On Monday, Shares of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA), gained 1.85% to $61.35.
As part of its national commitment to provide an exceptional customer experience, Comcast recently declared plans to add 400 new jobs starting in early 2016 at the company’s regional office in downtown St. Paul.
The new jobs will comprise additional customer service representatives and managers in Comcast’s existing call center. To accommodate the growth, Comcast’s current 125,000 square-foot Twin Cities regional facility will add an additional 45,000 square-feet of lease space at its 10 River Plaza Park location. The construction will be accomplished by early 2016.
“Comcast’s decision to add 400 new jobs in St. Paul is tremendous news for Minnesota,” said Governor Mark Dayton. “I congratulate Comcast for its success, and thank the company for its continued commitment to Minnesota.”
Comcast Corporation operates as a media and technology company worldwide. It operates through Cable Communications, Cable Networks, Broadcast Television, Filmed Entertainment, and Theme Parks segments.
Shares of Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE:JWN), inclined 1.43% to $54.73, during its last trading session.
Nordstrom, stated earnings per diluted share of $0.42 for the third quarter ended October 31, 2015. This comprised a reduction in earnings per diluted share of $0.15, which primarily represented transaction costs associated with the closing of its credit card portfolio sale.
The Company’s third quarter performance was below Company expectations, reflecting softer sales trends that were generally consistent across channels and merchandise categories. Total Company net sales raised 6.6 percent and comparable sales raised 0.9 percent, contrast with the same period last year. On a year-to-date basis, total Company net sales raised 8.5 percent and comparable sales raised 3.5 percent.
The Company is executing its customer strategy through multiple growth initiatives to enhance the customer experience and reach more customers. During the third quarter, the Company opened three new full-line stores, counting its first international flagship store in Vancouver, B.C., relocated a full-line store and opened 16 new Rack stores.
Nordstrom, Inc., a fashion specialty retailer, offers apparel, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories for men, women, and children in the United States and Canada. It operates through two segments, Retail and Credit.
Finally, Shares of Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB), ended its last trade with 0.46% loss, and closed at $19.78.
Fifth Third Bank, offers strategy guides and video to assist individuals and families consider proactive year-end tax planning and charitable giving as 2015 comes to a close. The three areas to consider comprise reducing your taxable income, maximizing tax-qualified plans and charitable giving.
Reducing your taxable income
In order to offset taxable income, the most important strategy for investors to consider is tax-loss selling and taking advantage of underwater securities.
“Selling stocks, bonds or mutual funds that have lost value should be a precedingity this time of year,” said Jeff Korzenik, chief investment strategist for Fifth Third Bank. “When done in conjunction with rebalancing a portfolio, investors can minimize the tax consequences and impact.”
Additionally, Korzenik suggests taking interest rates into account when planning for 2016. Gradual interest rate improvements are being monitored for next year, which are typically associated with the latter half of an economic expansion. With this in mind, investors should expect lower returns from the bonds portion of a portfolio and be more selective in their equity investments as they plan for next year. For more information on reducing your taxable income, please click here.
Maximizing tax-qualified plans
To wrap up 2015, Melissa Register, senior wealth manager for Fifth Third Private Bank, suggests fully funding any tax-qualified retirement plans counting 401Ks, IRAs, 403Bs and others. The maximum annual contribution amount for a 401K or 403B is $18,000 and an additional $6,000 for people ages 50 years and older. A simple IRA allows an annual contribution of $12,500, with an additional $3,000 for those 50 and older.
“In order to maximize tax-qualified plans, clients can make adjustments on their remaining paystubs for the year or apply a year-end bonus,” said Register. “The added benefit is this will reduce your income for the year and place you in a lower income bracket.”
Fifth Third Bancorp operates as a diversified financial services company in the United States. It operates through four segments: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors.