Finance
How can I illustrate our financial position to a spouse who shows little interest?
Reader question: My spouse has little interest in our financial position. As we age, this concerns me. I try to share some basic information (income, spending, account balances, debt, and so on) each month but rarely get a response. I think graphs or charts might be of more interest to her than a bunch of numbers. What recommendations would you have for illustrating our financial position so that I am not the only person aware of how we are situated? Thanks!
Answer: Your situation is pretty common. Most couples I know develop a division of labor over time, where one person is in charge of financial matters and the other person is less involved. That’s definitely the case for my husband and me. He’s in charge of paying all the monthly bills and preparing our tax returns, but the financial planning and investment decisions are up to me. This type of arrangement might work well for a long time, but can become less sustainable with age, particularly if the “finance person” in the relationship dies or develops a major health issue.
Online tools and mind maps
Illustrating your financial situation with charts and graphs is a great idea that might help your spouse become a little more involved. Morningstar’s Portfolio X-Ray tool includes a variety of images that help illustrate your financial situation. Websites for most major brokerage firms also include some visual tools. Schwab, for example, offers a Portfolio Checkup and a bar graph illustrating your account’s monthly income from dividends and interest income. Vanguard has a Portfolio Watch tool and a variety of performance illustrations, tools, and calculators.
A mind map, which we used with clients when I worked for a financial advisory firm, can be another way to picture your entire financial situation on one page. There are various softwaretemplates for drawing a mind map, or you can simply sketch it out with a large sheet of paper and a pencil. Start with your names at the center of the page. Then draw spokes connecting to various categories, such as names of other family members; investment accounts; real estate and other assets, insurance policies, estate plans, key goals and values, and contact information for accountants, estate planners, and other professionals. It can be helpful to go through the mind map together and make any updates needed at least once a year.
Other ways to communicate about money
A few other ideas—though not related to charts and graphs—might also be useful.
I like the idea of putting together a net worth statement that itemizes cash, taxable accounts, real estate, retirement accounts, and debt for each member of the couple as well as items owned jointly. It’s a good idea to update this document at least once a year and discuss it as a couple. If you set up the document as a spreadsheet, you can include columns with additional information such as account numbers, what each account is used for, which accounts are subject to required minimum distributions, or tax issues like potential capital gains.
Many couples also put together a binder (sometimes humorously called a “Doomsday Book”) that contains information about where to find important paperwork, insurance policies, how bills are paid, what each account is for, steps the surviving spouse will need to take, final wishes, and any other critical information.
A well-qualified financial adviser can bridge the information gap
Finally, you could consider working with a good financial adviser, who can help involve your spouse in financial matters while you’re still living and step in to fully manage investments and personal finance decisions if you pass away before your spouse. Make sure the adviser holds the Certified Financial Planner designation and charges fees that are reasonable. Although a 1% fee is still the industry standard for accounts of $1 million or less, it’s possible to find advisers who charge significantly less, including a few who price their services based on hours worked instead of a percentage of assets under management.
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This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. For more personal finance content, go to https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance.
Amy C. Arnott, CFA, is a portfolio strategist for Morningstar and co-host of The Long View podcast.
Related links:
What If This Turns Out to Be a Terrible Time to Retire?
https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance/what-if-this-turns-out-be-terrible-time-retire
Bill Bengen: ‘Inflation Is the Greatest Enemy of Retirees’
https://www.morningstar.com/retirement/bill-bengen-inflation-is-greatest-enemy-retirees
3 Big Questions to Ask Your Aging Parents
https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance/3-big-questions-ask-your-aging-parents
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Finance
Bank of America resets Nvidia stock forecast after meeting with CFO
Nvidia (NVDA) stock has clearly been on every investor’s radar over the past three years.
However, the market’s now moved beyond the usual demand discussions and is now fixated on its tremendous runway.
That changes the dynamic in a big way and will shape the stock’s long-term trajectory, especially since it leaves little room for disappointment.
For context, if you’d invested $10,000 in Nvidia stock and left it for three years, you’d be sitting at a jaw-dropping $52,300.
Nevertheless, a ton of future growth is already priced into the stock, and investors buying Nvidia today are paying roughly 35 times forward non-GAAP earnings, according to Seeking Alpha.
Bank of America analysts just had a fresh read on that opportunity after hosting Nvidia CFO Colette Kress at its Global Technology Conference.
Moreover, Nvidia investor-relations executive Stewart Stecker gave analysts a look at how the tech giant is thinking about demand, supply, and the next product cycle.
For perspective, in one of his recent posts, TheStreet’s resident tech expert and reporter Vuk Zdinjak broke down the AI giant’s biggest announcements from the GTC Taipei event.
During the event, Nvidia confirmed that its new Vera Rubin AI platform has entered full production, backed by hundreds of partners helping ramp up manufacturing across the globe.
Additionally, the RTX Spark was introduced, a new superchip built for Windows PCs, that can efficiently run AI agents and the latest AI models locally.
BofA analysts now view Nvidia as more than just a leader in GPUs.
They paint a picture of a uniquely diversified company, powered by a full-stack approach that continues to widen its competitive edge as AI use cases evolve
Moreover, after sitting down with management, BofA analysts believe the growth runway is expanding.
That compelled the firm to effectively reset its expectations on the stock.
Wall Street price targets for Nvidia stock
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Morgan Stanley set a $288 price target on Nvidia stock. .
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Bank of America set a $350 price target on Nvidia stock. .
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UBS set a $280 price target on Nvidia stock. .
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JPMorgan set a $280 price target on Nvidia stock. .
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Goldman Sachs set a $285 price target on Nvidia stock. .
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Cantor Fitzgerald set a $350 price target on Nvidia stock.
Source: MarketBeat.
Bank of America sees Nvidia’s AI runway getting even wider
As mentioned earlier, BofA analysts feel Nvidia is far from being just a GPU story.
More Nvidia:
Finance
Billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg used mortgages to buy multimillion-dollar mansions. Here’s why that’s a savvy financial decision | Fortune
Even the world’s most affluent people sometimes need a mortgage.
Elon Musk is the world’s richest man, on track to become the first-ever trillionaire (or may already be one), but he’s done one thing most average Americans have to do: take out a mortgage.
The Tesla CEO has taken out several mega mortgages, including $61 million from Morgan Stanley, on five properties in California, according to the Los Angeles Times. That’s barely a drop in the bucket of his now-$703 billion net worth, so it could be difficult to understand why he’d borrow tens of millions of dollars to buy real estate.
But financial experts say taking out a mortgage—even when you could easily pay cash—can actually be a smart wealth strategy.
Why wealthy buyers still take out mortgages
One of the main reasons is that most of the wealth held by UHNW people is tied up in investments, stocks, and bonds, and they don’t keep as much liquid cash on hand.
“Ultrahigh-net-worth individuals think differently about liquidity and leverage,” Miltiadis Kastanis, executive director of sales at Compass, told Fortune. “They’d rather keep their money working for them in investments, businesses—or even art—rather than tying it all up in one property.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the world’s seventh-richest man, has also used mortgages to his advantage. In 2012, Zuckerberg refinanced his Palo Alto home with a 30-year, 1.05% adjustable-rate mortgage, according to CNBC. With such a low rate, the mortgage cost him practically nothing, so it didn’t make sense to have nearly $6 million tied up in a home. Plus, borrowing during the era of ultralow interest rates in the 2010s was especially attractive. Many wealthy buyers locked in mortgages at a much lower rate than today’s.
“If they believe their investments will yield a greater return than the interest they’re paying on a mortgage, it makes more sense to finance the property,” Kastanis added. “It’s less about the cost of the loan itself and more about optimizing where their money is placed.”
Mortgage interest can also be tax deductible on loans up to $750,000 for those who itemize when filing their taxes. While Zuckerberg’s mortgage was more than that, he can likely deduct at least part of his mortgage interest, which further reduces borrowing costs.
“Mortgages also allow for tax optimization in some jurisdictions, as interest payments may be deductible,” Islay Robinson, founder and CEO of mortgage brokerage Enness Global, told Fortune. “And in high-inflation environments, the value of money erodes over time, making it advantageous to borrow now and repay later.”
Celebrities use the same strategy
Many celebrities and wealthy buyers take the same approach.
Take Paris Hilton, who took out a mortgage on the $63 million mansion she bought from Mark Wahlberg in Beverly Hills. Hilton is estimated to be worth between $300 million and $400 million.
What’s even more interesting is that she and her husband, Carter Reum, reportedly took out the loan after they had already bought the 12-bed, 20-bath home, which shows a $43.75 million mortgage with JPMorgan Chase at an interest rate of 5.25%.
“It surprises many people, but it’s actually quite common for the mega-wealthy to take out mortgages—even when they could write a check for the full purchase price,” Evan Harlow, real estate agent at Maui Elite Property, previously told Fortune.
Tax and inflation advantages of taking out a mortgage
Another reason ultrawealthy buyers borrow rather than pay cash is that they often take out loans backed by their investment portfolios. Known as securities-based lending, these loans allow clients to borrow against stocks or other assets without selling them and triggering capital gains taxes. Large banks often promote these types of loans to wealthy clients.
“Rather than selling your public market investments to raise money, borrowing against your assets can allow you to stay the course on your investments, defer taxes, and free up money for other opportunities,” according to J.P. Morgan. “It’s a way to tap into the value of what you own while keeping your financial plans intact.”
Because borrowed money is not treated as taxable income under U.S. law, wealthy individuals can finance spending by taking loans against their assets without triggering income taxes. Analysts often describe the practice as “buy, borrow, die”: accumulate appreciating investments, borrow against them to fund consumption, and ultimately pass those assets to heirs with a stepped-up basis that largely eliminates the accumulated capital gains tax.
What everyday buyers can learn
For billionaires and everyday buyers alike, the decision ultimately comes down to how they want their money working. Is it better to lock it into a house—or invest elsewhere?
“The takeaway for the average buyer isn’t to mimic their precise approach, but to understand the principle,” Harlow said. “Sometimes the smartest financial move isn’t paying everything off, but keeping your money flexible and working for you.”
A version of this story was originally published on Fortune.com on March 9, 2026.
More on luxury housing:
Finance
Trump says he wants Pulte to further slash staffing at national intelligence office
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he wants his new acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, to cut the office, which has already been significantly scaled back during his second term.
WATCH: Trump says Pulte isn’t ‘permanent’ pick for national intelligence chief after GOP pushback
Trump noted that the size of the office has been “way too high for way too long” and that “if he cut, I wouldn’t mind that.”
“He’ll do a very good job,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to Wisconsin for an event on agriculture. “He’ll watch it closely, but Bill Pulte is very good, he’s very talented.”
The Republican president said in an earlier interview with The Wall Street Journal that he has asked Pulte to start the process of firing employees. In the interview, Trump said he has already conveyed his view to Pulte, who has served as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency but has no apparent national security expertise.
“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump said, which the Journal said was in reference to intelligence community officials who had served in the Democratic administrations of Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
Trump told the Journal that he wants Pulte to “start the process” of firing personnel and that the eventual permanent director of national intelligence should continue it. The president has indicated that he would not formally nominate Pulte for the position.
“Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come,” Trump said. “Because, if he (Pulte) reduced the size, in conjunction with me … and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in … he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn’t have to saddle somebody that goes in.”
Pulte was tapped by the president earlier this week in a surprising move that has been met with bipartisan resistance in the Senate, which confirms presidential nominations. The temporary appointment has now snarled the renewal of a critical national security surveillance program on Capitol Hill, with Democrats key to the vote pointing out that they did not trust Pulte — whose office oversees 18 intelligence agencies — to help administer the surveillance program.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Pulte will stay in the position depending on how long it takes to get his successor confirmed. The president also said he was considering five people who were “all very good, all people that you know very well, all people that do that kind of thing.”
“They’re very respected people,” Trump said of his intelligence candidates, without naming them.
Under Pulte’s predecessor, Tulsi Gabbard, the DNI office had already taken steps to scale back its size. In August, the Trump administration said that the office’s budget would be cut by more than $700 million per year, while slashing the size of its workforce.
At the time, Gabbard said the office had become “bloated and inefficient” while she announced the roughly 40% workforce reduction.
Gabbard resigned last month after revealing her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
Kim reported from Washington.
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