Author: Money Mechanics

Insurance broker and risk adviser Gallagher has collaborated with FloodFlash, a NormanMax company, to launch a new parametric insurance solution designed to protect golf courses from mitigate financial disruption caused by flooding and severe weather.The new arrangement is designed to provide a faster and more flexible form of financial protection against these risks. Intense rainfall as well as extreme weather events such as hurricanes and coastal surge events can cause flooding and pose significant challenges for golf courses, especially for venues located near rivers, lakes or coastal zones In light of this, the new parametric insurance solution being introduced by…

Homes in Rancho Cucamonga, California, US, on Saturday, May 9, 2026. Kyle Grillot | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMortgage rates continued their climb last week, making it harder for current homeowners to save on a refinance. Potential homebuyers also pulled back a bit, causing total mortgage application volume to drop 8.5% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances, $832,750 or less, increased to 6.65% from 6.56%, with points rising to 0.65 from 0.60, including the origination fee, for loans…

Artie Beaty/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysYou can customize your Android Auto through developer mode.This mode is usually for developers and app creators.It’s easy to access, and you can make significant improvements.For most users, Android Auto is simply an easy way to handle navigation, music, and messages while driving. But if you’re willing to tinker a bit, you’ll find several settings that can completely change the look and functionality of your car’s infotainment system. Just like your Android phone, Android Auto has its own developer mode that lets you access settings not intended for everyday…

(By Oil & Gas 360) Part II – Oil and gas companies once measured competitive advantage in barrels, acreage, and reserves; now they are increasingly measuring it in processing power, analytics capability, and data quality. Because the next phase of the industry is not just about producing hydrocarbons more efficiently, it is about understanding markets, assets, infrastructure, and risk faster than competitors. Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving beyond the oilfield itself and into the broader business of energy. Trading desks, logistics systems, pipelines, LNG exports, emissions management, cybersecurity, and capital allocation are all becoming increasingly data driven. And the companies…

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 1.6 percent in the first quarter of 2026 (January, February, and March), according to the second estimate released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2025, real GDP increased 0.5 percent. The contributors to the increase in real GDP in the first quarter were exports, investment, consumer spending, and government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased. Real GDP was revised down 0.4 percentage point from the advance estimate, primarily reflecting downward revisions to investment and consumer spending.…

Blue Origin’s New Glenn mega-rocket just exploded during testing at a launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida, according to a live stream from NASASpaceFlight.com. Blue Origin later confirmed the explosion. Jeff Bezos’ space company was performing a static fire test ahead of an anticipated fourth launch of the new rocket in the coming weeks. Blue Origin said in an X post Thursday evening that “[a]ll personnel have been accounted for.” The company didn’t say what went wrong, only that an “anomaly” occurred. NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Space Force did not immediately respond to requests for comment.…

Make a plan to feel confident about spending your money in retirement.gettyAre you a pre-retiree or retiree with a serious case of FORO (fear of running out)? If yes, you’re not alone. According to a recent survey by Allianz, two-thirds of Americans (67%) fear running out of money more than they fear death. And another recent survey by the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI) shows that 31% of retirees and 43% of pre-retirees don’t feel like they’ll have enough money to last the rest of their lives. These fears are understandable and appropriate for most pre-retirees and retirees. However, you’ll…

(Image credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Stocks opened lower Thursday as market participants took in the latest inflation update, but quickly turned higher on reports of an extended ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. A continued rally in tech stocks also kept the bulls in charge, with the three main indexes ending the day at new highs.Ahead of the open, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) said the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) rose 0.4% from March to April and was 3.8% higher compared to the year prior.Core PCE, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, was up 0.2%…

Personal income decreased less than $0.1 billion (less than 0.1 percent at a monthly rate) in April, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—decreased $19.9 billion (0.1 percent), and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $111.1 billion (0.5 percent).Personal outlays—the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments—increased $114.0 billion in April. Personal saving was $611.7 billion in April, and the personal saving rate—personal saving as a percentage of DPI—was 2.6 percent.The decrease in current-dollar personal income in April primarily reflected a decrease…

Saying “I do” affects more than just your personal life — it also means a shake-up in how you manage your money. After years of handling everything individually, you and your new spouse will have to figure out how to merge finances after marriage. To be clear, this doesn’t mean you have to pool all your assets when you tie the knot. It just means you need to get on the same page and create a system that works for both of you. The following approaches and tips can help. Common approaches to combining finances after marriage With couples getting…