David Beren, Author at 24/7 Wall St.

Close-up, over-the-shoulder view of a person typing on a dark laptop. The screen displays vibrant green and orange financial candlestick charts and line graphs against a dark grid. To the left of the laptop is a black calculator, and to the right, a white coffee cup with steam rising. The background shows a sunlit window with sheer white curtains.

XMAG vs. MAGS: Betting Against or All-In on the Magnificent 7?

The Defiance Large Cap ex-Mag 7 ETF (NASDAQ:XMAG) and the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF (NASDAQ:MAGS) are photographic negatives of one another. MAGS holds only the seven mega-caps driving the AI cycle, while XMAG holds…

David Beren · 3 months ago

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VOO vs. VTI: Should You Own the S&P 500 or the Entire Market?

The choice between Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:VOO) and Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEARCA:VTI) is the most common allocation decision in U.S. equity investing, and it looks like a coin flip until you…

David Beren · 3 months ago

A man wearing a white shirt and brown tie is speaking on a mobile phone, looking slightly upwards and to the right. He holds his left hand near his tie. Behind him is a dark, digitally enhanced background filled with glowing green and red candlestick charts, bar graphs, and various stock numbers. Overlaying these are hexagonal graphical elements with financial icons such as a dollar sign, a hand holding money, an ascending bar chart, a lightbulb, a circular arrow with money, and the text 'ETF Exchange Traded Funds'. One hexagon displays '45%'.

RSP vs. SPY: Does Equal Weight Beat the Cap-Weighted S&P 500?

The choice between the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (NYSEARCA:RSP) and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) looks trivial on a fund screener. You have the same 500 companies, both tracking the…

David Beren · 3 months ago

Three green wooden blocks are stacked like a staircase on a wooden surface against a light background. The top block has a white 'E' and yellow 'EXCHANGE'. The middle block has a white 'T' and yellow 'TRADED'. The bottom block has a white 'F' and yellow 'FUNDS', collectively spelling out 'ETF' and 'Exchange Traded Funds'.

QQQ vs. QQQM: Same Index, So Which One Should You Actually Buy?

For investors choosing between Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) and Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF (NASDAQ:QQQM), the surface answer looks trivial. Both track the Nasdaq-100, and their holdings overlap almost perfectly. Year-to-date returns are within a…

David Beren · 3 months ago

A middle-aged or senior man and woman sit at a glass table, both looking distressed as they examine a paper document the man holds. The woman, with blonde hair and a grey cable-knit sweater, has a worried expression and her left hand is gesturing on the table. The man, with grey hair and a beard, wears a plaid shirt. A black wheelchair is partially visible to the woman's left. In the background, a modern kitchen with a bowl of fruit and white cabinetry can be seen.

8-in-10 Americans Expect High Healthcare Costs in Retirement, and Fidelity’s 2026 Study Shows How They’re Responding

Healthcare in retirement has become the single highest cost Americans cannot reliably predict, and the anxiety around it is now mainstream. Fidelity’s 2026 retirement study finds that 8 in 10 Americans expect high healthcare…

David Beren · 3 months ago

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QQQ vs. VGT: The Best Way to Own Big Tech?

The Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) and the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (NYSEARCA:VGT) are often shoved into the same “own Big Tech” bucket, but they answer different questions. QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100, a listing-based index…

David Beren · 3 months ago

A middle-aged woman with shoulder-length grey hair, wearing a light blue long-sleeved shirt, sits at a white table. She is looking down intently at a white document held in her left hand, while her right hand rests on her chin in a pensive pose. On the table, a silver laptop, a cream mug, a black calculator, and scattered papers are visible. The background shows a modern kitchen with light cabinets and a window.

Nearly 1-in-3 Americans Don’t Know How Much They’ll Have Saved by Retirement, Fidelity’s 2026 Study Reveals

Fidelity’s 2026 retirement study landed with an optimistic surface read, as 74% of Americans say they have a retirement plan in place. The quieter finding sits underneath: 31% of Americans don’t know how much…

David Beren · 3 months ago

A hand holds a black smartphone horizontally. Above it, a glowing, white circular platform hovers. On the platform, bold yellow 3D letters spell 'ETFO', accompanied by a yellow dollar sign coin and a yellow upward-pointing arrow. Behind the letters are blue bar graphs, and in the dark blue background, a candlestick stock chart with red and blue bars and wavy green and red lines is visible, depicting market trends.

JEPI vs. JEPQ: Which High-Yield Income ETF Deserves Your Cash?

The JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (NYSEARCA:JEPI) and the JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (NASDAQ:JEPQ) come from the same issuer, run the same covered-call playbook, and charge an identical 0.35% expense ratio. That…

David Beren · 3 months ago

A close-up shot of a financial candlestick chart on white paper with a grid pattern. The word 'DIVIDENDS' is prominently written in large black letters across the lower left. A black pen rests diagonally across the paper, pointing towards the word. The chart features red and blue candlesticks, along with multiple colored trend lines in blue, pink, and green. A blurred black calculator is visible in the upper right background.

SCHD vs. VYM: Which Dividend ETF Builds a Better Income Stream?

Both Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:SCHD) and Vanguard High Dividend Yield Index Fund ETF (NYSEARCA:VYM) appear similar on screeners, but their income delivery and market positioning differ fundamentally. SCHD runs a quality screen…

David Beren · 3 months ago

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Fidelity’s 2026 Retirement Study Says 7-in-10 Americans Would Skip Traditional Retirement for Gig Work, a Business, or a New Career

Fidelity’s 2026 Retirement Study describes a meaningful shift in how Americans picture their later working years. The traditional model, in which workers fully exit the labor force in their mid-60s, is becoming less common.…

David Beren · 3 months ago

A pink ceramic piggy bank sits on the left. In the center, a roll of U.S. hundred-dollar bills, featuring Benjamin Franklin, is neatly tied with natural twine. To the right, a small rectangular wooden sign reads 'RETIREMENT FUND' in bold white capital letters. All items are placed on a solid dark grey surface.

The Average American Has Worked for 6 Employers and 23% Still Have Multiple Old Retirement Accounts, Fidelity’s 2026 Study Finds

The typical American worker now passes through six employers over a career, and each job change leaves behind a retirement account to keep track of. Fidelity’s 2026 study found that 23% of Americans with…

David Beren · 3 months ago

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Fidelity’s 2026 Study: 76% of Boomers Are Counting on Social Security While Younger Generations Lean on Workplace Plans

Fidelity’s 2026 retirement study draws a clear line between generations based on where they expect their retirement income to come from. The data begins with the finding that 76% of Boomers list Social Security…

David Beren · 3 months ago

Fidelity’s 2026 Study: Americans With a Retirement Plan Are More Than 2 Times as Likely to Feel Confident About Their Future

Fidelity’s 2026 Retirement Planning Study lands at a moment when Americans have plenty to be anxious about. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index sat at 49.8 in April 2026, deep in recessionary territory…

David Beren · 3 months ago

An African American man and woman, both smiling, sitting at a wooden table and looking at documents. The man wears a blue button-up shirt over a white t-shirt and has a pen in his hand, while the woman wears a colorful patterned short-sleeved shirt and holds several white papers. On the table are a pair of eyeglasses and a smartphone. The background shows a modern living space with large windows and plants, suggesting a comfortable home environment.

Fidelity’s 2026 Retirement Study Finds Men Are 18 Points More Confident Than Women About Retiring on Their Terms

Fidelity’s 2026 Retirement Study captures a confidence gap that arrives years before any account statement confirms it. Men report 81% confidence in retiring on their own terms, while women report 63%. This 18-percentage-point gap…

David Beren · 3 months ago

A close-up shot of a crumpled one-dollar bill with a ragged tear in its center. Through the irregular opening, the bold black letters 'E.T.F.' are visible against a white background. Details of the dollar bill, including 'FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE', 'THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA', 'ONE DOLLAR', a partial serial number, and a Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago seal, are clearly discernible.

YieldMax MSTY Returned More Than Half Your Capital in a Single Quarter and Most Holders Think It Was Income

A 41-year-old investor puts $25,000 into the YieldMax MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF (NYSEARCA:MSTY) because the fund advertises a yield north of 100%. Three months later, the distributions show up on schedule, but the…

David Beren · 3 months ago

A person with dark hair, seen from the side, sits in a dimly lit room bathed in red light. Their right hand is pressed against their head, indicating distress. They are looking at a computer monitor which displays a bright red candlestick chart showing a significant and continuous downward trend. On the desk, a keyboard, mouse, and a digital clock showing '77 °F' are visible.

34% of Americans Panic-Sell During Market Drops. The Cost: 27% in Missed Gains

A new behavioral finding from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement’s 2026 Annual Retirement Study shows that 34% of Americans typically withdraw money from investments to avoid further losses during a significant…

David Beren · 3 months ago

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Forget SCHD: DGRO’s Looser Quality Filter Has Quietly Delivered Higher Total Returns Over the Last Decade

For a 59-year-old pre-retiree sitting on a six-figure dividend core, the choice between iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:DGRO) and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:SCHD) usually gets framed as a yield contest. SCHD…

David Beren · 3 months ago

OMAH Now Holds $1.7 Billion in Berkshire Style Stocks and It Just Hit 15 Percent Returns Without Buffett Buying a Thing

VistaShares Target 15 Berkshire Select Income ETF (NASDAQ:OMAH) targets a specific investor: the retiree who wants Warren Buffett’s playbook without Berkshire’s $300 billion-plus cash drag and needs monthly income. OMAH holds Berkshire-style blue chips…

David Beren · 3 months ago

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If You Hold This 20 Year Treasury ETF You Are Losing Money Even With Yields Up

A 68-year-old retiree who moved $180,000 out of stocks and into the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (NASDAQ:TLT) in late 2024 was making a directional rate bet. The pitch was clean: lock in…

David Beren · 3 months ago

A blonde woman in a yellow long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans sits next to a bearded man in a green shirt on a gray sofa. The woman points at a black smartphone held by the man, who is also holding white paper documents. A closed silver laptop and a light pink mug are on a wooden coffee table in front of them, with blurred bookshelves in the background.

49% of Divorced Americans Say It Derailed Retirement, Here’s Why the Timing Matters Most

Divorce after 50, often called gray divorce, has moved from a cultural curiosity to a measurable retirement risk. In these cases, shared assets are split in half, joint claiming strategies dissolve, and the runway…

David Beren · 3 months ago