Author: Money Mechanics

(World Oil)– Baker Hughes has secured a multi-year agreement from Aramco to significantly expand its integrated underbalanced coiled tubing drilling (UBCTD) operations across Saudi Arabia’s natural gas fields. The order, booked in the third quarter of 2025, will see Baker Hughes increase its active UBCTD fleet from four to ten units beginning in 2026. Under the new contract, Baker Hughes will deliver an expanded scope of services, including underbalanced drilling, operational management, well construction, and geoscience support for both re-entry and greenfield drilling projects. The expansion aims to enhance gas production efficiency, optimize reservoir recovery, and support Saudi Arabia’s growing…

As Q3 earnings season kicked off last week, the market received a scare when negative news about two small regional lenders broke.  Auto parts lender First Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with around $6.1 billion in debt on its books, while Tricolor—a subprime auto lender and dealer—filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy citing alleged systemic fraud.  In response, JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon issued a warning about looming private credit risks in the economy, stating that “when you see one cockroach, there are probably more.”  But the operative words there are “private credit.” And when it came…

Dave Ramsey has guided millions of Americans through their debt struggles, but his advice to hit “pause” on your 401(k) while you’re paying off debt could cost you tens of thousands of dollars you’ll never get back. Pausing contributions forfeits employer matches, misses market rebounds that often follow market downturns, and derails the automatic savings that keep you on the path toward retirement. Financial advisors we spoke with say there’s a better way. Why Pausing Can Be a Pricey Mistake Here’s what you could lose if you stop contributing to your 401(k): You forfeit free money: Employer matches are real…

As major indexes rebound from recent drawdowns, investors face the challenge of managing portfolios that may look very different than they did at the start of the year.One strategy to consider is tax-loss harvesting, an approach that not only helps optimize tax efficiency, but can also maintain a balanced portfolio to help weather future market fluctuations.What is tax-loss harvesting?Tax-loss harvesting is a financial strategy that involves selling investments that have incurred losses and using those losses to offset the capital gains tax owed on other investments. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor.…

By 2048, a record-breaking $124 trillion could pass from an older to a younger generations in what has been dubbed the Great Wealth Transfer — with significant implications for the U.S. economy.But the mechanics of this transfer within individual families are equally important, especially if heirs aren’t logistically or mentally prepared to inherit a large sum.Despite its significance, only 31% of Americans have a will, even though 83% recognize the importance of estate planning, according to Trust & Will’s 2025 Estate Planning Report. This disconnect leaves many families vulnerable to confusion, conflict and financial missteps. From just $107.88 $24.99 for…

The number of Americans 85 and older is expected to nearly double by 2035, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. With age often comes the need for help with driving, medical care and daily tasks, sometimes making living alone no longer safe or practical. That’s when families consider moving to a retirement home.“For the typical person, the thought of going to a retirement home is terrible,” says Patrick Simasko, an elder law attorney in Mount Clemens, Michigan. “In their mind, they’re going to a dump and it’s the next step to a funeral home.” But that’s not the case today.Modern…

Question: I retired at 65 with $7.8 million and feel like I over-saved. My 40-something son is on the same path. Should I tell him to reconsider?Answer: It sounds like you did an excellent job of teaching your son how to work hard and save money. At 65, however, you have a better sense of the sacrifices required to amass such wealth.The average 401(k) balance for Fidelity account holders aged 60 in 2025 was $255,200. That data is limited, as it only draws from the 401(k) plans Fidelity administers. But the Federal Reserve, which has far more comprehensive data in…

Key Takeaways Warren Buffett, chair and CEO of holding company Berkshire Hathaway, says stock splits often increase transaction costs, invite short-termism, and detach price from business value. Berkshire created low-denomination Class B shares in 1996, and later split them 50-for-1 in 2010 as a targeted exception to the rule, not as a reversal of principle. Buffett’s philosophy aims to attract “business-owner” investors. Warren Buffett has long argued against stock splits, as he believes they increase trading churn, invite short-term speculators, and detach the share price from underlying business value. Splits were one step Berkshire Hathaway would never take in Buffett’s view,…

Key Takeaways Microsoft is expected to report strong quarterly results after markets close on Wednesday, with continued strength in cloud computing and AI demand driving robust growth.Analysts and investors will be watching the company’s capital expenditures for evidence that the infrastructure spending lifting AI stocks is on track to continue. Microsoft is slated to report quarterly results after markets close Wednesday, and Wall Street analysts expect another solid showing. “We view MSFT as the clear front-runner on the enterprise hyper-scale AI front despite increasing competition from Amazon/AWS and Google/GCP,” wrote Wedbush analyst Dan Ives in a note last week. Analysts expect…

Prices that people pay for a variety of goods and services rose less than expected in September, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report Friday that keeps the door wide open for another interest rate cut next week.The consumer price index showed a 0.3% increase on the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 3%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for readings of 0.4% and 3.1%, respectively. The annual rate reflected a 0.1 percentage point uptick from August.Excluding food and energy, core CPI showed a 0.2% monthly gain and an annual rate also at 3%, compared…