profile but are generally lower than credit card APRs. You can take out a fixed-rate loan to pay off your cards, replacing multiple payments with one predictable monthly bill. Rates depend on your credit profile but are generally lower than credit card APRs. Home equity loans or home equity lines of credit (HELOCs): If you own a home with sufficient equity, you could use that to consolidate your debt Transfer your balances and wipe out interest Balance transfer credit cards are a powerful tool for debt reduction, offering introductory 0% APR periods that typically last up to 21 months. This interest-free window creates a valuable opportunity to make progress on paying down the balance without accruing additional interest. However, be mindful of balance transfer fees, which typically range from 3% to 5% of the transferred amount. If you take this route, it's important to calculate whether the interest savings outweigh the fees and develop a clear repayment plan to eliminate the debt before the promotional period expires. Get help from a credit counselor Working with a credit counselor on a debt management plan can help you pay off your credit cards within three to five years on average. When you enroll in this type of program, the credit counselor will work directly with creditors to try and lower your interest rates, waive late fees and simplify your repayments. These plans can be a great fit if you're still current on payments but are overwhelmed by interest and struggling to make progress. However, they do come with limitations: You can't open new lines of credit while enrolled, and you may be required to close existing credit cards, which could affect your credit utilization and score, initially. Still, for many, the trade-off is worth the potential downsides. The bottom line Falling national credit card balances are a good sign overall, but millions of households are still struggling under the weight of their high-rate debt. If you're dealing with a similar issue, it's important to weigh your options and determine whether it makes the most sense to negotiate a settlement, consolidate your balances or follow a debt management plan. Ultimately, though, the right approach is the one you can stick with, so be sure to choose the strategy that offers the most relief while aligning with your unique circumstances.
CNA
10-05-2025
- Business
- CNA
Money Mind 2025/2026
22:54 Min Money Mind 2025/2026 Strategies for the financial fallout from US tariffs: how to stay resilient as markets and currencies take a hit. But could there be a silver lining for consumers in Asia? Money Mind 2025/2026 About the show: Money Mind tells you how to make the most of your money with tips for investors, business ideas for businessmen and analysis of the economy, companies, markets, financial products and trends.
