Many dividend stocks lost their luster in 2022 and 2023 as rising interest rates drove jittery investors toward safer CDs, Treasury bills, and other fixed-income investments. However, many of those high-yielding dividend stocks stabilized in 2024 as the Federal Reserve finally implemented three interest rate cuts.

Dividend cuts can be devastating to an income-focused investor. You lose a portion of your passive income, and a dividend stock's price tends to fall significantly leading up to and after a payout reduction. Because of that, it's best to avoid that situation at all costs.

Fintech, the broad term for financial technology, is expanding quickly as companies continue to merge their financial products with the latest tech innovations. Let's take a closer look at why American Express (NYSE: AXP) and SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI) could be the right place for your money if you have $500 available to invest.

There are plenty of great stocks that offer attractive dividends and don't cost too much. Here are my picks for the smartest dividend stocks to buy with $100 right now. You can scoop up a share of Ares Capital (NASDAQ: ARCC) for roughly $23 at its current price.

The "Trump trade" that primarily lifted small and mid-cap stocks post-election has started to fizzle this January. Why? Investors are worried the Federal Reserve won't cut interest rates much this year,