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A narrow space in a home isn’t a lost cause. With the right piece of furniture, you can make the most of the area, even if it seems impossible at first. Slim cabinets come in handy in these situations, creating extra storage where you often need it the most. They come in different heights, but tall and slim cabinets in particular are especially useful, as they take advantage of vertical storage space even while taking up little floor space.

The Iwell Tall Storage Cabinet has a compact design, requiring less than a 12-by-12-inch area to use. It’s on sale for only $90 at Amazon, which is 18% off its regular retail price of $110. However, as a limited-time deal, there’s no telling how long you’ll be able to get this cabinet for less than $100.

Iwell Tall Storage Cabinet, $90 (was $110) at Amazon

Courtesy of Amazon

Shop at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

Measuring 11.8 inches long by 11.8 inches wide by 67.1 inches high, this slim and tall cabinet can provide storage in unlikely places. Take the bathroom, for example. Bathrooms are notorious for being small and having awkward spaces that are unable to accommodate many cabinets. (The areas between a sink and a toilet or a tight corner, in particular, come to mind.) But with this cabinet, all you need is a clearance of 12 inches in length and 12 inches in width to make it a near-perfect fit. 

At around 5.5 feet tall, this cabinet can create vertical storage without having to deal with installing wall-mounted shelves or cabinets. It has two one-door cabinets that are separated by a single drawer. Each cabinet features adjustable shelves that you can customize to different heights. This gives you the flexibility to store a variety of items, from tall paper towels to compact rolls of toilet paper. The drawer in the middle, which measures 9.6 inches long by 10.7 inches wide by 5.7 inches high, is a great spot to hide away smaller items, including makeup, skincare, and other small bathroom essentials. 

Related: Walmart is selling a bed frame with built-in storage and a charging station for 43% off

Details to know

Dimensions: 11.8 inches long by 11.8 inches wide by 67.1 inches high.

Material: Engineered wood.

Storage: Two one-door cabinets with adjustable shelves and a drawer.

A cabinet like this isn’t only perfect for bathrooms. Its elevated farmhouse-style design with clean lines and paneled doors can be used in small areas throughout your home, like a kitchen, a laundry room, or a hallway. One reviewer said it solved the issue of limited kitchen cabinet space, and they were able to upgrade the hardware to match their kitchen color scheme. 

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On sale for only $90, the Iwell Tall Storage Cabinet is an excellent option for adding more storage in small spaces.

Every industry has a technology that stays permanently three years away. In cars, it is the solid-state battery.

I have read versions of the same press release, in different corporate fonts, since roughly 2017. Longer range. Faster charging. None of the flammable liquid sloshing around under your floor. Always arriving just past the horizon of whatever product cycle the executive happened to be defending that quarter.

Nobody calls it out, because the physics is real. Swap the liquid electrolyte for a solid one and you get a denser, safer cell in the laboratory. Keeping that cell alive through a Michigan winter, a pothole on Interstate 94 and 1,000 charge cycles in a customer’s driveway is the part that keeps slipping.

So the calendar became the product. Toyota (TM) has owned 2027 to 2028. Samsung SDI has owned 2027. Detroit has owned a research budget and a shrug.

BYD (BYDDY) just moved the meeting up.

The Chinese automaker plans to have a vehicle running its solid-state battery technology on the road next year, Executive Vice President Stella Li said in an interview with Carwow.es in Valencia, Spain, according to CarNewsChina.

BYD is “in the leading position for the commercial line, and for the technology,” Li said. She added that the company would field one model carrying the technology next year to prove it.

What BYD actually promised on solid-state batteries

Read the promise closely and it shrinks. Li gave no production date, no vehicle name, no battery specifications and no performance figures, which leaves the announcement at the technology-demonstration stage, reported CarNewsChina.

When I lined that wording up against BYD’s own engineering roadmap, the gap was the story. FinDreams, BYD’s battery arm, has reported 20 amp-hour and 60 amp-hour solid-state prototype cells approaching 400 watt-hours per kilogram, though cell numbers do not translate into pack numbers.

Related: BYD just joined the fight over humanoid robots

The chemistry is sulfide-based, and sulfides are difficult neighbors. They conduct ions beautifully and react badly to moisture, generating hydrogen sulfide gas, which forces sealed manufacturing environments and dry electrode processing all the way through the line.

There is a mechanical problem too. Solid-to-solid interfaces can lose contact as electrodes swell and shrink through a charge cycle, so some designs need sustained pressure clamped across the stack, and a car adds vibration, heat swings and potholes to that requirement.

BYD will have a vehicle running its solid-state technology next year, an executive said.VCG / Getty Images

Why the solid-state timeline still favors nobody

Here is the part that should reassure Detroit and Nagoya more than the headline suggests. A demonstration vehicle tests integration, not economics, and the specialized sulfide precursors involved currently cost dozens of times more than conventional liquid-electrolyte materials, reported CarNewsChina.

Toyota is not standing still either. Its partner Idemitsu Kosan has begun construction on a large-scale pilot plant for solid electrolytes that is expected to be finished by the end of 2027, reported Electrek.

The industry’s real scoreboard is a set of dates, and they cluster tighter than the rhetoric implies.

BYD will have one model using solid-state technology next year, according to Li’s remarks reported by CarNewsChina.

Small-batch trials of roughly 1,000 vehicles arrive around 2027, with large-scale commercial production near 2030, according to FinDreams Chief Technology Officer Sun Huajun, Electrek reported. 

Toyota will “ensure market launch of BEVs with all-solid-state batteries in 2027-28,” the automaker said in a statement.

Samsung SDI is targeting all-solid-state mass production in 2027, reported CarNewsChina.

Liquid lithium-ion and all-solid-state systems could coexist for 15 to 20 years, said BYD Chief Scientist Lian Yubo, highlighted in CnEVPost’s report. 

That last line is the one nobody puts in a keynote. BYD’s own chief scientist is telling you the battery in the car you buy in 2028 will almost certainly still be liquid.

What Detroit is doing about battery supply

General Motors (GM) spent last week talking about a different problem entirely. The company is early in developing next-generation cells meant to cut American dependence on Chinese materials, and expects commercial production of sodium-ion cells around 2029.

GM is building the chain so that “when we get into market, we’ve got a domestic source for that,” battery and sustainability vice president Kurt Kelty told CNBC.

Ford (F) has taken the same unglamorous path, moving its Marshall, Michigan plant into production-intent lithium iron phosphate cells for a midsize electric pickup due in 2027, reported GM Authority, citing the Detroit News.

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Neither is a solid-state answer. Both are a cost answer, and cost is what has actually been killing American electric vehicle demand.

That is the quiet trade Detroit has made. It ceded the headline technology and went after the sticker price, which is defensible strategy right up to the moment a rival proves the headline technology works.

What the solid-state race means for your next car

My analysis of BYD’s sales math suggests the company can afford a science project in a way its rivals cannot. BYD sold 2,227,722 new energy vehicles from January through July, down 10.54% year over year, while overseas sales reached 969,208 units, or 43.5% of the total, reported CnEVPost.

Cumulative new energy vehicle sales have now passed 17.3 million units, the company said.

That is the uncomfortable part for Toyota and Detroit. Solid-state cells will debut on expensive halo cars, likely BYD’s Yangwang and flagship Denza models, where the cost is easiest to bury, according to CarNewsChina.

Halo cars are how a company buys engineering data at retail prices. BYD has enough volume elsewhere to fund the lesson, and Chinese state support helps, because the company develops this technology inside a government-backed platform tied to an estimated $830 million research program.

For anyone shopping, the practical takeaway runs against the marketing. Waiting for solid-state before buying an electric vehicle means waiting past 2030 for anything you can actually afford.

Resale anxiety deserves the same treatment. If liquid and solid cells genuinely share the road for 15 to 20 years, a 2027 model will not be stranded by a 2029 press conference.

The thing worth watching instead is charging speed on the cars already for sale, since second-generation lithium iron phosphate packs are closing much of the gap that solid-state was supposed to fix, and they are shipping now.

For portfolios, the near-term money still sits with the companies scaling cheap liquid-electrolyte cells rather than the ones promising to replace them.

Next year’s vehicle is a test bench with license plates. Watch what BYD refuses to say about it, because the specification sheet, or its absence, will tell you whether 2030 is a target or a hope.

Related: BYD sends blunt message to Tesla with 35.4% of exports

Wineries have struggled financially since the Covid-19 pandemic that has led several wineries to close facilities and, in some cases, file for bankruptcy protection.

A major economic issue the wine sector faced was a 21% decline in industry revenue from 2020 through 2025, according to Silicon Valley Bank’s State of the U.S. Wine Industry Report.

In a recent case, Napa Valley winery Signorello Estate LP, facing financial distress, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Aug. 27 to halt a foreclosure sale and prepare the debtor for a going-concern sale to stalking-horse investors, according to court documents.

A bankruptcy filing imposes an automatic stay against legal actions against a debtor, but in certain cases a bankruptcy can be filed long after a business has already closed.

Moon Dancer Winery closed its facilities after losing a lawsuit judgment.Yulia Shaihudinova / Getty Images

Moon Dancer Winery forced to close

And now, Pennsylvania winery owner Moon Dancer Vineyards & Winery Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 11, 2026, to reorganize its business and restructure its debts about 10 months after being forced to close its facilities.

The debtor owns Moon Dancer Winery, which permanently closed its winery and tasting room on Nov. 19, 2025, after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied the owner’s final appeal to continue operating its business, according to a statement the winery posted on Instagram.

The Wrightsville, Pa., winery and vineyard filed its petition in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, listing $100,000 to $500,000 in assets and $1 million to $10 million in debts.

Moon Dancer Winery’s largest unsecured creditors include M&T Bank, owed over $757,000; U.S. Small Business Administration, owed over $500,000; McNeese Wallace & Nurick LLC, owed $450,000; and First Data – Clover Capital, owed $30,000.

The winery opened in 2003 and operated for 13 years before Matthew S. Balsavage and Amenda Perko purchased an adjacent residential property in 2016, according to court papers. The winery has 10 acres of vineyards and replanted 2,400 vines in spring 2025, with Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay as two of its primary grapes.

Neighbors file lawsuit against winery

Balsavage and Perko filed a lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas of York County in Pennsylvania against the winery on Oct. 22, 2018, alleging that the winery’s operations, including a tasting room, a pizzeria restaurant, wedding venue, and music festival site, were prohibited by language in the property’s deeds.

Moon Dancer Winery claimed in court papers that it was an allowed agricultural operation, while the plaintiffs asserted that it was a prohibited commercial operation.

Supreme Court rules against Moon Dancer

The winery continued operating while it appealed its case to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but permanently closed the winery the day after the court denied the appeal on Nov. 18, 2025.

“While we are saddened by the state Supreme Court’s decision today, we remain forever grateful for the thousands of friends and loyal customers who have continued to stand by us in this fight, and the countless wonderful memories we have made over these last 22 years,” Moon Dancer Winery’s owner Jim Miller said in a statement.

Related: 38-year-old beloved steakhouse chain closing over 40 locations

When you live in South Florida, as I do, the only holidays that feels right are Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. Warm weather Halloween and Thanksgiving lack the turning leaves, orange pumpkins, and other hallmarks of those day to someone who grew up in Massachusetts.

Christmas, however, seems the most out of place because, well, there won’t ever be a white Christmas, and it’s hard to look at Santa without thinking that he’s probably sweating quite a bit.

Consumers are still planning to celebrate the holidays, but many are looking for places to stretch their budgets.

“Holiday decorations (-11%), show/experiences (-11%) and travel (-10%) are among the categories suffering the biggest declines in spending intention,” according to a 2024 study from Alix Partners.

The data showed that the biggest cutback is on self-gift-giving, so people seem to be making cuts where they can, but not skipping Christmas altogether.

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“Some 42% of respondents intend to purchase most gifts on sale, an uptick from the 38% who were looking to that strategy in 2023. Spending declines are planned for nearly all product and services categories except for food and beverage at home,” the data showed.

That could create a challenge for retailers that depend heavily on discretionary holiday purchases, particularly if consumers decide to reuse decorations they already own.

Gordon Companies files Chapter 11 bankruptcy

While you may not know the brand name, Gordon Companies has a long history.

“Gordon Companies Inc. has been family owned and operated for nearly 50 years. We are experts in quality Christmas, holiday and seasonal decorations,” the company shared on its website.

The company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sept. 14, owns a number of brands.

Christmas Central is an e-commerce marketplace offering one of the largest online selections of Christmas decorations, home decor, outdoor furnishings, and accessories.

The Christmas.com e-commerce marketplace features everything you need for the holidays. We feature hundreds of quality sellers from around the United States for Christmas and holiday decor and gifts.

From artificial Christmas trees and accessories to lights and decorations for holidays throughout the year, Northlight features Christmas and holiday decor for all seasons.

Pool Central offers a deep stock of equipment and accessories for your pool, spa, and outdoor space.

The company reported $10 million to $50 million in both assets and liabilities. The filing indicates that there will be funds available for distribution to unsecured creditors. The case number is 26-11242, according to Bondoro.

Gordon Companies sells artificial Christmas trees.Shutterstock

Gordon Companies Chapter 11 basics:

Gordon Companies Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 14, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York. The case number is 1-26-11242.

The Buffalo, New York-based company is an importer, wholesaler, and retailer of seasonal decorations and home décor.

Gordon Companies reported estimated assets of between $10 million and $50 million and liabilities in the same range.

The bankruptcy filing lists between 200 and 999 creditors.

The filing indicates that funds will be available for distribution to unsecured creditors.

Gordon Companies is a family-owned business whose roots go back to the opening of Dave’s Christmas Wonderland in Western New York in 1977.

The company began e-commerce operations in 2001 and launched Christmas Central in 2004.

Court records identify Jeff Sands as Gordon Companies’ chief restructuring officer.

The company’s largest unsecured creditors include FedEx, Jay Gershberg, Speier Display Inc., Joseph Lombardo, and Yensay International Co. Ltd., according to the creditors’ filing.Source: Bondoro

Holiday spending may drop

“Even as people embrace new technology, they want something more old-fashioned under the wrapping paper this year: screen-free gifts, in-person experiences, and a season that feels nostalgic. The brands that understand that desire can do more than move products. They can become part of the memory,” according to PWC’s 2026 Holiday Outlook.

The study also showed a number of things:

Gift spending looks resilient, projected to dip just 2% year over year (YoY), despite historic lows in consumer confidence. For most households, the presents under the tree or by the candles aren’t going to get cut.

Millennials are pulling back the most, with an expected decline of 10% on gift spend and 37% on travel. Now in their parenting and mortgage-paying prime, they’re still spending, just more carefully.

AI is the new coupon clipping. Twenty-nine percent of consumers plan to use AI somewhere in their holiday shopping, up from last year, when 22% said they planned to use AI, mostly to research products, compare prices, and stay on budget.

The digital generation is leading an analog gift revival. Sixty-four percent of consumers say they’re prioritizing screen-free gifts this year, and that number climbs to 78% among Gen Z.

“Holiday gift spending is projected to dip just 2% from last year, even as consumer confidence fell 18.5% YoY, according to the University of Michigan’s index (from 60.7 in June 2025 to 49.5 in June 2026 when the survey was fielded),” PWC shared.

Deloitte has a more optimistic view of the holiday season.

“Holiday retail sales are projected to total between $1.70 trillion and $1.71 trillion during the November 2026 through January 2027 period, representing an increase of 4% to 4.8% from the same period in 2025,” according to Deloitte’s annual holiday retail forecast. In 2025, holiday sales increased by 4.1% in the same period.

Gordon Company has not commented on its Chapter 11 filing, and it is not the same company as Gordon Brothers, a company that helps struggling companies sell distressed assets.

The company did not immediately return a request for comment sent to its media inquiries email. Gordon Company’s website are currently still taking orders.

This is a developing story and will be updated as news allows.

ALSO READ: Sporting goods giant closes over 60 stores across two chains

Ulta Beauty is facing backlash from customers over a store policy aimed at boosting safety and security, and the criticism continues to intensify. 

In 2025, Ulta Beauty partnered with Flock Safety to deploy automated license plate-reading cameras powered by artificial intelligence in some of its stores. According to a recent report from Retail Dive, these cameras are installed at less than 1% of Ulta’s roughly 1,500 U.S. locations.

On its website, Flock Safety claims that its technology “helps communities deter crime, respond to emergencies, and investigate safety incidents.”

Major retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe’s, Walmart, and Target also use these cameras, often citing anti-theft and organized crime as the reasoning behind their decision to install the technology. 

Ulta Beauty petition to remove Flock cameras gains traction

However, some of these retailers have faced blowback from consumers over their use of Flock cameras, and Ulta Beauty is not immune. The beauty retailer is now facing a petition that has garnered more than 15,000 signatures, urging it to remove the cameras from its stores.

UltraViolet, a women’s advocacy group, launched the petition on Aug. 26. On the group’s website, it touts a campaign called “Ulta: Mass surveillance isn’t pretty,” in which it demands that the company “drop flock now.” It claims that the technology puts “women’s safety and privacy at risk.”

In the petition, UltraViolet states that “the negative impacts of Flock’s mass surveillance system are staggering.”

The group flags that its use comes at a time when “women seeking reproductive healthcare, immigrants, protesters, journalists, and people simply looking out for their neighbors’ safety — are increasingly being monitored and attacked by federal agents and other bad actors.”

Related: Ulta Beauty adds new offering for customers amid Amazon threat

“Flock’s dystopian license plate readers are supplying the data needed to carry out these attacks,” said UltraViolet in the petition. “And that’s not all: these systems are often wrong and are regularly used to stalk women.” 

The group states that Flock cameras misread the states on one in 10 license plates when scanning them, and there are “countless reports” of law enforcement agents using Flock databases to stalk women, including ex-partners.

“Women are disproportionately at risk of violence and deserve safety,” said the group. “But it’s clear that this massive network of surveillance cameras is meant to monitor, control, and punish us, rather than actually keep us safe. That’s why we feel betrayed: Ulta’s contracts with Flock are about saving Ulta money, not about protecting women customers.”

On Ulta Beauty’s website, it states that it uses automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems and collects information from them for “the security of our premises, employees, guests, and assets.”

Ulta Beauty faces a growing petition to remove Flock cameras from its store locations. M. Suhail / Getty Images

Ulta Beauty shoppers consider avoiding its stores

Many consumers took to social media platforms TikTok and Instagram to spread the word about Ulta Beauty’s use of Flock cameras and to urge the company to remove the surveillance technology. 

Some consumers even took to Reddit to say they will avoid Ulta Beauty stores because of the camera system. 

“I plan to use up my rewards and won’t be shopping at Ulta going forward. They haven’t come out to deny they use this technology so I’m going to assume that they do,” wrote one customer. 

“I made a purchase a couple days ago right before I heard the news, and it will be my last. You can literally get what Ulta carries anywhere. I mainly just went there to spend money when I was bored. Not anymore,” wrote another. 

“Yup, its disgusting and knowing that cops have used flock cameras to stalk their exes, ULTA does not feel like a safe place at all anymore,” wrote a consumer.

Flock cameras aren’t always accurate

These concerns come after a Business Insider report in July shed light on how inaccurate Flock cameras can be when scanning license plate information.

The report revealed that in Roseville, California, Flock cameras sent 1,427 alerts to the Roseville Police Department between 2023 and 2024, identifying vehicles it scanned as stolen or used in a felony.

However, after the police department took a closer look at the notifications, they found that the Flock software misread the license plate in 71% of alerts. 

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The cameras also frequently failed to detect vehicles, snapped blurry images, incorrectly identified license plate numbers and states, and sent police delayed alerts about vehicles potentially linked to crimes. 

In a separate Business Insider report in March, Alla Valente, a principal analyst at Forrester, warned that the pendulum of public sentiment around these Flock cameras “is swinging against this type of surveillance.” She also said that Flock will “have their work cut out for them.”

“Either they’re going to continue to do what they do and be used by law enforcement and the federal government, or they’re going to think about privacy, think about security, think about controls, think about transparency,” said Valente. “It all depends on where they see themselves in the next few years.”

Related: Kohl’s expands in-store partnership as customers look elsewhere

Quarter after quarter, investors watch the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) deposit hit their brokerage accounts, a familiar signal that the fund is delivering the income its strategy promises.

The payout is real, but the number it conceals has been compounding against SCHD holders for the better part of a decade.

Over the past 10 years, SCHD’s trailing yield drew investors into a fund that trailed a plain S&P 500 index ETF by a six-figure margin.

That gap never appeared on any account summary because SCHD still grew, just not as fast as the broader market over the same period.

SCHD returned 244% over one decade, while VOO delivered 316%

A $300,000 position in SCHD delivered a total return of 244.45% on a dividend-reinvested basis from Aug. 31, 2016, through Aug. 31, 2026, growing to roughly $1.03 million, 24/7 Wall St reported.

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) returned 316.54% over the identical completed month-end window, producing a spread of about 72 percentage points.

The expense ratio gap between the two funds did not drive the shortfall, because it compounds to only a few thousand dollars over a decade. SCHD charges 0.06% annually, about $6 for every $10,000 invested, while VOO charges 0.03%, Schwab’s fund page confirmed.

Opportunity cost produced the real drag, reflecting the compounding penalty of holding a dividend-screened portfolio instead of a broad equity index for 10 full years.

SCHD’s dividend screen locks out the companies driving S&P 500 returns

The fund tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, which screens for companies with at least 10 consecutive years of dividend payments and strong balance sheets. 

That rule set mechanically excludes most of the megacap growth names that carried the S&P 500 over the past decade, the 24/7 Wall St analysis noted.

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SCHD’s top holdings span healthcare, energy, consumer staples, and telecommunications. 

As of Sept. 11, 2026, Merck (4.77%), Abbott Laboratories (4.44%), Chevron (4.29%), Coca-Cola (4.26%), Amgen (4.24%), and ConocoPhillips (4.19%) each accounted for between about 4% and 5% of net assets, according to Schwab Asset Management.

NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet are absent or negligible because they do not meet the yield and payout-history requirements.

Morningstar’s published SCHD analysis has framed that exclusion as a deliberate feature, describing the fund as standing out for its “sensible, transparent, and risk-conscious approach that should generate better long-term risk-adjusted returns than the Russell 1000 Value Index, its Morningstar Category benchmark.”

This assessment places SCHD in the value-holding category, a framing that the fund’s marketing materials rarely emphasize.

SCHD’s dividend screen excludes many megacap growth stocks, limiting exposure to companies that drove much of the S&P 500’s decadelong gains.Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

Analyst downgrades SCHD to Hold as quarterly payouts shrink

A Seeking Alpha contributor analysis downgraded SCHD to a Hold rating on June 23, 2026, concluding that the fund’s yield no longer compensates for the total-return gap the exclusion has produced.

The analysis identified those exclusions as structural barriers to closing the performance gap. Without meaningful participation in the growth themes driving the broader market, the fund’s opportunity cost continues to compound, the contributor noted.

The income side of SCHD’s value proposition is also under pressure from a declining per-share payout. The fund’s second quarter 2026 distribution came in at $0.2525, down from $0.2569 the prior quarter, the 24/7 Wall St analysis showed.

VIG and DGRO keep the growth stocks SCHD filters out

Investors who want a dividend component without locking into SCHD’s yield-first methodology have two alternatives built on a different screening logic.

The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) and the iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF (DGRO) screen for companies that raise their dividends.

That approach keeps more technology and quality-growth exposure in the portfolio, the 24/7 Wall St analysis noted. 

Both funds have had lower yields than SCHD over the past decade, with VIG returning roughly 246% and DGRO returning roughly 252% over a comparable 10-year window, both still well behind VOO’s 316%.

Christine Benz, director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning at Morningstar, has argued that retirees benefit from a hybrid approach that combines total-return investing with income-producing securities.

You’re constructing your portfolio for total return, but it will produce some income.

The case for VIG or DGRO over SCHD rests less on past total return and more on portfolio construction. 

Both funds’ growth screens leave room for the kinds of companies SCHD’s methodology excludes, a structural difference that compounds differently depending on which sectors lead the next decade.

What the $216,000 gap means for your retirement timeline

The Seeking Alpha downgrade and the 24/7 Wall St data identify the same structural tension at the center of SCHD’s pitch. Income stability and lower volatility came at the cost of a decade of participation in growth.

Morningstar’s 2025 State of Retirement Income report puts time to first withdrawal at the center of how the $216,000 shortfall lands.

Long-horizon holders can absorb the gap over enough compounding years for a value sleeve to recover ground. 

Those within the withdrawal window, however, absorb it as capital that may not be recaptured before sequence-of-returns risk narrows the recovery window, leaving SCHD’s income stability to bear the full weight of the fund’s value proposition.

Related: Schwab SCHD holders are missing its ideal dividend ETF match

Higher interest rates create winners and losers. Borrowers may pay more for homes, cars and other purchases, while savers may earn more from bonds and other fixed-income investments.

But a higher yield does not necessarily produce a higher standard of living. If inflation matches or exceeds the return, an investor’s account balance may rise even as its purchasing power falls.

In a recent interview, Jeff Levine, chief planning officer for Focus Partners, discussed how inflation, interest rates and a weaker dollar can affect retirement spending, bond holdings, mortgages and everyday purchases. He also identified steps households can take, from stress-testing retirement plans to monitoring refinancing opportunities.

Below is a transcript of the interview with Levine, edited for brevity and clarity.

Why higher rates create winners and losers

Bob Powell: People are worried about the position the Federal Reserve and Treasury appear to be in. If the Fed raises interest rates, the Treasury may have to pay more to borrow. Higher rates can also affect mortgages, auto loans and other household expenses. What should consumers do?

Jeff Levine: It depends on which side of the fence you sit on.

Higher interest rates are clearly a negative for borrowers. Someone buying a car or house is in a tougher position as rates rise. You can refinance if rates come down, but refinancing can be expensive and time-consuming, and lower rates are not guaranteed.

On the other hand, people living on fixed incomes may benefit if they can invest at higher interest rates for an extended period.

When you can get 5% guaranteed from the federal government for 30 years, a lot of people look at that and say, “I can live with that.”

Why inflation can erase higher income

Bob Powell: What is the risk of focusing solely on that 5% return?

Jeff Levine: That 5% is a nominal figure. It does not account for inflation.

If inflation is higher than your return, earning 5% does not look nearly as attractive because you are losing purchasing power on a real basis.

Your dollar balance may be rising, but what you can buy with it may be declining. You might be able to buy a dozen eggs this year, 11 eggs next year and 10 the year after that.

That is the challenge. The Fed is charged with addressing inflation, and one way to reduce inflationary pressure is to make borrowing more expensive. People may then borrow less and spend less.

But if people buy less, the economy may slow. That can affect businesses and jobs. Everything connects to something else, and it is difficult to know how far the effects will extend.

Bob Powell: There are two jobs I wish I had pursued when I was younger: economist and weatherman. You can be wrong 50% of the time and still keep your job.

Jeff Levine: That is not a bad deal compared with some other work.

How a weaker dollar reaches your wallet

Bob Powell: Some people are also predicting a decline in the dollar. Does a weaker dollar matter to household finances?

Jeff Levine: We operate in a global economy, so we have to consider the United States in relation to other countries.

When the dollar is strong, it is cheaper for Americans to buy goods from other countries. When the dollar weakens, imported goods become more expensive.

A weaker dollar can make U.S.-produced goods more competitive by comparison. But many consumers are simply looking for the lowest price, regardless of where a product was made. If the dollar loses value relative to other currencies, that can make importing goods more expensive and affect the broader economy.

What retirees should review now

Bob Powell: When I ask what someone should do, your standard answer is often, “It depends.” Is that the answer here?

Jeff Levine: It does depend on your personal situation, but there are several interest-rate and inflation protections to consider.

If you have a retirement plan, examine how higher-than-expected inflation could affect your ability to spend. You may decide to spend a little less early in retirement so that higher inflation does not force you to take more investment risk later.

In some cases, you may want to reconsider your portfolio allocation.

Bond prices tend to fall when interest rates rise. Existing bonds may pay less than newly issued bonds, making the older bonds less attractive by comparison. Investors might consider individual bonds instead of bond funds, examine other areas of their portfolios or favor higher-quality bonds over lower-quality bonds.

All those choices can affect the outcome.

How borrowers can respond

Bob Powell: What should consumers with debt consider?

Jeff Levine: Monitor your debt and think carefully about major purchases.

If you are buying a home, you might consider a 15-year mortgage instead of a 30-year mortgage because the rate may be lower. You might buy a smaller house.

Or you may decide to buy now and accept the current rate. If so, monitor interest rates so you are prepared to refinance if they fall enough to make refinancing worthwhile.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer. But on a home purchase, a decline of about 1 percentage point in prevailing mortgage rates can sometimes make refinancing worthwhile. Some homeowners may refinance three or four times during a 30-year mortgage if rates begin high and decline enough over time.

Bob Powell: The Treasury and the Fed may be in a bind, but our listeners don’t have to be.

Jeff Levine: Not if they send us their questions. Email us at FocusonFinanceForum@finstream.tv.

Related: Fed rate-hike odds surge as Warsh faces inflation-weary markets

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Why we love this deal

As fall approaches, the earlier sunsets can make it tempting to head back inside before the evening is over. But time spent with friends in your backyard doesn’t have to end when the sun goes down. Adding a little extra light can make your outdoor space an ideal hangout spot late into the night, with a cozy, relaxing vibe that will make you want to stay out for hours. 

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Ploism 50-Foot Solar Patio String Lights, $18 (was $20) at Amazon

Courtesy of Amazon

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Why do shoppers love it?

The strand has 18 shatter-resistant bulbs over 50 feet, plus an extra backup bulb. The waterproof design makes them perfect for outdoor use, and the solar-powered energy requires no cost to keep them running on a daily basis and has an outlet-free setup that can be used anywhere. The remote control adds another useful feature as the evenings get darker more quickly. From a distance, you can switch between three main light modes, adjust the brightness, or set a timer, instead of having to walk outside to the solar panel each night. The modes include breath, flash, or constant, and the lights are dimmable down to 25%.

Related: Walmart’s bestselling $49 decorative solar lanterns with 4 lighting modes are 55% off

The solar panels charge during the day using sunlight, and a built-in light sensor automatically turns the lights on at night. For cloudy days or when you want a faster charging option, the set also includes a USB charging cable for convenience. It’s recommended to fully charge the lights before the first use. The automatic option makes it easy to forget about the lights until they come on at night, offering a hands-free option that requires no thought while you’re hanging out and enjoying your evening. This option is also fantastic for lining your front porch or garage door, providing automatic light to guide your path when you get home, making your home feel safer and more convenient. 

Details to know

Lighting: These string lights offer 50 feet of light with 18 bulbs. 

Features: They feature three light modes and a dimmable option.

Installation: They can easily be wrapped around the bannister, hung over a fence, or strung up around the balcony or patio.

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Shop more deals

Ozs Solar String Lights 2-Pack, $22) at Amazon

Jnaurb 21-Foot Solar String Flickering Lights, $18 (was $20) at Amazon

The Ploism 50-Foot Solar Patio String Lights offer an easy, versatile way to add some light to your outdoor space, whether you want it for relaxation or just to make it easier to get inside at night. For just $18, these string lights are a convenient and affordable option.

Larry Ellison was days away from selling a large portion of his Oracle stock (ORCL). Then he called it off.

The reversal, which he made on Saturday, Sept. 12, caught Wall Street’s attention. 

Insiders rarely cancel a multibillion-dollar sale publicly, just a day after the plan becomes known.

Ellison is Oracle’s co-founder and executive chairman. He owns close to 40% of the software company, so what he does with his shares matters to everyone who holds the stock.

Oracle shares have also fallen sharply this year, which is why his decision calls for attention.

What Ellison’s canceled Oracle stock sale really signals

“No Oracle stock was sold under that plan,” the company confirmed on Sept. 12. It added that Ellison has no other plans to sell. 

CNBC reported that the reversal came one day after a regulatory filing revealed the plan.

The plan was adopted June 22 and would have run through Oct. 24. It covered up to 50 million shares worth about $7.5 billion at recent prices.

A large insider sale can affect a stock that is already under pressure. The cancellation removes that worry for now.

Larry Ellison canceled a plan to sell up to $7.5 billion of Oracle stock.mtcurado / Getty Images

What Oracle does and how it makes money

Oracle sells database software and business applications. It also rents out data center capacity through Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI, which powers AI workloads.

That cloud business now drives most of the company’s growth. 

More AI Stocks:

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In its fiscal first quarter, OCI revenue jumped 121% and total revenue rose 30% to about $19.3 billion, according to Morningstar. 

Oracle also beat expectations and raised its full-year forecast.

The cash pressure behind Oracle’s AI buildout

Oracle spent $28.5 billion on data centers in Q1, and the company reported negative free cash flow of about $5.4 billion, Forbes noted.

It also lifted its restructuring bill by $700 million to about $2.8 billion.

Related: Bank of America tweaks CoreWeave stock forecast after earnings 

Oracle still plans to spend $90 billion to $95 billion in fiscal 2027 to keep building data centers. 

That heavy spending, including rising debt, explains the sell-off.

How Oracle stock has held up in 2026

Here’s how Oracle looks against the market this year.

Oracle stock vs. the market this year

ORCL is down about 23% year to date, far worse than the broad market.

Shares fell about 5.75% over the past five days.

The stock trades near $150, well below its 52-week high near $330.

The drop reflects investors’ worry about rising debt and cash outflows. 

Demand itself looks strong. Oracle’s backlog reached a record $664 billion, with more than $30 billion in new AI contracts booked in the quarter, Investing.com reported.

What Wall Street analysts think about Oracle now

Analysts have different opinions about the stock. 

BMO Capital Markets cut its price target to $195 from $220 but kept an Outperform rating, Yahoo Finance reported. 

Morgan Stanley held an Equal-Weight rating with a $210 target.

Still, 28 analysts cover Oracle, and the average rating is a Strong Buy, with a 12-month target at $254.32.

What Oracle investors should watch next

Some things have to go right for Oracle to meet expectations. 

What still needs to go right for Oracle

Turn the $664 billion backlog into real revenue on schedule.

Keep gross margins steady as new data centers come online. 

Fund the buildout without scaring lenders.

Ellison’s reversal tells investors that ORCL’s biggest shareholder prefers to keep his money in the company for now. 

For a volatile stock, that signal is worth attention.

The next test comes on Oct. 28, when Oracle holds its financial analyst day.

Related: Bank of America sends blunt message to Nvidia stock investors

Wells Fargo cut its year-end target for the S&P 500 to 7,700 from 7,950 in a note released Tuesday. The call lands directly on SPY and VOO, the two exchange traded funds that track the index and sit inside more retirement accounts than almost any other ticker.

Hours earlier, a separate Wall Street strategist warned clients to brace for the same kind of pain, an 8% to 10% pullback before year-end.

SPY closed Monday, Sept. 14, at $764.29, and VOO closed at $699.30, according to Investing.com and Vanguard. Based on each fund’s current level, a 5% to 10% pullback would take SPY down to roughly $726 to $688 and VOO down to roughly $664 to $629.

Wells Fargo’s 7,700 target works out to about $772 for SPY and $707 for VOO, using each fund’s ratio to the index.

What the pullback means for SPY and VOO investors

SPY and VOO hold the same 500 companies in the same weights, so they will fall and recover by almost identical percentages.

The funds differ mainly in cost. SPY charges a 0.09% expense ratio, and VOO charges 0.03%, a gap worth $6 a year on every $10,000 invested, according to ETF data. That gap does not change what a pullback does to either fund, only what it costs to sit through one.

VOO alone holds about $1.05 trillion in assets, and SPY holds roughly $1.5 trillion, according to Vanguard and VOO.us data. Those totals sit inside 401(k) plans, IRAs, and brokerage accounts held by tens of millions of people.

Wells Fargo has now moved its 2026 target three times this year, and each revision changes what those balances are worth on paper.

Wells Fargo’s new S&P 500 target implies SPY near $772 and VOO near $707, after a projected pullback of 5% to 10% first.Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

Why these funds face the same rate risk as the index

The Federal Reserve meets Wednesday, and traders are pricing in roughly 90% odds of a quarter point rate hike, according to Goldman Sachs. It would be the first increase under Chairman Kevin Warsh, and the first in years.

The 10 year Treasury yield already touched 5.02% this week, its highest level since 2007, according to CNBC.

More S&P 500:

Bank of America resets its S&P 500 price target with a clause

Citi says Fed rate hike could deliver stock market shock

S&P 500’s greatest risk is fast becoming reality

Higher yields make future corporate profits worth less today, which pressures every stock inside SPY and VOO at once. Dean Curnutt, founder of Macro Risk Advisors, expects an 8% to 10% pullback in the S&P 500 this year, according to a Seeking Alpha report.

He sees a possible second leg lower in December, driven by companies that cannot pass rising costs on to customers.

The S&P 500 also is not cheap heading into that decision. The index carries a forward P/E ratio of 19.5, according to FactSet data cited by TheStreet’s Todd Campbell, and its Shiller CAPE ratio sits near 40.7, about 45% above its 20 year average. Rich valuations leave less room to absorb a rate shock without a pullback.

Also read: Dow Jones vs. S&P 500: Which index actually represents the market?

The 2018 parallel investors keep bringing up

Curnutt compared the setup to 2018, when the S&P 500 peaked in September and fell nearly 20% by Christmas Eve.

He said a defensive posture is the correct approach heading into the fall. CNBC’s Jim Cramer made the same comparison days earlier, saying there are some eerie similarities between the current moment and the fall of 2018.

That selloff ended fast. The Federal Reserve cut rates three times in 2019, and the S&P 500 closed that year up nearly 30%. Warsh is moving in the opposite direction now, and Cramer said he does not expect Warsh to repeat that earlier mistake.

Beyond historical comparisons, the market’s underlying math is flashing warning signs.

Related: S&P 500’s greatest risk is fast becoming reality

A few more numbers explain why strategists are on alert:

SPY fell to $760.88 Tuesday from a prior close of $764.29, and VOO dropped 0.46% Monday to $699.30, according to Investing.com and Vanguard.

Equity allocations have reached 72% of portfolios versus fixed income, the highest share since 1969, according to the Seeking Alpha report on Kwon’s note. He estimates a fair weighting closer to 60%.

Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple alone make up close to 19% of VOO, according to a fund analysis, a concentration that turns a handful of AI trades into a large share of any index fund’s return.

Political opposition blocked or delayed 75 data center projects worth $130 billion in the first quarter of 2026 alone, according to Brookings, a headwind for the AI spending inside both funds.

What concentration means for two funds built to diversify

SPY and VOO are sold as instant diversification across 500 companies, yet a handful of AI dependent names now drive most of their swings.

Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta Platforms, and Tesla carry outsized weight in both funds, so their earnings move fund values more than any single Fed decision does. A rate hike tests that concentration directly.

Political resistance to new data centers is another test, and it is already slowing the AI buildout that has powered fund returns.

Wells Fargo still expects SPY and VOO to finish the year higher than where they trade today, and that target has barely moved since June. What changed is the path to get there, not the destination. Anyone holding either fund through a Fed hike is really betting that a handful of AI companies can keep growing into valuations that already assume they will.

Related: Bank of America’s new warning should concern stock investors