Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)To curb record-breaking credit card debt, the Trump administration has backed a proposal to temporarily cap credit card interest rates at 10% for one year.While the proposal has stalled for now, the underlying debt problems for consumers haven’t. According to the New York Fed, Americans are shouldering $1.25 trillion in credit card debt.And while a change like this could bring relief to borrowers, some estimates suggest it could limit access to credit for millions of Americans. 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…

Retail giant Walmart (NASDAQ: WMT) stock fell 12% in May, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. Although it released a strong earnings report, it also warned that pressure might be coming. Looking to Walmart for value Walmart has the largest network of physical stores in the world, with more than 10,000 global locations. It’s also a discount retailer, so it plays an even more important role when shoppers are feeling the pinch of inflation. That’s been going on for a while, and Walmart has been outperforming over the past few years. Will AI create the world’s first…

Software stocks had an exceptional start to June on Monday Investors understand that AI is not a threat to the industry—quite the contrary Which software stocks should you keep an eye on in June? The US software sector delivered one of its strongest trading sessions of the year on Monday, June 1. Among software companies valued at more than $10 billion, 14 stocks gained over 10%, led by , which jumped 20.4%. Only nine stocks in the sector finished lower, with the biggest decline limited to 5.8%. The rally was driven by a series of strong earnings reports that began…

The target investment allocation range for the Mt. Logan Capital Management, Ltd. quota share structure named Scenery Re has been increased for the insurance-linked securities (ILS) portfolio managed by PGGM, the Dutch pension fund investment manager, on behalf of its end-client pension PFZW.This comes as two of the private collateralized reinsurance sidecar structures that PFZW has been investing in are reportedly being downsized, resulting in the pension fund’s target allocation ranges for Munich Re and Swiss Re operated sidecars now having shrunk. PGGM, the Dutch pension investment manager first allocated US $200 million to Scenery Re on behalf of its…

It’s the first of the month, so I started my day with a familiar routine: Dust off the checkbook I use once every 30 or 31 days, write a check for an ungodly sum, and drop it off with my landlord.It turns out, I’m part of a diminishing share of renters. In 2025, online rent payments surpassed offline payments for the first time. Today, just 49% of us still pay rent by check or cash, according to a report from Rentec Direct, a property management software company. The study analyzed a decade’s worth of rental data from 1.2 million renters…

(Oil & Gas 360) – Investors are encouraged to register for EnerCom Denver – The Energy Investment Conference, featuring a broad group of public and private energy companies  Limited presentation openings are available for E&P, Midstream, OFS, Energy Transition, and Emerging Technology companies  Sponsorship opportunities are available for companies seeking to increase their market presence     EnerCom, Inc. (“EnerCom”) is pleased to announce an exceptional lineup of networking and industry engagement opportunities at the 31st annual EnerCom Denver – The Energy Investment Conference taking place August 17-19, 2026, at the Westin Denver Downtown. Recognized as the largest independent investor conference…

Almost 60% of young adults have moved back home at some point, but they don’t see it as a failure to launch. They see it as financially savvy.That the path to full independent living is increasingly an ongoing process, strewn with periods of moving out and then back in, is the conclusion of a new survey from storage solution company SpareFoot, which surveyed 981 Gen Z adults and young millennials. “The boomerang generation is no longer an outlier, but the norm,” writes SpareFoot senior content manager Maggie Stankiewicz.The survey finds that 58% of young adults—or 3 in 5—who moved away from…

Henry Hub futures walk into June balanced on a knife’s edge between two powerful, opposing forces. The front-month NYMEX contract is changing hands near $3.30 per MMBtu, down a fraction on the session after ripping more than 19% across May, and the entire setup comes down to one question: can rising demand from LNG exports and summer cooling outrun a relentless wall of domestic production? That’s the whole forecast. On the demand side, LNG feedgas is pulling record volumes and power burn is climbing as the air conditioners switch on across the Lower 48. On the supply side, U.S. output…

Using a 401(k) to pay off debt can sound like an easy fix. You have money sitting in a retirement account, your credit cards are charging high interest, and the idea of wiping everything clean feels tempting. I get it. After more than two decades writing about business, personal finance, inflation, debt relief, and consumer financial products, I’ve seen plenty of people consider this move when they feel cornered. But your 401(k) is not just “extra money.” It is future income. In some cases, a 401(k) loan can make sense. In many other cases, using retirement money to pay unsecured…

This Week In A Nutshell: Rates are likely to stay volatile this week as markets balance several  important pieces of jobs market data against the tumultuous peace talks with Iran. Upcoming Attractions   The key economic release this week is Friday’s May jobs report. Economists expect job growth to slow, with payrolls rising around 60k-90k and the unemployment rate holding at 4.3%. A solid report would reinforce the idea that the Fed can stay patient. A weak report would revive concerns that higher energy prices and slower income growth are starting to bite. And a strong report would deepen fears…