Author: Money Mechanics

Baby Boomers Gen X Millennials Gen Z Overall Percentage Contributing to a Roth 401(k) 12.8% 15.3% 19.0% 19.4% 17.1% Why Roth 401(k)s Are So Valuable For Younger Workers A Roth 401(k) is similar to a traditional 401(k) plan. Both are tax-advantaged accounts that let you save for retirement. These plans are employer-sponsored, and employees can choose from a variety of investment options. Employees choose a percentage of their pay to contribute, and that amount is taken out of each paycheck. However, the tax treatment is the primary difference between the two types of accounts. Contributions to a traditional 401(k) are…

Key Takeaways Life insurance pays beneficiaries a benefit upon your death, while annuities give you income, usually during retirement.Life insurance is not taxed, but annuity withdrawals are generally taxed as ordinary income.Choose life insurance if you want to give your family financial security, and an annuity if you want income during retirement. Annuities and life insurance are both offered by insurance companies to give you and your loved ones financial protection in the future, but they serve different purposes. The former gives you income while the latter provides your loved ones with financial security. To choose the best option for…

Today’s HELOC rates are unchanged following the interest rate cut announced by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday. The prime rate is holding firm for now, but when it drops, home equity line of credit interest rates will likely fall as well. Shop a few lenders to find your best rate. Read more: Is now a good time to take out a HELOC? According to Bank of America, the largest HELOC lender in the country by volume, today’s average annual percentage yield (APR) on a 10-year draw HELOC is 8.72%. That is a variable rate that kicks in after a six-month…

AI-generated campaign videos featuring U.S. President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos made headlines in India after they were used to influence voting in Delhi University’s student elections.AI Trump, Musk And Bezos Endorse Student CandidateIn one video, an AI-generated version of President Trump urged students to back Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad or ABVP candidate Kunal Chaudhary.”Kunal Chaudhary, very tough, very smart. He will be secretary ABVP. Believe me, nobody can do it better,” the deepfake Trump declared.Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk’s digital clone appeared before a spaceship, telling voters, “Just like this rocket, Kunal Choudhary is going straight…

Real estate agents are navigating a shifting lead-gen landscape — balancing referrals, paid portals like Zillow, and tech tools such as CRMs. While some, like Callie Kelley, spend heavily on third-party leads, others, like Charlie Wills, thrive almost entirely on referrals. For brokers, tracking lead sources is becoming mission-critical. Florida Realtors has rolled out Sabal Sign, a built-in e-signature solution for Form Simplicity Ultimate Edition users nationwide. Designed specifically for real estate, Sabal Sign offers unlimited sessions, mobile access, reusable templates, audit tracking, and full ESIGN Act/UETA compliance. Closinglock has acquired Viking Sasquatch’s payoff retrieval solution, adding automated, AI-driven and…

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Acer Aspire 16 AI is currently on sale for $699. It’s a reliable, lightweight workhorse with a marathon battery that’s ideal for long days.However, its hardware has performance limitations. more buying choices Acer’s new Aspire 16 AI is a humble laptop. It isn’t flashy or over-the-top, it doesn’t house high-end hardware or an OLED screen. Instead, it focuses on being a reliable work device with a midrange price tag. Considering how expensive things are nowadays, we need more laptops like this now more than ever before — especially if you’re a college student.For students, the Aspire…

Perhaps you got some extra cash to invest—maybe a leftover $1,000 from your latest paycheck or a small company bonus—and now comes the big question: should you buy an individual stock, or put it into a mutual fund? While both choices can help your money grow over time, the decision depends on your investing goals, risk tolerance, as well as how much time and effort you want to invest in managing your portfolio. In this article, we’ll explain the differences between mutual funds and stocks, outline the pros and cons of each, and give examples to help beginners make confident…

Key Takeaways Buyback activity has slowed lately, but it’s poised to re-approach record levels in the third quarter and grow next year.Buyback yields have hit historical lows, indicating share repurchases will be less of a boost to earnings per share than they have in the past.Shares of companies that have sustained buyback activity could be attractive, according to Goldman Sachs. A slump in stock buybacks could be in the rearview mirror. What that means for stocks is more complicated. S&P 500 buybacks in the second quarter fell 20% from record highs in the first quarter, but they are expected tick…

Key Takeaways Scholastic’s quarterly loss increased and sales slumped as schools limited spending on books because of uncertainty over government education funding.The children’s book publisher reported revenue at its Education Solutions segment slid 28%.Scholastic is seeking investors for sale-leaseback deals for its real estate in New York City and Jefferson City, Missouri. Scholastic (SCHL) shares sank Friday after the children’s books publisher reported a quarterly loss as schools pulled back on spending because of uncertainty over government funding. The company posted a fiscal 2026 first-quarter loss of $97 million, compared with the $92 million loss recorded a year ago. Revenue…

The Cboe Magnificent 10 Index is your gateway to the performance of 10 tech and growth-oriented U.S.-listed companies. This equal-weighted index is designed to capture the growth of large cap stocks shaping the future of the global economy. The value of the MGTEN Index will be available on the Cboe Global Indices Feed via the Cboe Global Indices Channel. The index includes:NVIDIA Corporation — NVDAApple Inc. — AAPLAmazon.com, Inc. — AMZNAlphabet Inc. (Google) — GOOGL (Class A)Microsoft Corporation — MSFTMeta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook) — METATesla, Inc. — TSLAAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) — AMDBroadcom Inc. — AVGOPalantir Technologies Inc. —…