Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)Controversy swirls over whether AI is a bubble — and whether the excitement about its potential is overblown and will one day peter out.But many people don’t know that they are already using AI — and they’re using it quite a bit. If more people knew what AI does, how it does it and what changes it has brought, they wouldn’t believe it’s a boom/bust industry.According to a recent study by Gallup Newsletters and Telescope, 99% of Americans have used a product that uses AI as part of its operation, but only 64% of those people realized…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Senate Bill 1486 is currently awaiting a vote in the Illinois Senate, and it’s already being met with a mix of enthusiasm and disdain. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias has championed it as a set of strong consumer protections for Illinois drivers. But some in the insurance industry are saying the new regulations will lead to rate hikes or more policy cancellations.With such mixed messaging coming out about this bill, Illinois residents might be concerned and confused about what the new law would mean for their budget.If passed, it could have a real impact on both…

(Image credit: Getty Images, with Gemini edits)Question: Our grandson just graduated from college with $45,000 in debt. I want to pay off his student loans, but my husband says we can’t afford it. We’re 73-year-old retirees with $2.1 million and $4,000 a month in Social Security that covers most of our bills. Who’s right?Answer: You’ll often hear that college graduates are drowning in debt. That may not be true for everyone, but the average student loan debt, including private loans, may be as high as $42,673 today, reports the Education Data Initiative.A balance that large could be difficult to shake…

(Image credit: Getty Images)You may have heard that taking a defensive driving course — sometimes called a driver improvement course or something similar — may lead to car insurance discounts. But you might not know that some states actually require insurers to offer those discounts. You also might not know just how affordable the courses are and how big of a discount you can get for taking one.Most eligible courses can be done completely online and take just four to eight hours to finish. Often, insurers will keep the discount in place for three years after the date the course…

A historic Hamptons saltbox home that predates the Declaration of Independence just hit the market in Sagaponack, NY, after undergoing a meticulous restoration that breathed new life into its 280-year-old bones—while carefully maintaining its original charm and character.Originally built around 1750, nearly three decades before the first Independence Day celebrations were held, the three-bedroom dwelling sits on nearly an acre just a stone’s throw from Poxabogue Pond.Today, the property still retains many of the design elements that were put in place nearly 300 years ago, all of which have been lovingly restored by the sellers in a “top-to-bottom” renovation that…

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Rising oil prices have made inflation the more pressing concern for the Federal Reserve recently, though the employment side of its dual mandate bears watching amid volatility in recent nonfarm payrolls reports. That’s why the April jobs report is a key economic report to monitor.In January, for instance, the U.S. added 160,000 new positions. And in February, it lost 133,000 jobs. March job gains came in at 178,000. All told, the U.S. has added 205,000 new jobs so far in 2026, or 68,000 per month on average.”That amount indicates healthy employment growth for an economy that…

(Image credit: Getty Images)It’s important to understand that a dividend from a stock is not “free money.” On the ex-dividend date, all else equal, the company’s share price is adjusted downward by the amount of the payout.The value is simply being transferred from the company to you. Prices can move during the trading day, but that adjustment reflects a basic accounting reality.This is why “dividend capture” strategies, where investors rotate into dividend-paying stocks just before the ex-dividend date and sell after the price recovers, tend to be a wash over the long term. Once you factor in transaction costs and…

A can of Coors Light beer and a Ford F-150 pickup truck.Gabby Jones | Bloomberg | Brandon Bell | Getty ImagesAluminum’s surge to multiyear highs in the wake of the Iran war is creating cost pressures for the businesses that manufacture everything from cars to beer cans.Aluminum on the London Metal Exchange has surged more than 13% since the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The commodity is now up around 19% so far in 2026 and has touched its highest levels since 2022 this year.Stock Chart IconStock chart iconAluminum in 2026Prices are being driven higher by the shutdown…

QuTwo, the Finnish AI lab founded by former AMD Silo AI CEO Peter Sarlin, is now valued at €325 million (approximately $380 million) after raising a €25 million angel round ($29 million). It’s a sign of enduring tailwinds for AI, quantum computing, and sovereign tech, especially for Europe-made companies. QuTwo’s name is a nod to quantum computing, but it hasn’t gone all-in on quantum. Its core product, QuTwo OS, is an orchestration layer that directs tasks to classical, quantum or hybrid architectures — with the idea that enterprise use cases are often best served by “quantum-inspired” computing, which uses classical…

(Image credit: Getty Images)If you look at your accumulated savings and find you won’t have enough at retirement, what can you do?Fortunately, there are several options — and you can mix and match them. As a financial adviser with more than 35 years of experience, I’ve found many simple ways you can build up your retirement funds.Start saving todayIf you aren’t already saving for retirement, there is no time like the present to start. Tomorrow is not soon enough. Particularly if you have been putting things off, now is the time to act. Procrastinating will only make things harder, so…