Author: Money Mechanics

Six twentysomethings in East London have built what they say is the anti-San Francisco hacker house. The goal is a “holistic improvement in life,” rather than “12 weeks, Demo Day is coming,” Rowan Aldean, 26, explained.  Intrigued, I spent an afternoon visiting the house, meeting its residents, and doing a vibe check. I arrived after Aldean escorted me through the clean sidewalks of a new East London development to where the six-story building stood facing the water.  The house is called the London Island Founder House — or “Lift House” — and Aldean and his wife, Zahraa, 22, an upcoming…

Ryan Specialty (NYSE:RYAN) reported second-quarter revenue growth of 7.2% to $917 million, supported by 6.7% organic growth and modest contributions from acquisitions, as the specialty insurance services company navigated pricing pressure in property insurance and rising competition in several markets. Adjusted EBITDA increased 6% to $327 million, while adjusted EBITDA margin declined 40 basis points year over year to 35.7%. Adjusted earnings per share rose 12.1% to $0.74. For the first half of 2026, the company said organic revenue grew 8.9%, adjusted EBITDA increased 9.8%, and adjusted EPS rose 16.2%. Founder and Executive Chairman Pat Ryan said the quarter demonstrated…

There’s a conversation that comes up in the mortgage business more than you’d think.Consider a retired couple, financially comfortable, with no substantial debt, a home they own outright and brokerage and retirement accounts that have been accumulating wealth for 30 years.They want to buy a place in Florida, move closer to grandchildren or downsize and free up some equity. They apply to get preapproved to buy a home with financing — and get denied by the lender. 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…

Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan, 58, has just been named the top-earning podcaster of 2026 by Forbes.“The Joe Rogan Experience,” which the former comedian records at his $14.4 million home in Austin, TX, paid Rogan an estimated $82 million between June 2025 and June 2026.Widely regarded as one of the most successful podcasts in the world, “The Joe Rogan Experience” took home $12 million more in earnings than the second-place podcast, which was OpenAI’s “TBPN” (Technology Business Programming Network), earning $70 million.Following “TBPN” was Steven Bartlett’s “Diary of a CEO” at $45 million, Ashley Flowers’ “Crime Junkie” at $42 million, and…

According to average rates from the Zillow lender marketplace, mortgage rates are mostly on the rise today compared to yesterday. The current 30-year fixed rate today, Saturday, August 1, 2026, rose by 10 basis points to 6.65%, the 15-year fixed rate fell by 2 basis points to 6.01%, and the 5/1 ARM rose by 23 basis points to 6.65%. Read more: Weekly survey of mortgage lenders with the lowest rates: Pushing higher Today’s mortgage rates Here are the current mortgage rates today, Saturday, August 1, 2026, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.65% 20-year fixed: 6.33% 15-year fixed:…

(World Oil) — Petrobras increased its oil and natural gas production 14.1% year over year to a record 3.34 MMboed in the second quarter of 2026, driven by the continued ramp-up of major pre-salt developments in the Santos basin and improved operational efficiency across its offshore portfolio. Production also rose 3.4% from the first quarter as the company benefited from increasing output from the FPSO Maria Quitéria in the Jubarte field, the FPSO Alexandre de Gusmão in the Mero field, and the P-78 and P-79 FPSOs in the Búzios field. Petrobras said the gains more than offset natural declines at mature…

On the southernmost tip of Clearwater Beach, FL, a luxurious beachfront cottage whose owners reportedly refused all buyout offers for decades is now the lone single-family house in a sea of large condo developments.The property’s future is now in question after it sold for nearly $3 million last fall.In September 2023, the unique property at 887 S Gulfview Blvd., dubbed the “Holdout House,” hit the market for a smidge under $7 million.But despite what must have been intense developer interest, the Holdout House didn’t sell. There were multiple price cuts until the property was scooped up by JRP Property Group…

People shop for groceries at a store in Brooklyn on July 13, 2026 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty ImagesPricing data from June indicated that outside of some select items where costs continue to grow, inflation is trending back towards the Federal Reserve’s inflation goal.So-called trimmed mean measures, which exclude outliers in both price increases and decreases, showed inflation at its lowest since the early part of the decade. The Dallas Fed’s measure, in fact, puts the one-month annualized rate for June at just 1.4%, down a whopping 1.3 percentage points from May and at its lowest level…

Jungang Yan/ Moment via Getty ImagesFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysMicrosoft’s Windows installation files have ballooned in size.In the last 10 years, the download has doubled to more than 8 GB.The most likely cause is Microsoft’s AI files for Copilot+ PCsWindows downloads are bigger than ever. I noticed this a few times over the past six months (“Huh, I don’t remember a download being this big before”) but hadn’t had time to dig into the details.Then I saw a recent post from Michael Niehaus titled “How can Windows 11 keep getting bigger?” and I realized, no,…

Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN) reported positive long-term net inflows across every asset class and geography during its fiscal third quarter ended June 30, 2026, as the asset manager cited broad demand for public markets, private markets, exchange-traded funds and customized portfolio solutions. Chief Executive Officer Jenny Johnson said the company generated $18.4 billion of long-term net inflows in the quarter, bringing fiscal year-to-date long-term net inflows to $63.3 billion. Long-term inflows reached a record $122 billion, while assets under management rose to a record $1.8 trillion. “This was another strong quarter for Franklin Templeton that demonstrated our strategy is working,” Johnson…