With its biggest acquisition ever, Microsoft buys Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Jason Moser analyzes why the move signals a direct shot at Meta Platforms and why Microsoft shareholders should be optimistic about the company's gaming aspirations. He also examines shares of Goldman Sachs and The Gap, both falling similar amounts, and why one of them represents a potential buying opportunity. Plus, Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp discuss actionable ways to stay on track with your financial goals for 2022, including a rare triple-tax advantage to help prepare for future healthcare costs. Stocks: MSFT, ATVI, META, NVDA, GPS, GS Host: Chris Hill Guests: Jason Moser, Alison Southwick, Robert Brokamp Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineers: Dan Boyd, Rick Engdahl Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At some point in their journey, 90% of the world's goods travel by ship. Ordering something on Amazon may be simple, but getting to your front door is anything but. It's a topic that Christopher Mims, technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, covers in his book Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door – Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy. In this episode producer Ricky Mulvey talks with Mims about his book, covering topics including: - The roots of the microchip shortage - Why Uber had a difficult time disrupting the trucking industry. - What it’s like to work in an Amazon fulfillment center - How to explain the metaverse to your mom You can follow Christopher Mims on Twitter @mims. Host: Ricky Mulvey Guest: Christopher Mims Engineers: Rick Engdahl, Dan Boyd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While many wouldn’t go on vacation without a plan, that’s exactly how most people begin their investing journey. Amanda Kish, Financial Planner Specialist, joins Motley Fool co-founder Tom Gardner to discuss how to build a financial plan. In this episode, they cover: - How to understand yourself as an investor. - The key financial planning steps that new parents should take - How often you need to revisit a financial plan - The times you may want professional financial planning advice, and the parts you can do yourself. If you're looking to start a financial plan, we can help. Visit www.fool.com/StarterKit for a free copy of our investing "Starter Kit" and we’ll email it to you. Host: Tom Gardner Guest: Amanda Kish Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineers: Rick Engdahl, Dan Boyd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earnings season kicks off with the latest results from JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup. Take-Two Interactive buys Zynga for $12.7 billion. Elastic's CEO moves to the CTO role. Virgin Galactic needs more money. Meta Platforms shuts down its dating service. Domino's makes changes to deal with inflation. Crocs makes a play for the luxury market. Maria Gallagher and Jason Moser analyze those stories, discuss why they're most curious about upcoming results from Pinterest and Etsy, and share two stocks on their radar: Adyen and Nvidia. CFP Malcolm Ethridge analyzes what Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell said on Capitol Hill this week and why it matters to investors. Plus, he offers a preview of the 2nd season of "The Tech Money Podcast" and shares why he's keeping an eye on real estate, health care, PayPal, and UnitedHealth Group. Looking to get started investing? We’d love to help with a FREE copy of our Investing Starter Kit. Just click over to www.fool.com/StarterKit and we’ll email it to you. Stocks: WFC, C, JPM, TTWO, ZNGA, ESTC, PINS, AMZN, ETSY, SPCE, MTCH, META, DPZ, CROX, PYPL, UNH, NVDA, ADYEY Host: Chris Hill Guests: Maria Gallagher, Jason Moser, Malcolm Ethridge Engineer: Dan Boyd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taiwan Semiconductor posted record profits in the 4th quarter, but that's not why John Rotonti believes the company is so important. He analyzes their commitment to invest more than $40 billion this year to increase their manufacturing capacity, as well as the latest news from homebuilders KB Home and Lennar. Plus, Deidre Woollard and Matt Argersinger discuss Sun Belt migration, remote work, and other big trends in real estate, along with some investment opportunities to consider. Stocks: KBH, LEN, TSM, AAPL, QCOM, VNQ, MAA, META, ROKU, ARE Host: Chris Hill Guests: John Rotonti, Deidre Woolard, Matt Argersinger Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineer: Dan Boyd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inflation's record rise (highest in 40 years!) gets a shrug from investors. Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Global gets ready to be listed in Hong Kong. Bill Mann analyzes those stories and discusses the technological excellence of Domino's Pizza's business and the potential for its stock. Later in the show Dylan Lewis and Brian Feroldi take a closer look at Semrush Holdings, a search company that went public in March 2021. Stocks: DIDI, JD, DPZ, CMG, SBUX, SEMR Host: Chris Hill Guests: Bill Mann, Dylan Lewis, Brian Feroldi Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineer: Dan Boyd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Intel hires away Micron Technology's CFO as it preps to raise capital this year. Rivian Automotive's COO retires. Tim Beyers analyzes those stories, the latest on Juniper Networks, and shares why Netflix's management team is the best at offering guidance on their business results. Later in the show Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp share five things you can do in five minutes to be richer in five years (or less). Plus, Bro proposes a new holiday for late February! Stocks: INTC, MU, RIVN, JNPR, CSCO, ANET, NFLX Host: Chris Hill Guests: Tim Beyers, Alison Southwick, Robert Brokamp Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineer: Dan Boyd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take-Two Interactive is buying Zynga in a cash-and-stock deal worth $12.7 billion. Shares of Lululemon fall as the retailer lowers expectations for its next quarterly report. Asit Sharma analyzes those stories, the latest innovation from Deere & Co., and why he's focusing on both capital-light and capital heavy businesses this upcoming earnings season. Later in the show Ricky Mulvey talks with Maria Gallagher about how trading costs can still affect investors in a world where the cost of executing a trade is $0. Stocks: TTWO, ZNGA, LULU, NKE, DE, UNF, HD, HOOD, AMTD, SCHW Host: Chris Hill Guests: Asit Sharma, Maria Gallagher Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineer: Dan Boyd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having her family move around to different states wasn't fun for Becky Quick when she was a kid, but it made transitions later in life less frightening. She shares how she started working at her college newspaper before she even started classes, helped launch The Wall Street Journal's first website, and was initially reluctant to move to CNBC. Becky also discusses: - Early (and humorous) struggles in the transition from print journalism to TV - The importance of having fun on the set - Her unexpected introduction to Warren Buffett - Why she loves the business world You can (and should) follow her on Twitter @BeckyQuick. Host: Chris Hill Guest: Becky Quick Engineer: Dan Boyd Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's no substitute for being invested with skin in the game in the world at large. In this weekend conversation, Co-founders of The Motley Fool Tom and David Gardner explain why. In this discussion the Gardners cover: - How investing fits into the pursuit of becoming smarter, happier, richer - The importance of being a lifelong learner and investor - Using index funds and how to approach buying individual stocks - Two core Motley Fool approaches -- Rule Breaker and Everlasting investing philosophies - Setting the right expectations for returns - Mastering the mindset of investing and managing volatility If you aren't already a listener, check out David Gardner's Rule Breaker Investing podcast at RBI.Fool.com And you can follow Tom and David on Twitter @TomGardnerFool and @davidgfool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices