Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Warren Buffett argues that impatience transfers wealth to long-term investors.Emotional decisions and frequent trading undermine compounding.Staying invested through volatility historically rewards disciplined investors. Get personalized, AI-powered answers built on 27+ years of trusted expertise. Warren Buffett has spent decades warning investors that their own impatience—not the market—poses the greatest threat to their wealth. “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient,” he said. Buffett’s message isn’t about timing the market or finding the next big stock. Instead, it’s about the ability to stay invested, think long term, and avoid the emotional…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Are you worried about money? You’re not alone. A recent survey by Intuit suggests that most Americans are anxious about their finances. But it’s fair to say these worries can be even more pronounced for women.Analysis from the Pew Research Center confirms that despite moves toward economic equality over the last few decades, women today are still paid less than men. And there are other unique hurdles that many women have to overcome.Women live longerMore than 11,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 every day, and about half of them are women. On average, women will outlive men…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Here’s a question I frequently ask investors: How much did your portfolio gain last year?Most people answer with a gross number. I get it. That’s the number on the statement, the number the app shows you, the number that’s easy to compare at dinner.But that number isn’t what built your wealth. After-tax returns are. 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 4 Special Issues CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Meta raised eyebrows in December when it was reported that the social-media giant would pay upwards of $2 billion to acquire Manus, a small agentic AI company out of China — an eye-popping price that many critics have since decried as an overpay.But one man’s overpay is another’s opportunity, and sellers that get too caught up in valuations of their company based on comparables — rather than creativity — risk losing out on huge upsides and leave millions of dollars on the table.The problem with comparable company analysisThe use of comparable sales to value companies as they…

Key Takeaways Only 14% of participants max out their defined contribution retirement plans (such as 401(k)s), a Vanguard study shows.High-income earners are more likely to max out their 401(k)s, but even if you have a modest income, you can reach this goal.The power of compounding returns means you have a strong incentive to save as much as possible, as soon as possible. The reality of the U.S. retirement system is that most workers chronically under-save. Only about a third of non-retirees said they thought their retirement savings plan was on track in 2024, a Federal Reserve survey found.  Still, many…

(Image credit: Getty Images)With a perky “Here you go!” it arrives in your inbox: A tonally awkward, super wordy, not-quite-right series of paragraphs from your coworker. You’re furious, already fatigued and ready to rip someone’s head off.You just got “workslopped” — a new workplace dynamic where AI-generated content gets submitted by coworkers without adequate editing or quality control.And while headlines around workslop have focused on the supposed productivity costs it’s creating for businesses, the bigger issue is the erosion of trust happening between colleagues. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.This article is an on-site version of our Unhedged newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here to get the newsletter delivered every weekday. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium here, or explore all FT newslettersGood morning. The war in the Middle East is entering its second week with few signs of abating, and oil has reached $100 a barrel. The higher energy prices won’t please consumers — or the Federal Reserve, whose two mandates are increasingly in tension. Send us your thoughts:…

This weekend, mortgage rates are clinging just below 6% — barely. The Zillow lender marketplace is reporting an average 30-year fixed mortgage of 5.98%. The 15-year is now 5.50%. Is it a good time to buy a house or refinance your mortgage? Keep an eye on the numbers and your budget until you see something that works for you. Here are the current mortgage rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 5.98% 20-year fixed: 5.90% 15-year fixed: 5.50% 5/1 ARM: 5.96% 7/1 ARM: 5.70% 30-year VA: 5.52% 15-year VA: 5.24% 5/1 VA: 5.30% Remember, these are the national…

Middle East tensions, U.S. inflation data, Oracle and Adobe earnings will be in focus in the week ahead. Adobe is well-positioned to beat low expectations and provide the confident outlook needed to reclaim its upward momentum. Lennar appears poised for potential downside as housing market weakness drags into its own results. U.S. stocks tumbled on Friday and the VIX spiked as oil prices soared amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran war and traders reacted to a lousy monthly jobs report. Source: Investing.com All the major indexes posted steep weekly declines, with the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 3%, the benchmark S&P…

Procedural and zoning barriers are proving to be only the beginning of the gauntlet for adding new ground-up residential supply to America’s housing-starved communities. While removing red tape and outdated zoning laws might formalize more homes on paper, local fee structures still decide whether those homes are actually built. California is a poster child for this tension. Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers pursued housing abundance to improve affordability. The state desperately needs more units. Yet, lawsuits in California federal court reveal collisions between local fees and state reforms.​ Those collisions – and the fees at their center – in…