The Wall Street Journal

There has rarely, if ever, been so much tech talent available in the job market. Yet many tech companies say good help is hard to find. What gives? 🔗 https://on.wsj.com/4rkkCnu

From Opinion: Trump’s position on illegal immigration isn’t in doubt, but he can seem indecisive, even self-contradictory, when discussing migration policies for those who play by the rules, writes Jason Riley.

Charts show how President Trump has eased his tariffs on some food items—but some key ingredients might still weigh on consumers.

From Opinion: The Trump administration assures us that the vision of DOGE lives on, but one does wonder. The story of DOGE reads like another failed attempt to restrain and contain that which is institutionally implacable, writes Jeffrey Tucker.

Teenagers are diving into stock markets, with some encouraged by parents who wished they started investing earlier.

After the death of his first wife, David Judelson married his former banker and left her millions. Was he a victim of elder abuse? Or were his children in denial that their dad had fallen in love with someone new?

Risk-taking is back for individual investors, and few people have done more to stoke those spirits than the 38-year-old CEO Vlad Tenev. Robinhood’s trading app makes it easy not just to buy and sell ordinary stocks, but to invest in options, cryptocurrencies and other exotic financial products, even to make sports bets and play the prediction markets. The company’s critics liken the environment to a casino, but its fans credit Robinhood with democratizing the lucrative world of sophisticated investments. “He’s almost building a cult,” said Aaron Cook, a 28-year-old who said he had used his profits from trading stocks, options and memecoins to buy a Jeep Wrangler and a $60,000 home. At Robinhood’s annual summit in Las Vegas this fall, Tenev told the hundreds of cheering traders in the audience that they had chosen “one of the most intense lifestyles out there.” He compared trading to driving a race car. “A finely tuned machine can make all the difference,” he said, “and that’s the role we feel Robinhood plays for our active investors.” Read more: https://on.wsj.com/4rFchev

A few months ago, with the market surging, Rick Wichmann watched his investment portfolio balloon in value. The 67-year-old retired consultant sold his Toyota and leased a new Tesla. After one of the air-conditioning units in his home broke, he decided to replace the whole property’s HVAC system this fall at a cost of $72,000. When stocks fell last week, he spoke to his financial adviser, who added some options to protect against declines. But Wichmann is staying in the market and doesn’t plan to cut back on spending. “I’m fairly bullish about the economy,” Wichmann said. Many Americans who own stocks are feeling good about their finances. Investors’ rosy feelings about having a lot more money—at least on paper—are powering spending on restaurant meals, business-class airline tickets, home improvement and more, keeping the broader economy humming. It’s a very different story for everyone else. 🔗 Read more: https://on.wsj.com/43PKmy7

Amanda Otter was used to her 401(k) balance fluctuating with the markets. But when she logged into her account one day, she discovered the value was down for another reason: some of her retirement savings was missing. Her employer had deducted a couple of thousand dollars from her paycheck in early 2022 to put into her retirement account, but less than half that amount was transferred over. A lot more cash would eventually vanish. Otter, 54, a web designer based in Redlands, Calif., said she assumed the money was missing because of an oversight, so she didn’t pause her 401(k) contributions. But she demanded answers from company officials in a barrage of emails. “I was the squeaky wheel,” Otter said. Her missing contributions ultimately ballooned to over $50,000, including the investment returns she would have earned, according to her payroll and 401(k) records. Her three-year hunt laid bare just how difficult it can be for employees to recover missing 401(k) money. 🔗: https://on.wsj.com/3XRMdyM

For decades, the corporate world has run with a simple story: Diversity drives performance. Lately, though, the conventional wisdom has been challenged, and for good reason. The backlash, though, often conflates flawed implementation with a flawed idea. True workplace diversity isn’t about optics—the way somebody looks—but is about diversity of thought, write Alex Edmans. “Teams perform better when members bring different perspectives, uncover blind spots and interrogate assumptions,” he continues. “This isn’t wokeness or virtue-signaling, but better business.” As is the case so often, easier said than done. Here are some elements to consider: 🔗 https://on.wsj.com/3K0LyIi