Never mind the winter chill in many parts of the country. Here’s another week’s worth of advice and perspective to warm your wallet. Let’s get into it!
–Charles Passy
MONEY-SAVING TIP OF THE WEEK: How to get the most bang for your buck when buying a TV
This is the time of year I look at the old TV set in my living room and think about an upgrade. I’ve got football games to watch – the national college championship is coming up on Jan. 19 and the Super Bowl isn’t far behind. And I still haven’t managed to catch the fifth (and supposedly final) season of “Stranger Things.”
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But if you’re like me, you dread the prospect of trying to find a good deal on a TV, particularly as you also make sense of the 18 gazillion models available. And let’s not even get into the technical jargon that’s part of the TV landscape (4K vs. 8K resolution, OLED vs. QLED screen type)—I have enough difficulty keeping track of my remote.
But let’s just tackle the cost question. What’s the best way to get the most TV bang for your buck?
That’s easy, say experts. Buy last year’s model.
Under almost any circumstance, you can now find a decent-sized TV (think 55-65 inches) for $500 or even less—and there’s no need to wade too much into the weeds when it comes to understanding all those specs. Just purchase what fits your budget. (You don’t need 8K resolution anyhow—at least not until there’s a legit amount of content available in it.)
But here’s the bonus: If you’re willing to purchase an older TV, you’ll likely save at least $100. That may not sound like much, but for a $500 set, that’s a 20% discount right there. And if you opt for a more feature-rich—and pricier—model, the savings can easily multiply. One survey found as much as a $700 difference between the 2023 and 2024 models for a 65-inch Samsung set.
Plus, you won’t be sacrificing much in quality, especially if it’s the first TV you’ve purchased in a few years (or if you’re finally getting your first TV after years of viewing on your phone or laptop). As consumer-tech expert Caleb Denison told me, technology has advanced such that today’s TVs represent a “massive upgrade” in terms of picture quality and features versus what was available around seven years ago.
When should you definitely consider that TV upgrade? Will Greenwald, who covers consumer electronics for PCMag (read his guide to the best TVs here), says a telltale sign is that the picture “seems dimmer than it used to be.” And notwithstanding our earlier comments about getting too much into the weeds about specs, Greenwald also says if you have a TV with 1080p resolution, he would strongly recommend upgrading to one with 4K resolution, “because it'll look better and have a lot more features…It's effectively the standard resolution
across the board at this point.”
Of course, it helps to understand a little about timing. You may have heard about the TVs unveiled at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show—those are the 2026 models and they’ll be hitting stores in the late spring or summer, according to Greenwald. That means if you’re shopping for a TV now, the older models you see are actually from 2024.
The bottom line: Get that new TV, but don’t feel pressured to get the newest model. Your wallet will thank you.
DEFINITION OF THE WEEK: The January Effect
If you’re still in a “Happy New Year” state of mind, you’re probably not alone, even if there’s debate about how far into January you can offer such a salutation. (Cue that Larry David clip!) Some say this sunny outlook extends into the investing world: The “January Effect” is a term often used to describe the idea that stock prices will likely rise in the first month of the year. But it’s not merely prompted by the joy that comes from having that new calendar on the wall: The idea is buoyed by the fact that investors often sell stocks in
December for tax purposes and then buy them back in January – and more buying means prices can go up.
But how truly accurate is this “January Effect” in boosting prices? There’s a fair bit of analysis suggesting the whole thing may be more wishful thinking than a useful tool to time your investing. Some years the market rises in January; other years it falls.
Perhaps more to the point: There’s a risk that comes with placing too much faith in any market maxim. Or so says Don Bennyhoff, a former Vanguard investment strategist who now runs his own firm that works with financial advisers. “The reality is the market has so many nuances and complexities that hanging your hat on any one factor is always kind of dangerous,” he told me.
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IF MONEY IS NO OBJECT: The $150,000-a-night Caribbean getaway
Sir Richard Branson has an island he’d like to sell you. OK, maybe not sell, but at least rent by the night. As part of his travel empire, the British entrepreneur of Virgin Group fame owns Necker Island, a 74-acre slice of apparent paradise in the British Virgin Islands. And he’ll let you have the whole place to yourself, replete with its Balinese-styled accommodations and special amenities (a sushi lunch served aboard a kayak, a DJ to help you disco the night away), for a cool $150,000 price . Of course, you can bring company – the island sleeps up to 40 adults and six children. And in case the bugs start biting, the Necker Island team notes that insect repellent is included.
But let’s get real: You’d have to go through a lot of bug spray – like a cargo ship’s worth – to make this seem like a smart use of your money. Even if you filled the island to capacity, you’re looking at a price tag of about $3,000 a night per person. And you know what $3,000 can buy you? A whole tropical vacation – or at least a long weekend at a decent hotel, plus airfare and maybe a couple of meals (we priced out various Caribbean destinations online and found plenty of top-rated resorts in the $200-$300 nightly range).
The Virgin team says they’re selling the idea of a one-of-a-kind experience that doesn’t come with just any vacation – think Fantasy Island redux. “You're encouraged to treat Necker like your own home and you can help yourself to anything you want, any time,” a spokesperson told us.
Still, you can even buy a whole condo in Florida for $150,000, though perhaps not quite in that luxury vein. But with the savings, you can easily float your own sushi boat.
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Send us your favorite way to save money – or make your money work for you – and we’ll share it with our readers. Send it to social@marketwatch.com.
