Author: Money Mechanics

A North Shore estate with deep roots in Midwestern history has returned to the market with a price adjustment. It presents the opportunity to own a pastoral retreat that feels like a slice of rural Britain rather than a home just 40 minutes from the Windy City.The Tudor-style residence at 499 West Old Mill Road in Lake Forest is listed for $4.7 million and sits on nearly 10 fully fenced acres bordering a restored prairie reserve originally created by landscape architect Jens Jensen, best known for his work on historic public gardens throughout Chicago.Long before these reimagined gardens began blooming,…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The writer is chair of Rockefeller International. His latest book is ‘What Went Wrong With Capitalism’Wall Street pros used to dismiss retail investors as “dumb money” — amateurs who knew no better than to chase the latest hot trade. But lately, the little guys have made impressive gains by “buying the dip”, and have arguably emerged as the single most influential set of investors in the stock market. Awed by the way the retail crowd just buys its way through negative headlines,…

Find out how much you could earn by locking in a high CD rate today. A certificate of deposit (CD) allows you to lock in a competitive rate on your savings and help your balance grow. However, rates vary widely across financial institutions, so it’s important to ensure you’re getting the best rate possible when shopping around for a CD. The following is a breakdown of CD rates today and where to find the best offers. Overview of CD rates today Historically, longer-term CDs offered higher interest rates than shorter-term CDs. Generally, this is because banks would pay better rates…

Following the successful issuance of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) first catastrophe bond offerings, Roberta Casali, Vice-President for Finance and Risk Management at the ADB has explained how the cat bonds will provide committed financing for disasters and said she hopes the first ADB cat bonds will “pave the way for future issuances.”As we reported on April 24th, the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) first catastrophe bonds had been priced in the market, securing a $160 million capital market-backed source of parametric earthquake and extreme precipitation disaster risk financing, evenly split $80 million each across issuances for beneficiaries the Kyrgyz Republic…

When Spirit Airlines shut down overnight Saturday — canceling all flights, letting go of 17,000 employees, and telling ticketholders to just not come to the airport — people were flabbergasted but also bereft. For all its indignities, Spirit was cheap. Then one of them had an idea. Hunter Peterson, a voice actor with frequent flyer grievances, posted a TikTok asking: what if 20% of American adults chipped in the price of a Spirit fare and just . . . bought it? He called it “Spirit 2.0: Owned by the People.” Within hours he’d thrown up a website — a janky,…

(Oil & Gas 360) – Publisher’s Note: SM Energy will present at EneCom Denver – The Energy Investment Conference at the Westin Downtown, August 17-19, 2026.  Register to attend.  (World Oil) – SM Energy Company has completed the sale of certain South Texas assets for $950 million, advancing the company’s broader portfolio repositioning strategy. The transaction delivers approximately $900 million in net proceeds and represents a major step toward SM Energy’s goal of exceeding $1 billion in asset divestitures. The company said the move is aimed at strengthening its balance sheet and optimizing its asset base. “The closing of our South Texas asset sale marks decisive progress on our 2026 strategic…

In the past, we’ve highlighted the worrying trend of the declining number of listed companies. So, we thought it was worth highlighting a recent staff report from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that also focuses on this issue and the value of going public.The report is full of data and information, but we summarize key findings below.Decline in public companies entirely due to fewer small companiesThe SEC’s data shows that the number of publicly listed companies has nearly halved since 2000. But the insight they add is that this is entirely due to fewer “small” companies (market cap of less than $250 million). In 2000, some 4,000 of the more than 6,000 listed companies were small (66%).Now, there are just 1,200 small companies, out of 3,500 listed companies (34%).Some of this is due to inflation since the $250 million threshold is nominal. Adjusting for…

California resident Edwin Castro is the biggest lottery winner of all time, after hitting a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot in 2022. But would he be liable under a proposed California law to tax the wealth of billionaires?The answer, it turns out, is complicated and far from clear. But Castro’s case highlights the difficulty of pinpointing a taxpayer’s net worth with precision under the proposed new law, which has a complex approach to valuing real estate holdings.When Castro hit the Powerball jackpot, he opted for the lump-sum payment of $997.6 million. After paying federal taxes at the top marginal rate of…

U.S. jobs report, ISM PMI survey, and more AI-linked tech earnings will be in focus this week. Palantir is poised to deliver eye‑popping growth as demand for its AI‑driven platforms surges. Disney faces headwinds as investors scrutinize streaming profitability and park trends. U.S. stocks ended higher on Friday, with the and the Nasdaq reaching new record peaks as investors assessed signs of progress in U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks, while a surge in Apple shares added further support. Source: Investing.com For the week, the S&P ended up 0.9%, while the Nasdaq and the small-cap rose 1.1% and 0.9% respectively. The recorded a…

The acclaimed Apple TV series “Widow’s Bay” has become the latest streaming sensation to captivate viewers and critics alike—earning rave reviews across the board, thanks to its witty dialog and dark, eerie undertones.Starring Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, and Stephen Root, the series, which premiered on April 29, is set in a fictional New England town for which the show is named, and focuses on the efforts of the local mayor, Tom Loftis, to turn the quaint locale into “the next Martha’s Vineyard.”Yet Loftis, who is portrayed by Rhys, runs into one major hurdle in his scheme: Widow’s Bay, while both…