Author: Money Mechanics

(World Oil) – WellSense, a FrontRow Energy Technology Group company specializing in rapid fiber-optic well diagnostics, has sold a global license for its FiberLine Intervention (FLI) technology to Halliburton in a landmark transaction. The deal marks the first technology divestment by WellSense and its parent group. Under the agreement, Halliburton will deploy FLI for well stimulation monitoring worldwide. WellSense will continue to apply the technology in other oil and gas applications, including plug and abandonment, well integrity and leak detection, and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS). “Completion of this deal is a defining moment for WellSense and for FrontRow,” said…

IntroductionShould you modify or terminate an irrevocable trust to get assets back into your estate for basis step up purposes?gettyMany taxpayers created irrevocable trusts and transferred significant assets to them to hopefully save estate tax. Others were named as beneficiaries of trusts that others may have created. Following recent tax law changes does the existing trust plan really work? Assets in most irrevocable trusts won’t receive a basis step up on your death, leaving the specter of substantial capital gains costs. “Basis step-up” is when on death the tax basis, which is used to calculate gain or loss on sale…

President Donald Trump has expressed his indignation over a report suggesting the involvement of 274 undercover FBI agents during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.Trump is seeking answers from the FBI’s former director, Christopher Wray, following a Blaze report on it. The Blaze report contradicts a Justice Department Inspector General report, claiming that the FBI had privately admitted to the presence of these undercover agents.On Saturday Trump shared his grievances on Truth Social post, stating, “It was just revealed that the FBI had secretly placed, against all Rules, Regulations, Protocols, and Standards, 274 FBI Agents into the Crowd just prior to, and during, the January 6th Hoax.” He further…

Gold stocks have soared in recent months, accruing massive gains. While fully justified fundamentally, such fast rallying has left their leading sector benchmark super-overbought. That argues a sizable selloff is imminent to rebalance extreme technicals and sentiment. Traders with existing -stock positions can prepare by tightening trailing stop losses. This healthy selloff will spawn a good mid-bull buying opportunity. The gold-stock ETF was having a good year into mid-July, just before gold miners started reporting Q2 results. Those proved phenomenal, shattering all records! So traders led by fund managers started deploying significant capital in this sector, fueling powerful upside momentum.…

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, U.S., Sept. 17, 2025. Brendan McDermid | ReutersStock market growth that seems impervious to tariffs, politics and a moribund jobs picture is in turn powering consumer spending and putting a floor under an economy that many expected to be teetering on the brink of recession by now.Economic data this week painted a surprisingly bright picture of recent trends.Consumer spending in August was stronger than expected and so was income. Companies and households continue to order big-ticket items while inflation has been relatively soft. Even housing…

One of the chief paradoxes of managing our money is that the concrete nature of numbers leaves us with a false sense of certainty despite the many (many) financial factors that are unknown, unknowable, or out of our control. At best, this conundrum leaves us persistently second-guessing our financial decisions. At worst, we face crippling analysis paralysis—mentally exhausted and choosing nothing for fear of choosing wrong.Is the acceptance of mystery a key to financial planning?gettyAnd it’s no wonder. In Buckminster Fuller’s book, “Critical Path,” he set forth to capture the amount of years it has taken historically for the aggregate…

Investing is one of the best ways to make your money grow. But if you’re new to the game, it can be difficult to know where to start.Factors like compound growth, outpacing inflation and the potential to build wealth are what attract most people to invest.However, different investments carry varying levels of risk, and there are a couple of different strategies you can implement that align with your risk tolerance and future goals. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters Profit and prosper…

Key Takeaways Retiring early means you have less time to save, but that doesn’t have to be a deterrent.The IRS allows “catch-up” contributions to your retirement savings plans to hurry things along after you reach age 50.Fidelity Investments recommends saving 14 times your current earnings if you want to retire at age 62.Establishing a not-too-demanding side hustle can add a little to your income and ease your early retirement budget. The thought of retirement begins as a fuzzy promise waiting for you on a distant horizon. It transitions to a planning stage and encroaches on a time when you begin…

With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), drastic changes are coming to federal student loan programs. One major change is the new loan limits for Parent PLUS Loans beginning July 1, 2026.These Direct PLUS Loans, part of the federal student loan program, have been a lifeline for parents helping their children cover the costs of college.If you have a child who’ll be college-bound in the next few years, these changes could directly impact your college financing plans — and could require you to look for other methods to cover financial aid gaps. From just $107.88 $24.99 for…

Key Takeaways TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are trusted traveler programs that offer expedited security screening and other benefits.TSA PreCheck is primarily for domestic travel, while Global Entry includes expedited customs clearance for international travel.Both programs require an application, background check, and fee payment.TSA PreCheck costs $78-85 for a 5-year membership, while Global Entry costs $100 for a 5-year membership.Choosing between TSA PreCheck and Global Entry depends on personal factors such as travel frequency, international travel, and budget. TSA PreCheck and Global Entry are trusted traveler programs under the Department of Homeland Security and can help make your travel days…