Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)Question: We’re retiring at 63 with $5.7 million. My wife wants to buy long-term care insurance, but it’s very expensive. I think we can just self-insure. Who’s right?Answer: If you’re retiring with a large sum of money, you may be aware that there’s one expense that could eat away at your nest egg over time — health care. Even if you’re relatively healthy at the start of retirement, there’s no guarantee you won’t end up with medical issues later on.Furthermore, as you age, you might eventually need more than just medical care. You might also need custodial…

Coinbase’s collaboration with Fannie Mae on crypto-backed mortgages ushers in a new era for cryptocurrency, according to industry insiders. The play is less about immediate changes and more about setting a structural precedent, said David Duong, Coinbase’s global head of investment research. “Allowing borrowers to use Bitcoin or USDC as pledged collateral — rather than selling it — incrementally reinforces the narrative of crypto as productive collateral and deepens the link between onchain wealth and the real economy, particularly US housing,” he said. Duong’s comments come as the industry has suffered from a $2 trillion drawdown, with Bitcoin down 47%…

The current energy crisis—driven by the Iran war—is seen as worse than past crises, with risks widely underestimated and long-lasting economic fallout expected. Europe is especially vulnerable due to energy import dependence, weak growth, and limited policy tools, while high oil prices raise stagflation risks globally. Expanding conflict is disrupting key oil routes, pushing prices higher and increasing uncertainty, inflation, and global economic slowdown. The worst energy crisis in history is sending ripples across global markets, and optimism is in short supply. IEA’s chief said the current crisis is worse than all previous ones put together. JP Morgan analysts warned…

Across the U.S., mortgage origination and servicing involve disconnected systems that often rely on manual tasks. It’s an inefficient, costly dynamic that elicits frustration from borrowers and industry participants alike. Now, the application of AI alongside new data and technology is driving a paradigm shift. Lenders are using AI platforms to improve borrower engagement, help decision-making, and streamline processes across the loan lifecycle — from origination and risk management to servicing and customer support. Here, one challenge is the sheer amount of fragmented data involved in lending and servicing. When data is messy or incomplete, AI models struggle to deliver…

The primary isn’t until early June, but the CA-17 race between five-term incumbent Ro Khanna and tech founder Ethan Agarwal is already getting nasty. Agarwal entered the race in March, backed by a roster of prominent tech billionaires largely in response to Khanna’s public support for a proposed California ballot measure that would impose a one-time 5% tax on residents worth more than $1 billion. Agarwal, for his part, has been going after Khanna by primarily citing his stock trades while in office. Now newsrooms covering the race have been receiving anonymous packages of digital court documents detailing Agarwal’s legal…

(By Oil & Gas 360) – Global energy markets are entering a more coordinated phase of response as governments move from watching volatility to actively preparing for intervention. The Group of Seven has signaled it is ready to take “all necessary measures” to stabilize oil markets as the Iran conflict continues to disrupt supply and push prices higher. The message follows emergency discussions among finance ministers, central bankers, and energy officials, underscoring growing concern that energy volatility could spill into broader economic instability. At the center of the response is a familiar playbook, strategic reserves, coordinated policy action, and efforts…

Good morning and welcome back to FirstFT Asia. In today’s newsletter:Asian countries defend struggling currenciesChina cracks down on ‘bone ash’ burialsPrivate capital: what are the risks of a 2008-style meltdown?We begin with foreign exchange markets, as many Asian countries struggle with pressure on their currencies caused by the energy shock.What to know: The yen and the rupee rose yesterday as Japan stepped up its verbal intervention and India forced banks to unwind positions in the foreign exchange markets. The yen strengthened by 0.4 per cent against the US dollar to trade close to ¥159.7. The rupee jumped at the open,…

US insurer Progressive expanded its aggregate excess-of-loss reinsurance protection at the start of 2026 and has also renewed a hurricane season focused shared reinsurance limit arrangement to cover losses from any storms this year.Progressive has been utilising aggregate reinsurance for a number of years and has benefitted from its protection, renewing arrangements and also accessing the capital markets for annual aggregate protection through catastrophe bonds as well. The insurer secured an upsized $125 million of aggregate catastrophe reinsurance limit from its latest catastrophe bond, the Bonanza Re Ltd. (Series 2025-1) issuance that it sponsored in December 2025. That recently sponsored…

(Image credit: Getty Images)To help you understand what is going on in the commercial real estate sector and what we expect to happen in the future, our highly experienced Kiplinger Letter team will keep you abreast of the latest developments and forecasts (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe). You’ll get all the latest news first by subscribing, but we will publish many (but not all) of the forecasts a few days afterward online. Here’s the latest…The Iran war hangs heavily over the housing market, tempering expectations for what many had hoped would be a strong spring…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Crude oil futures continued their climb, but the oldest equity market index was up too, as the recent “oil up, stocks down” pattern got mixed on Monday. President Donald Trump, still looking for a way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, said in another pre-opening-bell Truth Social post that “the United States of America is in serious discussions with a new, and more reasonable, regime to end our Military Operations in Iran.”According to the president, “Great progress has been made.” The commander in chief also warned that if a deal “is not shortly reached … we will…