MarketWatch financial advice gets a new route for reader questions

Readers looking for MarketWatch financial advice now have a more direct way to send in their money questions: MarketWatch says a new questionnaire can help point submissions to the column best suited to answer them.

Philip van Doorn, writing in MarketWatch’s Weekend Reads, said the site fields reader questions through several regular personal-finance columns. Many of those questions center on retirement planning, choices during retirement and decisions about where to live.

Van Doorn said readers should give complete, relevant details when asking for help. Beth Pinsker, who writes MarketWatch’s Fix My Portfolio column, also explained how to ask for financial advice effectively and linked to the new form.

How can I get financial advice from MarketWatch?

MarketWatch says readers can use a questionnaire to send financial questions toward a specific column. The practical point is simple: include the facts that matter, because vague money questions make useful answers harder.

The Weekend Reads roundup also pulled together a busy stretch for markets, starting with the bond market. Van Doorn noted that investors often watch the 10-year Treasury yield, while 30-year Treasury bonds were drawing attention after rising to 5.17% early Friday from 4.85% at the end of 2025.

Joy Wiltermuth reported for MarketWatch that Treasury bonds had reached a milestone not seen in 19 years. MarketWatch also pointed readers to coverage on rising rates, higher corporate capital costs and the risk of mortgage rates climbing further.

Housing got its own warning light. MarketWatch cited Freddie Mac figures showing the weekly U.S. average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 6.15% at the end of 2025, fell to 5.98% on Feb. 26 and later rose to 6.58%. Aarthi Swaminathan reported on how higher rates were affecting homeowners’ plans.

What happened with Alphabet earnings?

Alphabet reported second-quarter revenue of $119.8 billion, up 24% from a year earlier, according to MarketWatch. Net income reached $112.12 billion, helped by $98 billion in unrealized gains on securities investments, while operating income rose to $40.77 billion from $31.27 billion.

The stock still fell 7% on Thursday. MarketWatch said investors appeared concerned about spending tied to infrastructure, acquisitions and generative AI development. The company issued $20.3 billion in notes during the quarter and raised $49.6 billion through common-share sales, according to the report.

Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson Research kept a buy rating on Alphabet, MarketWatch reported, while warning clients that competition and capital spending could make the near-term path bumpier.

Which other market stories stood out?

• Lockheed Martin shares rose 10.5% Thursday after new contracts, higher guidance and a record order backlog, according to MarketWatch. The report cited a $35 billion Missile Defense Agency contract for the THAAD missile-interceptor system.
• Christine Idzelis reported that energy remained the cheapest S&P 500 sector by forward price-to-earnings ratio despite leading the index this year. FactSet data cited by MarketWatch showed energy up 32.7% for 2026 through Thursday.
• Forward P/E compares a stock price with analysts’ expected earnings over the next 12 months. MarketWatch said the S&P 500’s forward P/E had fallen to 19.7 from 22.2 at the end of 2025.
• Quentin Fottrell, MarketWatch’s Moneyist, answered a reader question from a credit-card borrower, while Aditi Shrikant’s Don’t Short Yourself newsletter covered how to work with a micromanaging boss.

This story draws on original reporting from MarketWatch.