Author: Money Mechanics

Retiring at 65 feels like the sweet spot. Medicare officially kicks in, and if you were born in 1967 or later, you’re just two years away from collecting your full Social Security benefits.So what are you waiting for? Why not retire now and get busy living your second act?While retiring at 65 is feasible, several factors should be considered. For starters, you either have to fund those first two years of expenses on your own or take a lifetime pay cut in your Social Security benefits.Article continues below From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better…

Key Takeaways Safe places to keep savings are still offering stronger returns than many people expect.Top savings accounts, CDs, brokerage cash accounts, and Treasuries pay 3%–5% with almost no risk—some with their return guaranteed.Our latest chart lets you quickly compare today’s best cash yields side by side. See Today’s Best Cash Yields—All in One Chart Savers don’t have to take big risks to earn a respectable return right now. Several low-risk options are still paying solid yields on cash, with savings accounts, CDs, brokerages, and Treasuries near multiyear highs—even after the Federal Reserve trimmed its benchmark rate by 0.75 percentage points…

Key Takeaways Depreciation is the highest cost of car ownership, impacting total cost over five years.Resale value is crucial for reducing the financial impact of car depreciation.Toyota vehicles often have low depreciation, leading to higher resale values.The Subaru Impreza and the Toyota Camry are among the best for resale value in their categories.Selling before high mileage and maintaining the car can help minimize depreciation. Depreciation is often the single largest cost of owning a car. It’s immediate and significant—your vehicle depreciates as much as 10% in the first month you drive off the lot. By the end of the first…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Stocks opened higher Friday, but the positive price action was short-lived as geopolitical risks lingered and economic data disappointed. Oil prices, meanwhile, continued their steady climb, even after the U.S. lifted sanctions on Russia to boost market supply.At the close, the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.3% at 46,558, the broader S&P 500 was off 0.6% at 6,632, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was 0.9% lower at 22,105. All three indexes were down on the week, marking their third straight weekly loss – the longest losing streak of the year.As for oil prices, front-month West…

Key Takeaways A primary listing is the main stock exchange where a public company’s stock is traded.Companies seek prestigious exchanges like NYSE or Nasdaq for credibility and investor trust.Secondary listings on other exchanges can enhance a company’s liquidity and investor reach.A primary listing lends prestige to a company, impacting its market perception. What Is a Primary Listing? A primary listing is the main stock exchange where a public company’s stock is traded. It is crucial for some companies to have a prestigious primary listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Nasdaq, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the London Stock Exchange, and the…

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025 (October, November, and December), according to the second estimate released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the third quarter, real GDP increased 4.4 percent.The second report for the fourth quarter of 2025, originally scheduled for February 26, 2026, was rescheduled due to the October–November 2025 government shutdown.The contributors to the increase in real GDP in the fourth quarter were increases in consumer spending and investment. These movements were partly offset by decreases in government spending and exports. Imports,…

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) is one of the Goldman Sachs Energy Stocks: 10 Stocks to Buy. On March 4, 2026, Bank of America boosted its price objective on The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) from $79 to $87 while maintaining a Buy rating. The firm identified significant development prospects for natural-gas-levered companies and predicted further opportunities for the company beyond 2030. On February 10, 2026, Reuters reported that The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) forecast 2026 adjusted earnings of $2.20 to $2.38 per share, topping the analyst average estimate of $2.28. The corporation boosted its annual dividend by 5% to $2.10…

Personal income increased $113.8 billion (0.4 percent at a monthly rate) in January, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Disposable personal income (DPI)—personal income less personal current taxes—increased $219.9 billion (0.9 percent), and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $81.1 billion (0.4 percent).This report for January 2026, originally scheduled for February 26, 2026, was rescheduled due to the October–November 2025 government shutdown.Personal outlays—the sum of PCE, personal interest payments, and personal current transfer payments—increased $85.8 billion in January. Personal saving was $1.05 trillion in January, and the personal saving rate—personal saving as a percentage of…

Oil prices are soaring amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. WTI crude recently settled around $95 per barrel, while Brent approached $100. Below, we highlight three undervalued mid-cap energy stocks positioned to capitalize on oil’s rally. Amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East due to the conflict involving Iran, which has led to a near shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz and disruptions in regional oil production, crude prices have spiked dramatically. (WTI) crude recently settled around $95 per barrel, while approached $100, with intraday highs pushing towards $105.     This surge, driven by supply constraints…

Tyler Suksawat and Scott Ferguson recently published “Reclaiming the Public Interest: Cities Should Sell Municipal Bonds to Their Own Public Banks.” The lengthy title sums up the argument well. In this article, I want to offer my comments on this topic. My feeling is that the scope for such purchases are necessarily limited, and so one cannot expect an immediate revolutionary change. To the extent that sub-nationals can boost their finances, I think the model of la Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (“la Caisse,” disclaimer: my old employer) is more viable (at the state level in American terms).The…