3 Signs You May Want to SwitchFinancial Advisors Is your financial advisor working in your best interest?Take Matching QuizFind financial advisors who serve your area, free!For many people, switching financial advisors may seem like an expensive headache, and may put it off, indefinitely. But working with a financial advisor with your best interests in mind could potentially help you find ways to build wealth, safeguard your nest egg against volatile markets, avoid costly tax mistakes and plan your financial legacy for your heirs. If you feel your current advisor is not effectively helping you work toward achieving your financial goals, it may be time to look for someone who can. Whether you are considering switching financial advisors, or working with one for the first time, it’s important to note the potential value an advisor can provide, which may potentially outweigh the costs of their services. SmartAsset’s latest proprietary model reveals that working with a financial advisor could potentially add from 36% to 212% more dollar value to investors’ portfolios over a lifetime, depending on multiple unique, individual factors.¹Final lifetime net worth with and without a financial advisor. Disclaimer: This example demonstrates the potential final lifetime portfolio value, accounting forestimated investment returns, tax savings and inflation over different life stages for an individualstarting with $500,000 at age 45, through age 77. Under a set of core assumptions, this consumerprofile is projected to have a final lifetime portfolio value of approximately $3.24 million ifretaining the services of a financial advisor – not accounting for additional savings or portfoliowithdrawals – versus a final estimated lifetime portfolio value of $1.56 million without the servicesof a financial advisor. This example is based on the valuation framework presented in SmartAsset’swhitepaper “The Value of a Financial Advisor: What’s It Really Worth?” (Nov. 2024). The value ofprofessional financial advice is only an illustrative estimate and varies with each unique client’sindividual circumstances and portfolio composition. Carefully consider your investmentobjectives, risk factors, and perform your own due diligence before choosing a financial advisor.Replacing your advisor doesn’t have to be a hassle or come with high costs. SmartAsset’s no-cost tool can help you find and compare vetted fiduciary advisors who serve your area, each legally bound to work in your best interest. It’s never too late to plan to work toward a comfortable retirement. Get your financial advisor matches today.Take Matching QuizThis is a hypothetical example and is not representative of any specific security. Actual results whenworking with a financial advisor will vary. This scenario is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an actual client. Results mayvary. This is not an offer to buy or sell any security or interest. All investing involves risk, including loss ofprincipal. Working with an adviser may come with potential downsides such as payment of fees (whichwill reduce returns). Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. There are no guaranteesthat working with an adviser will yield positive returns. The existence of a fiduciary duty does notprevent the rise of potential conflicts of interest. SmartAsset.com is not intended to provide legal advice, tax advice, accounting advice or financialadvice (Other than referring users to third party advisers registered or chartered as fiduciaries(“Adviser(s)”) with a regulatory body in the United States). The article and opinions in this publicationare for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendationsfor any individual. We suggest that you consult your accountant, tax, or legal advisor with regard toyour individual situation. SmartAsset Advisors, LLC (“SmartAsset”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Financial Insight Technology,is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser. SmartAsset’s services are limited to referring users to third party advisers registered or chartered asfiduciaries (“Adviser(s)”) with a regulatory body in the United States that have elected to participate inour matching platform based on information gathered from users through our online questionnaire.SmartAsset receives compensation from Advisers for our services. SmartAsset does not review theongoing performance of any Adviser, participate in the management of any user’s account by anAdviser or provide advice regarding specific investments. We do not manage client funds or hold custody of assets, we help users connect with relevantfinancial advisors. Sources:1. “The Value of a Financial Advisor: What’s It Really Worth?” SmartAsset (Nov. 2024)

---

Friday’s Featured Story

Ally Financial Pops on Q4 Earnings Beat and $2 Billion Buyback

Authored by Jordan Chussler. Article Posted: 1/23/2026. 

Summary

• The financials sector has been the S&P 500’s worst performer over the past month, posting a loss of 2.99%. 
• Shares of financial services firm Ally jumped 7% on Wednesday after the company reported record EPS growth.
• The company also announced that it has authorized a $2 billion stock buyback program.

Over the past month, the financial services sector has been the worst performer in the S&P 500, declining 2.99%. Over the past six months, its modest 1.26% gain ranks second-worst.

But as Q4 earnings season begins in earnest, bank stocks are already showing the sector’s long-term value as earnings beats and stronger forward guidance aim to restore investor confidence.

This Isn’t a Portfolio. It’s an AI Engine. (Ad)

First comes real enterprise traction. Then comes structural leverage. Then comes compounding.

RAD Intel is an AI company already past step one. With $60M+ raised, 14,000+ investors, and a reserved Nasdaq ticker $RADI, the foundation is in place.This is typically where repricing begins. Invest now at $0.85 per share.

That dynamic was evident when online bank Ally Financial (NYSE: ALLY) reported Q4 and full-year results on Wednesday, Jan. 21, and the market reacted positively, sending shares nearly 7% higher.

Ally Reports Record Q4 Earnings Growth

When Ally posted Q4 earnings, it reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.09, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02. Quarterly revenue came in at $2.17 billion—a 4.8% year-over-year increase—versus analyst expectations of $2.15 billion.

Ally’s 2025 full-year results included adjusted total net revenue of $8.5 billion and core pre-tax income of $1.6 billion.

On the company’s earnings call, CEO Michael Rhodes said the firm generated $1.5 billion in written insurance premiums—a record for Ally—alongside year-over-year EPS growth of 62%, also a record.

The EPS improvement was welcome after annualized earnings contractions of -38.81%, -44.93%, and -35.02% in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively.

Part of 2025’s strong EPS performance was driven by record consumer auto applications. Ally processed 3.8 million applications in Q4, equating to $10.8 billion in loan originations in the quarter and roughly $43.7 billion for the year—an 11% increase year over year.

Ally also authorized a $2 billion share buyback program and issued 2026 guidance that includes roughly 5% revenue growth.

Rhodes added that Ally “ended the year with $144 billion in retail deposit balances, reinforcing our position as the largest all-digital direct bank in the United States.” He noted the bank “now serve[s] 3.5 million customers as 2025 marked our 17th consecutive year of customer growth.”

Ally has a trailing EPS of $1.66 and a trailing 12-month price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 25.52. Analysts expect earnings to rise sharply next year—about 53.2%—from $3.57 to $5.47 per share.

Ally’s Dividend Pays Investors to Patiently Wait for the Upside

The average 12-month price target of $49.44 for ALLY implies nearly 17% potential upside. With a forward P/E of just 11.88, the stock is increasingly being viewed as a value opportunity.

As with most financial institutions, Ally pays a dividend to patient shareholders.

Currently, that dividend pays $1.20 per share annually, representing a 2.83% yield at today’s price. While Ally’s dividend payout ratio of more than 72% may give some investors pause, the company has a five-year annualized dividend growth rate of 12.03%, which supports the case for a reliable payment.

The next quarterly payment of $0.30 per share is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 17, to investors of record before the ex-dividend date of Monday, Feb. 2.

What Wall Street Thinks About Ally Financial?

So far in January, Ally Financial has been upgraded by Evercore, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America to Outperform, Overweight, and Buy, respectively.

Those investment banks cited improving credit trends and greater confidence in Ally’s net interest margin—the difference between interest earned on investments and loans and interest paid on deposits and debt.

Of the 18 analysts covering ALLY, 13 give it a Buy rating, five give it a Hold, and none give it a Sell. Overall, it carries a Moderate Buy rating.

According to TradeSmith, the stock’s financial health sits in the Green Zone, where it has been for more than three months. Meanwhile, institutional ownership remains above average at nearly 89%, with inflows of $2.46 billion outpacing outflows of $1.62 billion over the past 12 months.

Current short interest stands at 3.5%, or just over 308,000 shares out of 10.7 million shares outstanding.

Notably, Ally Financial scores higher than 99% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat and ranks 25th out of 907 stocks in the finance sector.

Thank you for subscribing to The Early Bird, MarketBeat’s 7:00 AM newsletter that covers stories that will impact the stock market each day.

This email content is a sponsored message provided by SmartAsset, a third-party advertiser of The Early Bird and MarketBeat. 

If you need assistance with your newsletter, please contact MarketBeat’s South Dakota based support team at contact@marketbeat.com.

If you no longer wish to receive email from The Early Bird, you can unsubscribe.

© 2006-2026 MarketBeat Media, LLC. All rights protected.
345 North Reid Place, Sixth Floor, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57103. U.S.A..

Just For You: AI tech that predicts heart failure learns to forecast stocks (From TradeSmith)