Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)Many professionals pursue law or business school with a clear goal: Higher income and greater financial security.What often comes with it, however, is a six-figure salary paired with significant debt.Law school graduates carry an average of about $130,000 in debt, often paid over the course of 20 to 25 years, while MBA graduates average close to $80,000. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters Profit and prosper with…

Total homeowner equity in the U.S. continued its retreat through early 2026, hitting a four-year low as property values plateaued and mortgage rates remained stubbornly elevated.Nationally, 43.3% of homes were considered equity rich (defined as the property owner having at least 50% equity, meaning the home’s estimated worth is 50% or more than the outstanding loan) from January through March, down from 44.6% in the previous quarter, according to a new report from ATTOM, a provider of property data and real estate analytics.It marks the lowest share of equity-rich homes since the fourth quarter of 2021.”The two forces working against homeowner…

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The insurance-linked securities (ILS) market is in a strong position with record levels of catastrophe bond issuance and growing interest in private ILS and casualty risks, while transparency and price efficiency remain key to attracting investors old and new, according to industry experts.In April, Artemis held its seventh Bermuda ILS Executive Roundtable in Hamilton, in partnership with international law firm Appleby and Moody’s Analytics, a global provider of data, intelligence and analytical tools, during which seven leaders and experts from across the space discussed a range of market trends. As readers of Artemis will be aware, 2025 was a record-breaking…

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.2026 has been a strong year for content-creation laptops running Windows. We’ve seen machine after machine packing powerful hardware, solid audio systems, and vibrant displays. Two standout examples that exemplify this trend are the Galaxy Book6 Ultra and the Dell XPS 16. I thought those two would define the category as the best, but here comes a new challenger: the Lenovo Pro 9i Aura Edition.Also: The best Lenovo laptops of 2026: Expert tested and reviewedLenovo’s model enters the conversation as a compelling third option, shaking up what felt like a two-horse race. It…

(Oil & Gas 360) Part 1 – The U.S. power system is entering a period of adjustment that looks less like routine reform and more like a reset.   The immediate catalyst is PJM Interconnection’s move to consider a broad overhaul of how its markets price and procure capacity, a signal that the existing framework is no longer aligned with the demands placed on it. PJM operates the largest wholesale electricity market in the United States, and its structure has long served as a reference point for competitive power markets. The pressures now driving change are not isolated to one…

Key TakeawaysOverall options activity hit new highs in Q1 2026, with market-wide Average Daily Volume (ADV) reaching 68.6 million contracts.Index and ETF options led the growth: index options ADV rose approximately 22% and ETF options volume increased about 24% above 2025 levelsVIX options posted the second-best quarter on record.FLEX volume climbed 35.8% to 1.9 million contracts per day and reached a 4.1 million single-day recordThe options market experienced significant growth and dynamic shifts during the first quarter of 2026, marked by record-setting volumes across major index, ETF, and single stock contracts. There was robust activity in both established and newly…

Voters want to see action on housing in Washington, DC, even if they don’t know all the details, a new poll has found.Up to 88% of respondents believe it’s harder than it ever has been to buy a house, according to a poll released by the Bipartisan Policy Center. Working with Advocus Partners, BPC polled 1,000 voters in late April and found broad support for congressional action on housing reform.About 83% of those polled said Congress needs to take action to make housing more affordable. And 79% said paying for housing is one of the biggest expenses in their budget,…

Although I have not been attempting to do economic forecasts, the current environment is surprising to me, at least with regards to inflation. The above figure shows the 5-year breakeven inflation rate as based on the U.S. inflation-indexed bond (TIPS) market.The 5-year breakeven inflation rate is the 5-year conventional bond rate (“nominal yield”) minus the quoted yield (“real yield”) on a 5-year inflation-indexed bond. This difference (shown above) is the rate of inflation required over the next 5 years for the two bonds to have the same rate of return. (Hence, the TIPS breaks even with the conventional bond.) The…

Not that long ago, U.S. payroll growth of less than 100,000 or so a month meant the labor market was sinking and signaling a potential recession. No more, though, as that kind of number is pretty much all that is needed to keep unemployment steady and the Federal Reserve at bay.When the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its job count for April on Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. ET, it’s expected to show a gain of just 55,000 — anemic compared with what the economy has seen in recent years, but enough to keep the jobless rate at a relatively…