Author: Money Mechanics

The Washington Post recently profiled a man from Baltimore County, Md., who spends his free time — actually, pretty much all of his time — retrieving illegally abandoned tires from stagnant creeks and mosquito-infested swamps.Since 2013, Jon Merryman has dug up an estimated 15,000 tires and has set a goal of picking up tires in every county in the U.S. The average tire weighs 25 pounds, so he doesn’t need to go to the gym to stay in shape.While most of us aren’t as driven as Merryman, just about everyone I know has expressed a desire to volunteer in retirement.…

Key Takeaways Strategies like designating “fun money,” values-based budgeting, or paying yourself first can help you get control of your spending while still having money for small splurges.Avoid an all-or-nothing mindset to save for goals like retirement, and use rewards and challenges to gameify paying off debt.Understanding your values and motivations can help you work toward your savings goals. Working toward long-term financial goals doesn’t have to mean cutting out all the luxuries and small joys from your life. In fact, an all-or-nothing mindset can actually hold you back from reaching your goals. Instead, here are five strategies that can…

KEY TAKEAWAYS edThe de minimis exemption allowed imports worth $800 or less to enter the United States tariff-free. Last week, President Donald Trump suspended the exemption for all countries.The prices of many cheaper products sold at online retailers are expected to rise since they will now be subject to Trump’s tariffs.Lower-income households tended to order more products that qualified for the de minimis exemption. A loophole that allowed some imports to come into the United States tariff-free ended, increasing the cost of cheap products and primarily affecting low-income households. The de minimis rule exempted imports worth $800 or less from…

It’s been a whirlwind of a week in the world of politics and finance. Here’s a quick recap of the top stories that made headlines over the weekend.Trump Warns Of $15T Investment CancellationPresident Donald Trump cautioned that a potential $15 trillion investment in the U.S. could be “immediately cancelled” if his tariff policies are struck down by the courts. The President expressed his concerns on the Truth Social platform, emphasizing the potential detrimental impact on the American economy.“We would become a Third World Nation, with no hope of GREATNESS again,” Trump wrote.Read the full article here.McConnell Compares Tariff Era To 1930sSenator…

Speaking today at a briefing held in Monte Carlo at the Rendez-vous event, Fitch Ratings analysts said the expectation is that property catastrophe reinsurance rates will keep softening and attachments may decline somewhat, but through this they anticipate discipline from the ILS investor base.The Fitch Ratings analysts are anticipating the property catastrophe reinsurance market dynamics we see today will persist unless there is a major market turning loss event. Capital build-up is expected to persist too, with alternative investors showing growing interest in supporting catastrophe bonds, reinsurance structures such as sidecars and other insurance-linked securities (ILS) opportunities. Brian Schneider, Senior…

Coffee shops and bookstores are college-campus staples. Now retailers selling apparel and candles are looking to get in on the action too.  Companies eager to capture Generation Z’s spending power hope campus locations will draw younger consumers to their goods and establish their brands with tomorrow’s adult spenders, with mall-based stores and other chains planting their banners in collegiate settings.  Teen fashion retailer Pacsun and creams and candles purveyor Bath & Body Works (BBWI) last month announced forays into hundreds of campuses. Pacsun is setting up pop-up shops to market “must-have” styles to students. Bath & Body Works said it’s…

Move over, Eiffel Tower. Step aside, Sistine Chapel. Instead of heading to well-known tourist destinations, many travelers are exploring tiny towns and remote villages in a bid to connect with their ancestral roots.It’s all part of a trend known as heritage travel, or ancestry tourism. Folks go to their homelands to see sights their forebears saw, taste foods that inspired family recipes, and possibly add a few branches to the family tree through connections made on the ground.The heritage travel boom is partly fueled by advances in technology and genetics that make it easier than ever to trace your roots.…

When crafting a long-term plan, it’s easy to focus on the numbers that feel solid — how much you earn, how much you save and how much you think you’ll spend in retirement.But the silent force of inflation is quietly eroding those numbers year after year.Almost everyone understands the theoretical effects of inflation. They know that their Friday night pizza is $3 more this year than last, or those new tires on the car seem “so expensive” compared with the last time you replaced them. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. CLICK…

It’s official. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that could transform your 401(k) investment options.For the first time, complex choices such as private equity, real estate, expanded annuities and even cryptocurrency may be added to your plan’s menu.These aren’t the plain-vanilla mutual funds and index funds to which most of us are accustomed. They’re bigger, flashier and at least on paper, full of promise. 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 with the best of expert advice on investing,…

Charitable giving has long been encouraged through the U.S. tax code, offering incentives to those who support nonprofits and mission-driven causes. But the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) could change that calculus — especially for high-income donors.While the bill touches many areas of federal policy, one provision has stirred debate: a reduction in the tax benefits tied to charitable giving.That’s especially troubling given that charitable giving in the U.S. declined by 10.5% in 2022 — the largest drop in decades. These changes could deepen that slide. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Be a smarter, better…