Author: Money Mechanics

KEY TAKEAWAYS The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” will restrict the amount of federal student loans available to college students next year. Students may have to take out riskier private loans to cover the rest of their schooling.The average medical graduate student will not be able to take out enough federal loans for the cost of their school and will likely have to take out tens of thousands of dollars in private loans.Some families who take out Parent PLUS loans will have to use private loans, which typically have higher interest rates and will cost them almost $5,000 more in interest…

Key takeaways Berkshire’s model—insurance float, public-equity portfolio, and a growing roster of operating companies—remains the template every would-be “Baby Berkshire” is trying to replicate.Some copycats now sport a market cap of several billion and have delivered impressive returns over the past decade, though their scale is still a tiny fraction of Berkshire’s.Even the most advanced contenders would have to grow 30x just to reach Buffett’s neighborhood—an achievement that would require decades of flawless execution. Over six decades, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) has compounded at roughly 20% a year, trouncing the S&P 500 and reaching a market cap of three-quarters…

Key Takeaways Many Millennials and Gen X are in the “sandwich generation,” managing the costs and responsibilities of raising their children while also taking care of their aging parents. Caregiving for both kids and parents often means retirement savings are cut, with over half of the sandwich generation reducing or stopping their savings during prime earning years. Sticking to traditional personal finance rules like building an emergency fund, taking advantage of an employer match, and budgeting can help you stay on track for your own retirement. As Millennials and Gen X settle into middle age, they will be caring for…

Key Takeaways On Monday, several Fed officials explained why they think the central bank should be reluctant to cut its benchmark interest rate in the months ahead, while one argued for steep cuts.Three policymakers said inflation is running too high for comfort, at least partly because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.Trump appointee Stephen Miran said tariffs are not pushing up inflation and that inflation will come down on its own because of Trump’s immigration crackdown. Today’s inflation trends are either something to worry about or no big deal, depending on which Federal Reserve official you ask.On Monday, at least four…

Inflation is a major danger to the financial security of retirees, and the price increases that don’t make headlines often covertly hurt retirees the most.In 2021 and 2022 prices increased almost across the board, generating the highest inflation rates in more than 40 years.Headline inflation has declined since, but prices for select goods and services continue to spiral higher. Homeowner’s insurance premiums were rising before the general inflation of 2021 and 2022 and continued to rise faster than the major inflation indexes.From 2018 to 2013, homeowner’s insurance premiums in the U.S. increased 33.8% on average. Premiums increased almost 60% in…

Key Takeaways Target Corp.’s (TGT) stock has plummeted 33% since the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, wiping out over $20 billion in shareholder value by mid-September 2025. Consumer boycotts over the rollback appear to have had a significant impact, with sales and foot traffic dropping significantly this year. CEO Brian Cornell’s resignation in August signaled the depth of Target’s crisis. Target’s January decision to end its DEI programs has triggered one of the most sustained corporate boycotts in recent memory, one that’s only broadened over time. Earlier this month, both the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the…

Key Takeaways More than a third of Americans said they couldn’t cover a sudden $400 expense with cash or cash equivalents.Those who were unable to pay for emergencies said they would turn to a credit card, sell something, borrow money from a friend or relative, or take out a loan of some kind.Men are more likely to have emergency savings, a surveys from by U.S. News & World Report have found. A major car repair. An unexpected medical bill. A broken appliance that can’t wait. These are the kinds of expenses that take a toll on monthly budgets and savings,…

Key Takeaways: Legendary investor Charlie Munger called the first $100,000 difficult to earn but pointed out how compound growth makes all your future gains easier. It takes 9.5 years to save $100,000 if you’re putting away $650 per month at an average 7% annualized return. After that decade, it only takes just under two and a half more to become a millionaire, showing the speed of growth under compound interest once you save six figures. Legendary investor Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s longtime business partner at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A, BRK.B), understood the psychology of wealth building better than most. “The…

Key Takeaways President Donald Trump recently said that more international students are needed to prevent U.S. colleges from “going to hell very quickly.” Public universities rely on higher tuition from foreign students to offset shrinking state funding, and local economies benefit from their spending. Chinese students make up nearly a quarter of all international students, many in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields that the U.S. needs to stay competitive in technology and other fields. President Donald Trump stunned many by announcing recently that he wants the U.S. to allow 600,000 Chinese students into American universities, a figure that…

Wall Street tech analyst and Eightco Holdings Inc. ORBS Chair Dan Ives reiterated on Monday his belief in the World Network’s (WLD) potential to become the leading authentication technology in the AI revolution.AI Meets CryptoDuring an interaction with stock market commentator Amit Kukreja, Ives viewed the Sam Altman-founded initiative as more of an infrastructure tech play than a cryptocurrency play, predicting it to become the “single sign-on for AI” in the future.“To me, it’s really like when I look out into the future between bots, robotic, you need human proof. This is really like an AI meets crypto intersection. And that’s why I’m…