Author: Money Mechanics

(By Oil & Gas 360) – A quiet shift is underway in global energy, and it is increasingly centered in the Americas. From U.S. shale and LNG exports to Brazil’s offshore growth and Canada’s expanding export reach, the Western Hemisphere is moving from a regional supplier to a global stabilizing force. At a time when traditional supply routes are under pressure and geopolitical risk is elevated, the Americas are becoming a more reliable source of both crude and refined products. This is not a sudden change. It is the result of a decade of investment, technology, and infrastructure buildout that is…

Each week in our Ask the Editor series, Joy Taylor, The Kiplinger Tax Letter editor, answers questions on topics submitted by readers. This week, she’s looking at five questions on the home-sale tax exclusion, calculating tax basis in your home and related topics. (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Tax Letter or subscribe.)1. Home-sale exclusionQuestion: I am planning to sell my home in the next few months. I have lived in the home for many years. Will my gain be taxed?Joy Taylor: It depends. Generally, if you have owned and lived in your main home for at least two…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Editor’s note: This is the second article of a six-part series about financial planning related to employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), with a focus on getting the right financial advice for you, strategies for diversifying and preparing for retirement. Part one is Why High-Net-Worth Families Need a Financial Quarterback to Protect Their Wealth.Imagine you’re 60 years old with $800,000 in your employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Your company’s stock has climbed 40% over the past three years. When you have the opportunity to diversify, you decide to wait. After all, why sell shares when they’re performing so…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Geopolitical headlines in the past few weeks have been jarring.As joint U.S. and Israeli air strikes on Iran dominates the global news cycle, it’s natural for a sense of anxiety to surface. There is a direct impact on energy markets, with oil prices surging and the critical Strait of Hormuz facing unprecedented disruption.For many investors, the instinct during such volatile periods is to do something — to move to the sidelines or pivot away from a long-term strategy in search of a temporary safe harbor. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better…

(Image credit: Getty Images)The U.S. tax code now exceeds 70,000 pages, with hundreds more added in 2025 alone. With so much complexity, it’s easy for retirees to miss valuable opportunities to reduce their tax burden.Here are five key tax tips to consider if you’re still working on your 2025 taxes and as you plan for your 2026 tax return.Tip No. 1: Understand the new $6,000 deduction for older peopleRecent tax law changes introduced a temporary deduction for people age 65 and older, designed to help offset the taxation of Social Security benefits — but it doesn’t benefit everyone equally. From…

(Image credit: Getty Images)The Iran war has already triggered soaring gas prices, with drivers paying an average of over $4.14 per gallon. But gasoline isn’t the only fuel that’s gotten more expensive since the conflict started.As oil prices keep climbing, so does the cost of jet fuel. Since March 6, the price of jet fuel has surged nearly 33%, hitting $209 per barrel by April 3, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). That’s an even sharper spike than drivers are seeing at the pump, where the cost per gallon has risen roughly 21% in the same time period.With…

The suits have arrived in crypto. In an interview with TheStreet Roundtable at the Digital Asset Summit in New York City, Nexus Mutual head of business development Ralf Turner noticed the shift firsthand. For a protocol that’s been building decentralized insurance since 2019, the real signal isn’t the dress code. It’s the demand. Nexus Mutual operates as a decentralized finance (DeFi) insurance marketplace on the Ethereum blockchain. Related: Cardano founder warns of 15-year trap in crypto regulation Capital holders deposit Ethereum and other assets into the protocol, which mints them $NXM, the protocol’s core token representing their share of a…

In-brief analysis April 7, 2026 Data source: CME Group, Bloomberg L.P.Note: The Brent front month futures price typically aligns with the WTI second month price; 1Q26=first quarter of 2026; WTI=West Texas Intermediate Crude oil and petroleum product prices increased significantly in the first quarter of 2026 (1Q26), particularly following military action in the Middle East on February 28 and the subsequent de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz. In this quarterly update, we review petroleum markets price developments in 1Q26, covering crude oil prices, petroleum product prices, and refinery inputs. Crude…

Boston homebuyers looking to make a real lifestyle upgrade will want to check out this residence at 25 Beacon St.—right next to the Massachusetts Statehouse. One of the building’s residences is on the market right now for just under $9 million.Though it dates to 1860, 25 Beacon St. has an exterior that is classic Boston and an interior that has been completely renovated. The three-bedroom, 3.5 bathroom condo spans over 3,500 square feet and is accessible via a private-entry elevator. The layout includes soaring ceilings, custom cabinetry, and quarter-sawn white oak flooring. The kitchen is equipped with Gaggenau appliances and Basaltina…

A new laptop is an investment, and making it last is essential to maximizing its value. To care for your new laptop, you’ll want to minimize the amount of bumps and vibrations it’s exposed to and keep it closed when not in use to protect the keys and screen, which can be fragile. Maximizing your laptop’s battery life is also part of its longevity, as it’s best to keep it between 30% and 80% to optimize battery life. Besides these obvious factors, you’ll want to keep the software and drivers up to date, and get a backpack and sleeve for safe,…