John Maxfield

The recent decision by CVS Caremark to stop selling tobacco products threatens to jeopardize the high yield at companies such as Reynolds American, Altria, and Lorillard.

Value investing has long been touted as a prudent way for individual investors to make money in the stock market. But is it possible that following this approach could lead you down the wrong path? At least when it comes to bank stocks, Motley Fool contributor John Maxfield thinks that it does.

This morning, the nation's second largest pharmacy chain, CVS Caremark, announced its decision to stop selling cigarettes by Oct. 1 of this year. Here are 10 reasons that likely encouraged it to do so.

To get rich like Warren Buffett, the first thing one must do is stop acting like the cavemen that we are.

Recent research has demonstrated that pessimists not only overestimate threats, but also underestimate opportunities.

The increasing discontent over low wages is understandable. However, it's not companies like Wal-Mart and McDonald's that are responsible. The real culprits are consumers.

Is being exceptional something that a normal person can realistically aspire to? Can I learn to be exceptional? Can you? Or is it something that’s ingrained only in a select and fortunate few at birth? The answers to these questions might surprise you.

The founding of Amazon.com exactly 20 years ago didn't mark the next step in the evolution of retail; it marked the final step.

With the ongoing wave of regulatory and legal actions weighing on bank profits, some executives have begun complaining about the perceived injustice. Here's why they're completely out of line.

New evidence suggests that Best Buy and Barnes & Noble aren't long for this world. What isn't as well understood, however, is the one factor that will likely precipitate their downfalls.

Where do big ideas come from? Are they reserved for a privileged elite with Ivy League degrees? Or is the inspiration behind them accessible to all? Based on the ideas behind Starbucks, Nike, Wal-Mart, and Amazon.com, Motley Fool contributor John Maxfield reveals the secret behind uncovering big ideas.

The vast majority of highly successful business people have a handful of traits in common. Here are 10 that Amazon.com's Jeff Bezos has in spades.

Raising happy and successful children is hard. One way to make it easier is to learn from the experience of others. Here are 40 things that Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, can teach us, and thereby our children, about attaining success.

Even though marijuana has been fully legalized in two states, most, if not all, banks still refuse to provide them with services.

Why do companies get removed from the S&P 500, and what impact does being added have on short- and long-term performance?

The nation's largest banks are often derided for causing the financial crisis. What's less appreciated, however, are all of the other ways they've unjustly tilted the financial system in their favor.

As states begin to legalize the sale, possession, and consumption of marijuana for recreational use, there remains one big threat to the industry that's making it difficult for industry participants to remain on the right side of the law.

On Tuesday, Wells Fargo acknowledged that its mortgage business fell further than at competitors like JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America. While this sounds bad, there's a critical reason it isn't as ominous as you might initially assume.

On Tuesday, a federal court of appeals struck down net neutrality, paving the way for broadband providers like Verizon and Comcast to block or impede access to websites like Netflix and Amazon.com's streaming video service. Does this spell the end of a free Internet, or is it merely a new hurdle in the paths of online users and content creators?

Are you likely to be in the job market sometime over the next decade? If so, then recently released information from the U.S. Department of Labor should be of high interest to you.