Author: Money Mechanics

Florida and New York dominated February’s ultra-luxury housing market, with oceanfront estates and Central Park condos going for more than $50 million. A never-before-listed oceanfront estate in Manalapan, FL—an ultra-exclusive town on a small barrier island near Palm Beach—was the most expensive U.S. home sale of February 2026, pulling in over $68 million. Just up the road on Ocean Boulevard, another palatial Manalapan property landed on last month’s priciest purchases list with its sale price of $31.5 million. As of the 2020 census, Manalapan’s population was only 419. Many of these residents—like billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Fox News’s…

When is Amazon’s Spring Sale? Amazon’s Big Spring Sale returns March 25-31, 2026. You can expect deals across all categories and brands, as well as competing deals from retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, and Costco.Do I have to be a Prime member to shop Amazon’s Big Spring Sale? Unlike Amazon’s Prime Day events, the Big Spring Sale is open to anyone — not just Prime members. If you have Amazon Prime, you will still get special perks during the Spring Sale, including free shipping and exclusive product deals. What are the top deals during Amazon’s Spring Sale? ZDNET is covering tech deal categories like…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Most retirement plans are built on a quiet assumption: You won’t be around too long, so you’ll follow a certain framework.Work to accumulate assetsRetire at age 65Plan to live to 85 or 90Withdraw at 4%Hope the markets cooperateThat framework didn’t appear by accident. For decades, financial advisers have served their clients as accumulation experts. The goal was to grow assets, manage risk and improve tax efficiency. That approach enabled families to build substantial retirement wealth.But retirement isn’t an accumulation problem. It’s a decumulation problem, in which the central question shifts from “How large can this portfolio grow?”…

(Image credit: Getty Images)My husband and I took the plunge last year and bought a house. After more than a dozen years of apartment living in New York City, I was excited by the prospect of having my own four walls and actually getting to control a thermostat.But I’d heard enough about energy costs to factor a home’s energy systems into the equation while house hunting, and my husband and I are reasonably environmentally conscious, so while we weren’t actively looking for a house with solar panels, we considered it a plus that the house we liked had them.We closed…

The price of Costco Wholesale’s (COST) $1.50 hot dog and soda combo hasn’t budged for decades. Happily, the same can’t be said for the price of COST stock.Indeed, shares in the nation’s third-largest retailer have outperformed the broader market by wide margins for a very long time.Costco’s origins trace back to a single warehouse store in 1980s Seattle. The company we know today emerged after a merger with a competitor in the mid-90s. By the early 21st century, Costco’s secret sauce of membership fees, high inventory turnover and Kirkland private-label products was already in place.Article continues below From just $107.88…

Welcome to Kiplinger’s My First $1 Million series, in which we hear from people who have made $1 million. They’re sharing how they did it and what they’re doing with it. This time, we hear from a 63-year-old single and retired airline pilot. He lives in Atlanta.See our earlier profiles, including a writer in New England, a literacy interventionist in Colorado, a semiretired entrepreneur in Nashville and an events industry CEO in Northern New Jersey. (See all of the profiles here.)Article continues below From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just…

Florida is one of the country’s most popular retirement destinations, attracting older adults with its warm weather, coastal lifestyle, and active communities. U.S. migration data show the state has recently attracted the largest net inflow of residents age 60 and older.For many retirees, the financial advantages are just as appealing. As a state with no personal income tax, Florida can make retirement income go further. But it’s worth noting that those savings don’t tell the whole story.Rising living costs and ongoing tax policy debates, including proposals to eliminate property taxes, mean it’s important to understand Florida’s full tax and cost…

Food Network NYC Wine & Food Festival at the Seaport.(Image credit: Getty Images)”Food tourism is the act of traveling for a taste of place in order to gain a deeper sense of place,” decrees the World Food Travel Association. And by all accounts, culinary vacations — aka “foodcations” — are booming in popularity. Leisure Group Traveler says that food quality is a “key factor” accounting for 60% to 80% of travel decisions — so why not go straight to the savory source for wine and food tastings, lectures, seminars, private parties, and cooking demos? Designated food weekends and tours abound…

(Image credit: Getty Images)If you’re a serious baseball fan in 2026, watching every game is no longer as simple as turning on your TV. I learned that firsthand, trying to track down an Opening Day broadcast. What used to be automatic now takes a bit of searching.Instead, following a team means navigating a mix of regional networks, league packages and national streaming deals. Depending on how you watch, the total cost can rival or even exceed what many households once paid for cable.Detroit offers a clear example of how quickly this shift is happening. The Tigers’ move to a team-aligned…

(Image credit: Getty Images)You already know the basics: Spend less, save more. But a meaningful financial reset goes beyond just trimming the obvious expenses. It’s less about cutting out the small indulgences and more about adjusting the habits and tools that shape your financial life.Spring offers a natural opportunity to step back, reassess and reset. There are five often-overlooked ways to give your finances a more effective refresh.Corner No. 1: Rethink your ‘invisible upgrades’ Rising prices aren’t the only reason your spending may be creeping upward. Lifestyle creep often takes hold through small, incremental upgrades that gradually become your default.Article…