Author: Money Mechanics

Traveling as an active senior can be incredibly rewarding, offering you the chance to explore new destinations, stay physically fit, and create lasting memories. But what if you could do all that without draining your wallet?For many older adults, staying on a budget is a real concern, especially with fears of not having enough savings for retirement. A 2025 AARP national poll found that while 70% of seniors plan to travel, 45% cite cost as the biggest barrier.Although this may be true, with careful and creative planning, you can still enjoy exciting adventures on a budget. Here are the 10…

On Thursday, Amazon agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for a total of $2.5 billion. The settlement is one of the largest in FTC history, with $1 billion going toward civil penalties and $1.5 billion going out to Amazon customers.The lawsuit centered on what the FTC described as “manipulative, coercive, or deceptive user-interface designs” that “trick” consumers into joining Amazon Prime and make it difficult or confusing to cancel the automatically renewing membership program. As part of the settlement, Amazon denies any wrongdoing.If you’ve ever accidentally joined Amazon Prime or enrolled without realizing that…

Passive income has become a buzzword in recent years. The idea sounds perfect — money rolling in while you do nothing. But in reality, it’s no magic pill. Most passive income streams require significant upfront work or investment before the rewards show up.That’s one reason why passive income tends to benefit the ultra-wealthy over the long term. For the average investor, it usually means putting in time, money or both, and waiting years before returns become meaningful.Take rental property, for example. Renovating or advertising for tenants can take months of effort. Once that’s done, the income may feel relatively hands-off,…

Google is constantly upgrading how we get information, and one of its most popular features is the Top Stories section that appears above search results. For years, users had little say in which outlets were featured, and it was all up to Google’s algorithm. That meant your Top Stories might show a mix of sources you trust alongside others you’d rather not read.But that’s changing. Google now gives you the ability to choose which outlets you want to prioritize. Whether you rely on Kiplinger for personal finance insights or the Associated Press for breaking news, you can tell Google directly:…

Key Takeaways Consumer prices rose 2.7% over the year in August as measured by PCE inflation, up from 2.6% in July, while “core” prices excluding food and energy rose 2.9%, the same as in July.Prices are increasing faster than the Federal Reserve’s goal of a 2% annual rate.The uptick was not surprisingly high, so the Fed likely remains on track to continue cutting its key interest rate despite inflation concerns. There’s still no sign that inflation is headed down towards the Federal Reserve’s goal of a 2% annual rate.Consumer prices as measured by the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, rose…

Each week, in our Ask the Editor series, Joy Taylor, The Kiplinger Tax Letter Editor, answers questions on topics submitted by readers. This week, she’s looking at questions on the new tax deduction for tipped income. (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Tax Letter or subscribe.)1. What is the tips deduction?Question: I work as a hairdresser. I heard that my tips will now be tax-free. Can you explain how this works?Joy Taylor: The “One Big Beautiful Bill” enacted lots of tax breaks, with some important ones beginning this year. One of these is the deduction for up to $25,000…

By Chibuike Oguh NEW YORK (Reuters) -The dollar strengthened against major peers including the euro and yen on Thursday following U.S. economic data, which would likely restrain the future interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The Commerce Department reported that U.S. gross domestic product rose by an upwardly revised rate of 3.8% from April through June, higher than 3.3% initially reported. Economists polled by Reuters did not expect the rate to be revised. The dollar strengthened 0.58% to 149.77 against the Japanese yen, rising to its highest level since August 1. The euro hit a more than two-week low…

U.S. stock futures are up on Friday, following a decline on Thursday, with no sign of any significant momentum to set the tone for the day.The markets remain fairly calm ahead of several major economic data points set to be released on Friday, including the Personal Consumption Expenditures index, a key figure that influences the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy decisions.See Also: The Fed Is Caught In A Tug-Of-War—And Powell Just Admitted ItMeanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yielded 4.183% and the two-year bond was at 3.659%. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool‘s projections show markets pricing a 87.8% likelihood of the Federal Reserve cutting…

U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON DC 20585 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 24, 2025 The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes monthly data on operating, planned, and retired electricity generating capacity in the United States. All EIA resources that discuss electricity capacity rely on data that power plant builders and operators report to EIA on the Form EIA-860 (annual) and Form EIA-860M (monthly) surveys. These data can answer important questions often asked of EIA, including: How much natural gas capacity is currently operating in the United States? How many solar projects are planned to come online this year? How…

After reviewing the movements of gold futures in different time charts, amid shifting policies of global central banks, the news flow from various parts of the world this week is likely to confirm this policy shift.As I explained in my last analysis the reasons behind the advent of a selling spree in gold are due to shifting global central banks being more focused on rising inflation and weakening currencies.Now, the kept the short-term rate at 0.5% but signaled it would scale back purchases of exchange-traded funds and real estate investment trusts while two members of the board dissented, calling for…