Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways About 70% of spouses choose the same Medicare Part D plan, even if it costs more over time.  Couples who pick identical plans spend an average of $690 more per year, and as high as $1,000 more. Medicare Part D is meant to be tailored to each person’s prescription needs, so individual plan selection is key. Use the free Medicare.gov plan finder to compare costs based on your prescriptions and find the best value. Enrolling in the same Medicare Part D plan as your spouse can be convenient—but it can cost you. A 2025 study found couples often…

Key Takeaways Kroger has reintroduced paper coupons at its stores, which has lifted the number of items sold, interim CEO Ronald Sargent said.Older shoppers and others were “disenfranchised” by the move to digital coupons, he said.Coupon use is rising as low and middle-income households hunt for deals, shop private labels and make smaller, more frequent trips to the store, Sargent said. Printing paper coupons can still pay off. Big grocery chain Kroger Co. (KR) has seen a “lift” in how many items it sells since reinstating paper coupons, interim CEO Ronald Sargent said Thursday. The move has also broadened Kroger’s…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The failure of Tricolor, a car lender little known outside of its low-income customer base in a few US states, is a good moment to reflect on how modern banking works. Tricolor filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, and is being probed by the US Justice Department over allegations of fraud. Thanks to the rise in so-called shadow banking, this mini-drama has maxi-implications for banks everywhere.Tricolor offered high-interest loans to low-income consumers, notably in Hispanic communities in states such as Texas, California and…

Key Takeaways Talk of a possible buyout helped push a pair of media and entertainment stocks higher on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, while a software stalwart gave back some of its recent gains.Shares of Warner Bros. Discovery surged following reports that Paramount Skydance is considering a takeover bid. Paramount Skydance stock also gained.Oracle stock cooled off, reversing a fragment of the strong gains posted after strong guidance from the database software giant boosted sentiment across the AI space. News of a possible takeover bid helped send shares of two media and entertainment powerhouses streaming higher, while a blistering rally ran…

On Thursday, Cathie Wood-led Ark Invest executed significant trades involving Tempus AI Inc. (Pre-Reincorporation)TEM, Bullish BLSH, Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, and Figma Inc. FIG.The Tempus AI TradeArk Invest made a notable move by selling shares of Tempus AI across its ARK Genomic Revolution ETF ARKG and ARK Innovation ETF ARKK. The sale involved 8,864 shares in ARKG and 49,765 shares in ARKK. With a closing price of $88.78 on Thursday, the total value of the shares sold amounted to approximately $5.2 million. This decision comes on the heels of Tempus AI’s recent achievement of receiving 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for its updated Tempus Pixel, an AI-powered cardiac imaging platform. This…

A weak August PPI report today continues the narrative that inflation in the United States is a nothingburger. If I were attempting to be a forecaster, I could have easily been wildly wrong in my inflation prognostications (although the previous chickening out on mega-tariffs meant that my initial reactions would have to have been revised).As always, there are anecdotal price pressures in the PPI (47.2% annual increase in turkey prices! (link to table)), but the overall final demand figure was low (down 0.1% seasonally adjusted on the month). The inflation risk from tariffs is a “one-off price level shift” that…

Annual all-items inflation rose to 2.9%, the highest level since January By David Enna, Tipswatch.com In what could be a crucially important report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that seasonally adjusted U.S. inflation rose 0.4% in August, higher than expected. The annual rate rose to 2.9%, up from 2.7% in July. Core inflation, which removes food and energy, rose 0.3% for the month and held steady at 3.1% for the year. This matched expectations — meaning that overall this report should not raise market alarms. However, U.S. inflation remains too high. The BLS noted that shelter costs rose…

Fall is often a time for new beginnings, and that’s true at Redfin as we welcome more than 50 new agents to the team. I’m really excited about this talented crew—they’ve already hit the ground running to help more people find homes they love, and in turn, build thriving businesses here at Redfin.  Redfin agent Aaron McCarty One of the folks we’re excited to welcome is Aaron McCarty, who is joining Redfin for the second time in our San Francisco office! Aaron started his career in hospitality, helping guests enjoy their vacation dreams, but soon realized he wanted to do…

Key Takeaways JPMorgan & Chase & Co. (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon said the economy is slowing down ahead of the Federal Reserve’s September meeting next week. The government estimated the U.S. economy added 911,000 fewer jobs in the 12 months through March 2025 than previously reported. The CEO of Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) noted a “big dichotomy” between higher- and lower-income consumers, despite spending remaining strong across all income levels. Those who track economic data like sports box scores got a doubleheader this week. Inflation rose to its highest level since January, and the U.S. economy added almost 1…

A group that has legally challenged the Department of Education in the past has filed a new complaint this week seeking a remedy for the thousands of borrowers waiting in limbo for their promised student loan forgiveness. The American Federation of Teachers said in its Tuesday complaint that the department’s suspension of student loan forgiveness is unlawful. Since the beginning of 2025, some borrowers have completed the requirements for the time-based forgiveness, but the department has paused the discharge process. What is time-based loan forgiveness? Income-driven plans are those in which payments are calculated based on a borrower’s income. Since payment…