I recently dug into the pros and cons of dividend reinvestment. Readers of the article sent me questions about other dividend-related topics. …

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes accelerated in September as declining mortgage rates and a pickup in available properties on the market encouraged home shoppers. The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that existing home sales rose 1.5% last month from August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.06 million units. That's the fastest sales pace since February. Sales jumped 4.1% compared with September last year. The national median sales price climbed 2.1% in September from a year earlier to $415,200. The housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates climbed from historic lows. Affordability remains a daunting challenge for most aspiring homeowners following years of skyrocketing home prices.

As economic uncertainty deepens, the rush for gold continues — with prices for the precious metal topping $4,300 for the first time this week. The going price for New York spot closed at a record $4,326 per troy ounce on Thursday. Futures also traded as high at more than $4,344 per troy ounce Thursday, before falling below the $4,300 mark Friday morning. Still, gold is up 6.7% over the last week, marking one of its best weeks to date. Gold sales can rise sharply when anxious investors seek a "safe haven" for their money. For the U.S., the latest gains arrive amid the now weekslong government shutdown and ongoing trade wars abroad.