Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)It can be exhilarating.The market goes on a tear, your portfolio’s value soars, and, perhaps, a part of you thinks it will always be that way.Until one day, that marvelous portfolio balance isn’t so marvelous anymore. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more – straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper…

(Image credit: Getty Images)For many households, financial pressure doesn’t come from one big expense. It comes from everything else.At Affinity Federal Credit Union, we hear this regularly from members doing the right things.They’re working, budgeting and trying to be mindful of their spending, but they still feel as if they’re falling behind. They’re not overspending, just adjusting to a new reality in which everyday costs have inched up across the board, and paychecks don’t stretch as far as they did a few years ago. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from…

(Image credit: Getty Images)For years, retirees have been told the same thing: Protect your Roth IRA at all costs. Let it grow. Don’t touch it. Save it for last. And in many cases, that advice holds up.But if you’re among a small group of Americans with both a pension and $1 million or more saved, the rules change. What works for the average retiree doesn’t always apply to what we often call the “2% Club.” (I wrote a book about this group, which you can request here.)In fact, there are specific moments when tapping your Roth IRA earlier can be…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Nearly 40% of self-employed workers are baby boomers, according to a 2024 survey by Guidant Financial, and the number of older entrepreneurs has increased significantly in the past 25 years. Working for yourself in retirement, either full or part-time, makes a lot of sense: You can supplement your savings, stay engaged in your profession or try something new.But if you’re new to self-employment, you may not be prepared for the tax consequences of going solo.In addition to income taxes, you’ll also be responsible for paying the employee and employer portions of your Social Security and Medicare tax,…

Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) is one of the cheap NYSE stocks to buy according to analysts. On April 30, Tenet Healthcare Corporation reported a strong Q1 2026, with net income available to common shareholders reaching $702 million, or $8.01 per diluted share, significantly up from $406 million in the prior-year period. Adjusted diluted EPS grew 10.6% to $4.82, while consolidated Adjusted EBITDA remained steady at $1.162 billion, supported by disciplined expense management and strong revenue growth across its hospital and ambulatory segments. The company’s Ambulatory Care segment, operated under United Surgical Partners International, saw a 10.6% increase in net operating…

As the US-Iran War reaches its 89th day, President Trump’s efforts to resolve the conflict have become increasingly complex, despite his stated desire to end US involvement.If Donald Trump’s search for a way out of the Iran war was not difficult enough, he’s added a new goal that threatens to vastly complicate the Middle East’s already splintered politics.As I have already discussed this issue in my previous gold-and-oil-peace-deal-hopes-continue-driving-market-direction-200680893″>analysis on May 5, 2026 as how the U.S. President was very near to resolve this deal on last Friday but the whole scenario took a U-turn on Monday when President Trump insists that…

Allstate has returned some principal from one of its outstanding aggregate catastrophe bonds to investors, while extending the maturity on the remaining amount, having ended the last annual aggregate risk period that its cat bonds were subject to with total pre-tax reported catastrophe losses just shy of $4 billion.Allstate had a heavier catastrophe loss burden in March 2026, reporting $925 million of pre-tax cat losses for the month. Which took the first-quarter of 2026 to $1.24 billion of losses pre-tax and as a result the total across the annual aggregate risk period that the insurer’s aggregate cat bonds were exposed…

(World Oil) – bp said its board has removed Chairman Albert Manifold with immediate effect following what the company described as governance oversight and conduct concerns. Albert Manifold served as chair of bp for less than eight months before the company’s board removed him over governance and conduct concerns. The board unanimously decided Manifold should no longer serve as chair or director, according to a company statement released Tuesday. “Albert has helped bring a welcome focus and pace to bp’s transformation,” said Amanda Blanc, bp’s senior independent director. “However, the board has been surprised and disappointed to learn of governance oversight and conduct…

Key TakeawaysThe S&P 500® Index has reached record highs, while the VIX Index has also risen — a pattern known as “Spot Up, ‘VIX’ Up”Geopolitical uncertainty and record stock dispersion driven by AI-related enthusiasm are both contributing to the current market environmentA rising VIX Index alongside rising equities is a prompt to consider your own exposure and understand the current volatility environment — not a signal with a predetermined correct responseCboe’s VIX options and Mini VIX futures offer structured ways to access volatility exposure directly, subject to individual risk assessmentsMarkets have reached record highs. The S&P 500 Index has returned…

As summer unofficially begins, mortgage rates have climbed to their highest level in nine months, propelled higher by soaring energy costs stemming from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.Freddie Mac reported last Thursday that the average 30-year fixed home loan rate reached 6.51%, a benchmark not seen since late August 2025—a period dominated by economic uncertainty during the So, how did we get here, and what’s next for the housing market as it enters the traditionally bustling late spring and early summer buying season?A look at Freddie Mac data provides a major clue. Rates had been on a relatively…