Market Performance: January 26, 2024.

Stocks bounced around Friday before landing in mixed territory as investors digested a key inflation reading ahead of next week's Fed meeting on the future of interest rates.

After setting a new record on Thursday, the S&P 500 (^GSPC) fell just below the flatline but notched a win for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) increased about 0.2% or 60 points, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) slid close to 0.4%

Tech lagged behind the other indexes after Intel's (INTC) first-quarter outlook fell well short of Wall Street expectations, somewhat denting the AI-fueled hopes that have helped lift stocks to record highs. Intel shares fell nearly 12%, with peers AMD (AMD) and Nvidia (NVDA) also taking a slight knock.

What Is the Money Jars Method? A Visual Way To Create a Budget

Creating a budget can be challenging, but it’s also important. With a realistic budget, you can see how much money you’ve got coming in and where it’s going every month. This can also give you a better idea of your financial situation as a whole.

While there are many ways to budget, many people prefer visual budgets, like the Money Jars Method. This method can make it easier to grasp the concept of budgeting, because it separates spending into different, easily visible categories. It can also help curb impulse buys and limit overspending, since your money is already set in convenient little “jars.”

The Money Jars Method involves separating your money into six categories or accounts. You can use physical jars, or you can put your money into six different bank accounts.

When it comes to budgeting, it’s also vital to find a method that’s realistic with your financial situation, needs and goals. This might be the six jars method, or it might not.

Thinking about changing up your budgeting style? Here’s what the Money Jars Method is and how it works.

Psychology of Money — Learn How to Cope with Financial Stress During Emergencies

If you’re facing a financial emergency, you’re likely feeling a range of emotions — shock, anger, stress, and fear, to name a few. To get through it, it’s important to harness these emotions and turn them to your advantage. People and money can often feel like a complicated relationship.

After all, when it comes to your money, it can be hard — if not impossible — to be completely rational. So, if you’re facing an ongoing financial challenge or an unexpected crisis, it’s worth understanding how the psychology behind your personal relationship with money may play a role in getting through hard times.

Common emotions related to money

Fear, guilt, shame and envy are common emotions when it comes to money. You may feel the fear of not having enough, guilt in having more or less than others, shame in not managing it properly, or envy of others who seem to have money all figured out.

If you’re in financial distress, shame may be the strongest emotion. You might feel ashamed you didn’t predict or plan for your situation. You may feel embarrassed about accumulating a lot of debt. Or you might feel shame that you didn’t know how to manage your money as effectively as you may have needed. The problem with shame is that it may lead to avoiding the issues at hand. And the more you avoid it, the more shame you might feel.

It’s a behaviour that may lead to increasing money problems.

Alternative Investing