Author: Money Mechanics

Alan Jinich is the national facilitator for StoryCorps, a nonprofit organization that aims to record and share the stories of the American experience. He recently spoke to Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine about the organization’s work and how anyone can get involved and share their own story.Question: What is StoryCorps? AJ: StoryCorps is a nonprofit oral-history organization dedicated to recording the stories of everyday people across the U.S. We record conversations between two people and archive them with the Library of Congress in what’s now the largest collection of human voices ever gathered — more than 700,000.Question: What is your role…

Key Takeaways Tiny homes can cost $30,000 to $60,000 up front, plus additional ongoing expenses.You’ll need to budget for land, permits, labor, materials, utility hookups, and more.Even with their small size, tiny homes can come with monthly costs of $1,000 or more for utilities, taxes, insurance, and maintenance. If you can’t afford a traditional single-family home, a tiny house may seem like an affordable alternative. It could be especially appealing if you’re a minimalist, since the average tiny home is only 225 square feet.  However, buying and living in a tiny home might cost more than you think. Amazon may…

Key Takeaways The S&P 500’s average dividend yield is below 2%.That’s a problem for retirees relying on dividend income who may want to withdraw from retirement funds at the recommended 4% to 4.70% annually.Specialized investments like BDCs, midstream energy companies, and closed-end funds can yield 9% or higher, though none are risk-free.The highest-yielding investments typically require understanding specific market niches and tax implications. Many dividend-focused investors are getting modest yields when they could be considering higher-income investments. While the S&P 500 Index’s average dividend yield languishes below 2%—”much lower than historical dividend yields,” Sahil Vakil, a financial advisor and founder…

Key Takeaways Beckham Jr. converted his entire 2021 NFL salary of $750,000 into Bitcoin through a partnership with Cash App.At the time of the conversion in November 2021, Bitcoin was worth about $64,000. In late August 2025, it traded at more than $108,000.If he held onto his Bitcoin, the value could now exceed $1.2 million (as of Aug. 29, 2025), excluding taxes.Beckham Jr. is one of several NFL players, including Russell Okung and Sean Culkin, who’ve bet big on Bitcoin instead of opting for a traditional paycheck. Odell Beckham Jr., 2022 Super Bowl champion with the Los Angeles Rams, converted…

As Labor Day approaches, U.S. workers don’t seem to be in a celebratory mood, with rumblings about a possible economic downturn raising anxiety that layoffs will rise.Nearly two-thirds of Americans recently polled by LendingTree think a recession is coming. And 41% expect unemployment to increase over the next year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York — a seven percentage point jump since January. Two in five workers are personally worried about losing their job in the next 12 months, a 2025 study by the American Psychological Association found.Are they right to be concerned? Although private-sector hiring hit…

CNMI GDP decreases in 2018;Gaming industry revenues and visitor arrivals decline CAPITOL HILL, SAIPAN (November 7, 2019) — Today, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is releasing estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) for 2018, in addition to estimates of GDP by industry and compensation by industry for 2017.1   These estimates were developed under the Statistical Improvement Program funded by the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Revised estimates of GDP for 2015 to 2017, as well as revised estimates of GDP by industry…

A major gold breakout nears with big implications for investor psychology. has spent recent months consolidating high, winding tighter in a bullish technical pattern that mostly resolves to the upside. Gold’s resulting new record highs will likely fuel sizable momentum-chasing buying from gold-futures speculators and American stock investors. That will accelerate gold’s gains and a major herd-sentiment shift back to bullish. Gold’s price action hasn’t proven exciting since early last spring. From the end of February to mid-April, gold soared 19.8% achieving 12 new record closes! That blistering run goosed by global-trade-war fears culminated at $3,421. Then at best in…

When investors think about municipal bonds, they often go right to state-issued general obligation bonds – the kind of debt backed by the taxing authorities of the state or city. However, the muni market is vast and features plenty of different subtypes. One of the biggest is education bonds. Public school districts, charter schools, private schools, colleges, universities, and community colleges often head to the municipal market to borrow muni. And historically, these bonds have been a good deal for investors. But now, a threat could be emerging to the sleepy education bond sector. With the Trump Administration’s plans to…

Key Takeaways Researchers found that VCs who spend less time evaluating startups see 15% to 34% wider swings in their investment results—more big wins, but also more spectacular failures. When everyone’s rushing to invest, VCs might do less homework, leading to worse decisions and more unpredictable returns. Why do so many startups that seemed destined to take over the world end up fading away, despite being backed by the world’s brightest venture capitalists (VCs)? New research from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the Wharton School reveals a culprit that can’t be blamed on market timing or bad…

It was a weekend filled with significant developments in the world of finance and technology. From the Federal Reserve’s potential rate cut to Nvidia’s earnings, here’s a quick rundown of the top stories that you might have missed.Fed Chair Powell Signals Rate Cut, Bond Market DisagreesDespite the Federal Reserve’s potential plan for a rate cut in September, the bond market, particularly long-dated Treasuries, is not showing enthusiasm. Macro strategist Jim Bianco warned that the bond market is sending a clear message, and it’s not in favor of these rate cuts. Read the full article here.Nvidia’s Earnings: A Make Or Break MomentAfter a significant…