Author: Money Mechanics

January 2026 HighlightsMember Usage & Peer Ranking Reports Now AvailableMember Usage and Peer Ranking Reports are now available to help members understand how their trading activity and performance compare to other members in their peer groups on each of the Cboe trading venues.Metrics available include: traded volume across different order types on a shares and notional basis, post trade markouts by liquidity, price group and spread buckets, and volumes and average trade size for NBBO setting and joining add volume. For each of these metrics, members are given an overall ranking and a ranking within their peer group, along with…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Throughout the past several years, market volatility hasn’t been in short supply. Investors have navigated inflation spikes, rapid interest rate increases and unpredictable market swings.Even so, this year could feel different. U.S. stock valuations remain elevated, and recent gains have been driven by a relatively small group of companies. In fact, we’ve seen indications of a market rotation away from last year’s winners already.At the same time, rising geopolitical tensions, higher commodity prices and inflation, interest rate uncertainty and shifting economic expectations could cause markets to react quickly to new information, and investor sentiment to follow suit.Article…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Why does America have a backbreaking $9 trillion infrastructure crisis that refuses to go away?Because most cities and states refuse to do what almost every private owner of a valuable asset does: Set aside sufficient funds for maintenance and improvements.One recent study found an $86 billion shortfall in road and bridge maintenance funds looming over the next 10 years. Do that year after year for a century and — surprise — we’re in a hole that feels bottomless and inescapable.Article continues below From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Question: We retired last year at 67 with $3.1 million and get $5,000 a month in Social Security. My husband insists on working two days a week to keep his mind busy (and he secretly loves the challenge). But his side gig is interfering with the travel plans I want to make for us. We’re not getting any younger. Help!Answer: As of 2022, the most recent year for which data is available, the average retirement savings balance among 67-year-olds was about $609,000, per the Federal Reserve. Meanwhile, the average Social Security retirement benefit today is $2,076.41.If you…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Editor’s note: This is the second article in a five-part series about all-asset retirement planning that is covering such topics as using annuities and housing wealth, making the most of tax benefits and establishing an investment strategy. Article one is It’s Time to Redefine Retirement for Retirees With $500,000 to $5 Million: Here’s How.With the benefit of Social Security, almost all retirees are guaranteed some level of lifetime income. So, the question isn’t “Will I run out of money?” Instead, it’s, “How much income is enough to cover my living expenses, after covering my late-in-life health and…

How much risk are you willing to take to go from being comfortable to being rich? That was the question facing Dr. Jill Green when she graduated from medical school with a ton of student debt and a family net worth of “negative $1 million.” She and her husband, who is also a doctor, had only their primary home as an asset. Paying off all that debt seemed like it would inevitably require grinding 80-hour work weeks for the rest of their lives. Her perspective changed when she went to a wealth-building seminar for medical professionals. The facilitators convinced her…

Gold has performed disappointingly and unexpectedly since the start of the war in the Middle East Stocks in the metals and mining sector have suffered significantly Is this a buying opportunity, given that the structural bullish factors for gold remain intact? After briefly rising above $5,400 when the Middle East conflict began, has been falling and is now struggling to stay above the key $5,000 level as the conflict enters its third week. This is unusual because gold is usually seen as a safe place to invest during times of crisis. When there is geopolitical tension or market uncertainty, investors…

The crossover first occurred in the second quarter of 2025, when older Americans slightly surpassed the 40-to-54 age group at just over 26%, a record high. Redfin’s report shows the share of housing wealth held by the 70-and-older demographic increasing steadily for decades. In 2005, that group held 16.6% of real estate wealth. A decade ago, the share was 21.6%. Americans in the 70-and-older group now hold roughly $13 trillion in housing wealth. By contrast, the share held by Americans ages 40 to 54 has declined over time. That group controlled 29.3% of real estate wealth a decade ago —…

 According to mainstream media, the dollar is rallying. The media claims that the dollar is rallying because of the surge in the price of oil. Are they correct? The dollar’s rise is probably more related to the current swoon of the outrageously overvalued US stock market. Investors are panicking and moving to cash. The US government (both democrats and republicans) uses the stock market as a macabre “poster boy” for the mainstream economy. Its pundits demand massive interest rate cuts and they are doing it while inflation threatens to surge out of control. The proposed cuts would financially annihilate elderly…

Kindley Re Ltd., a Bermuda-domiciled life and annuity reinsurance company established by Kuvare Holdings in partnership with global investment manager Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP has raised an additional $250 million of equity capital from institutional investors to expand its franchise.Kuvare Holdings, a technology-enabled specialist in life and annuity insurance and reinsurance solutions, launched the sidecar-like venture back in 2023, after an initial $400 million capital raise. Kindley Re brings a complementary source of capital from third-parties to help Kuvare expand its underwriting business, by co-investing alongside the parent into qualifying new life and annuity opportunities it has sourced. To-date,…