Author: Money Mechanics

For years, David Haas has been something of the unofficial Medigap expert of Franklin Lakes, N.J.That’s because whenever the financial planner’s clients reach that magic age of Medicare eligibility, they have some serious financial decisions to make about getting supplemental coverage — and don’t know where to turn.The alphabet soup of plan options, the complexity of what’s covered and what’s not, the challenge of figuring out what Future You is going to need: It’s overwhelming and confusing. 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…

Is the labor market as bad as the Federal Reserve thinks? We’ll know more on Friday, when September’s employment report is expected to shed fresh light on the economy for workers as Fed officials worry about a rise in unemployment. The jobs report leads a slew of labor market data due this week, along with updates from several Fed officials on the state of the economy. Consumer confidence, home prices, factory orders, and construction spending will also be in focus. Earnings reports from shoe seller Nike, cruise ship operator Carnival, and snack maker ConAgra Brands are due this week, along…

Earlier this year entrepreneur Mark Cuban relinquished his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks, marking the end of his 23-year reign as the team’s principal owner.Cuban, who played a pivotal role in transforming the Mavericks into one of the NBA’s top-tier teams, cited new business pursuits and family considerations as the primary reasons for the sale.In a video interaction he voiced concerns about his children potentially feeling the pressure to fill his shoes as owner amidst the intense scrutiny of the social media age. “In a social media world today, the critics of the ownership of any professional sports team can be brutal,” Cuban said. “I don’t want my kids potentially feeling the pressure to walk into my…

EUR/USD steadies after last week’s drop, supported by easing Fed cut expectations. This week’s GDP and PCE data could set the near-term direction for the pair. Buyers defend 1.1730, but momentum depends on breaking resistance near 1.1840. Looking for actionable trade ideas to navigate the current market volatility? Subscribe here to unlock access to InvestingPro’s AI-selected stock winners. Emotions around last week’s Federal Reserve are calming down, and investors are already looking ahead to the . Markets expect another rate cut of at least 25 basis points, but comments from Fed officials, including Chairman Jerome , suggest that inflation could…

Fading West modular housing development built after the Hawaii wildfires.Fading WestOwning a home is one of the pillars of the American Dream. But with a nationwide housing affordability crisis headlined by a lofty median price of a single-family home at more than $422,000, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate coming down but still relatively high, and a persistent, nationwide housing shortage of nearly four million units, that dream is out of reach for many individuals and families. Modular homebuilder Fading West is planning to be part of the solution to this wide-ranging dilemma. Founded in 2016 in Buena Vista, Colorado, the company…

Researchers at consulting firm BetterUp Labs, in collaboration with Stanford Social Media Lab, have coined a new term to describe low-quality, AI-generated work: “workslop.” As defined in an article published this week in the Harvard Business Review, workslop is “AI generated work content that masquerades as good work, but lacks the substance to meaningfully advance a given task.” BetterUp Labs researchers suggest that workslop could be one explanation for the 95% of organizations that have tried AI but report seeing zero return on that investment. Workslop, they write, can be “unhelpful, incomplete, or missing crucial context,” which just creates more…

While the world is watching the UN General Assembly discussions on Gaza-Israel, hybrid warfare in Europe (drones) and Trump, global oil markets are showing increased instability, as Ukrainian drones are destroying key oil and gas infrastructure inside of Russia. Over the last few weeks, a tsunami of reports has been published about a possible oil glut in the coming months or years, supported by OPEC-8 decisions to increase the export ceiling. However, reality in the market shows a different picture. Until now, no real crude oil price crash is showing; global prices are even very stable, while fundamentals in the…

Sherman’s Sports, a family-owned retailer that has been a staple in North Carolina for over a century, has announced its closure. The company, which has been in operation since 1922, has been a cornerstone of the community, providing a variety of products from outdoor clothing and footwear to souvenirs and outdoor gear.The information of the closure was disseminated through a community Facebook page, as Sherman’s Sports does not maintain a website or social media presence. The owners pointed to retirement as the reason for the closure. Becky Sherman Banadyga, the present owner, confirmed the news to the local Times-News newspaper, expressing that…

While most investors were focused on Fed policy, gold and tech earnings, a supply crisis was quietly brewing in global energy markets that would soon send oil prices rocketing. Oil prices surged to multi-week highs as September 2025 ends, with WTI crude climbing 0.95% to $65.60 per barrel and reaching $70.70 (marking the biggest weekly gain since June). This dramatic rally stems from a convergence of supply disruptions and geopolitical tensions that could reshape energy markets heading into 2026. The price surge represents more than just another commodity bounce. According to futures data, oil prices have broken above key resistance…

The insurance-linked securities (ILS) market remains in good shape, but opportunities exist to refine terms and conditions in the traditional reinsurance space, where coverage in some areas remains broad, Niklaus Hilti, Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of Euler ILS Partners, told Artemis in a recent interview.Artemis spoke to Hilti around the recent Monte Carlo Rendez-Vous event about a range of topics, such as the ILS investment manager’s current outlook on the ILS market, and the firm’s expectations for further ILS market expansion into perils such as cyber, specialty, and casualty lines. Firstly, we asked Hilti how he rates the health of…