A 401(k) does not need you to guess JPMorgan’s number. Next week’s earnings still matter, because they move the names beginners see on their phone. This is a watch list. It is not a trade list. These are the upcoming earnings next week, week of October 12, 2026 — the week third-quarter earnings season starts with the big banks. Last week’s options lesson is earnings this week: calls, puts, and strangles. Education only. Not advice.
Monday, October 12, is quiet on the calendar. The useful reports start Tuesday.
The upcoming earnings next week, by day
Tuesday, October 13. Before the open: JPMorgan Chase (JPM), Wells Fargo (WFC), Goldman Sachs (GS), Citigroup (C), UnitedHealth (UNH), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), and Domino’s (DPZ). JPMorgan says its results land about 7:00 a.m. Eastern, with the call at 8:30. These are the first big bank reports since the Fed raised rates in September. Domino’s is the one beginners will hear about. Pizza is a habit. The print is still one quarter, not a plan.
Wednesday, October 14. Before the open: Bank of America (BAC), Morgan Stanley (MS), BlackRock (BLK), ASML (ASML), and Progressive (PGR). Bank of America says its results come out about 6:45 a.m. Eastern. The September consumer price index (CPI) also lands at 8:30 a.m. Eastern that morning. Two headlines before the bell. Do not sit in a market-on-open market order hoping the headline is a gift.
Thursday, October 15. Before the open: Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM), Charles Schwab (SCHW), and PNC (PNC). After the close: Alcoa (AA), J.B. Hunt (JBHT), and Interactive Brokers (IBKR). TSMC is the name on the classroom board. It makes chips for other companies, and it reports one week after chip stocks slid on October 8. A beat or a miss can still shove the stock around before the next paycheck hits.
Friday, October 16. Before the open: Travelers (TRV), M&T Bank (MTB), Truist (TFC), and Regions (RF). Insurance and regional banks. If you already fill the 401(k) match, these prints are news items, not a reason to cash the match out.
Dates come from the Earnings Whispers confirmed calendar and from company investor-relations notices (JPMorgan, Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson, UnitedHealth, TSMC) as of October 8, 2026. Companies move reports. Confirm the time on the company’s own IR page before you treat a timestamp as fact.
What a beginner actually does
You do not need a new ticker. You need the same order: fill the 401(k) match, then a Roth if you qualify, then a taxable account. Walk Start Here if that sentence is new.
If you already hold one of these names in a target-date fund, you already own a slice. The fund will rebalance. You do not have to. If you hold a single name, an earnings gap can gap through a stop. That is why the classroom treats earnings week as a reason to sit on your hands, not a reason to size up.
If the print is ugly, the 401(k) is still a bucket. Do not cash it to “wait it out.” Roll an old plan. Leave the match on. The phone app will shout. The classroom will not.
A debit spread on an earnings name is a defined-risk tool, not a paycheck. The Weekly Playbook is the product for that desk. This post is free and stays free.
Last line: Education only — not investment advice. Confirm the report time. 8% is a teaching rate, not a forecast.