Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)There’s a growing myth that AI is some kind of digital executive or financial adviser. A calm, all-knowing chief of staff who can think through ambiguity, weigh tradeoffs and make wise decisions. It’s not. At least not yet.AI is currently a specialist, and a wildly capable one. It’s lightning-fast and encyclopedic, and it works tirelessly. But it’s a specialist. AI has the technical chops of a PhD and the judgment of a 12-year-old.If you don’t understand the difference, you’ll mistake fluent output for sound thinking, which will leave you with expensive noise instead of actionable insight. From…

(Image credit: Getty Images)It’s no secret that many new retirees feel anxious about the future. Perhaps you’re one of them.After decades of earning a steady paycheck, you’re preparing to step out of the workforce and venture into the unknown. You think you have everything in order, but you’re not sure.Even savvy folks can become overwhelmed by retirement decisions. Some of the most common worries I hear include: 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…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Rising home prices coupled with the affordability crisis have created a unique need to find alternative solutions for homeownership.Nearly 15% of Americans have co-purchased a home with a person other than their romantic partner, and an additional 48% would consider it, according to a survey by JW Surety Bonds.Co-buyers account for 26.7% of all home purchases, and 53 million people live in co-owned homes. 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…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Most parents want their kids to grow up financially confident. But between allowance, birthday checks and the occasional “Why can’t we buy a pony?” conversation, it’s easy to miss key opportunities to teach them how investing actually works.”Getting kids investing early helps normalize money as a tool rather than something mysterious or stressful,” says Jessica Andrews, general manager of Lenora Family Office, Multi-Family Office and Impact at Brighton Jones in Seattle. “It builds familiarity with how money grows over time and introduces the idea that patience and consistency matter more than quick wins.”It also creates a foundation…

(Image credit: Getty Images)For most of human history, people did not age alone.They lived in villages, extended families and small communities where sharing resources was not just a nice idea — it was survival.Somewhere between suburban sprawl and high-rise living, we replaced that model with something far more expensive and far more isolating: Aging by yourself, in a house you can no longer maintain or in a facility you can barely afford. It seems that part of the American Dream was to own a home, alone. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor.…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Question: We said we’d retire when our savings hit $5 million. That happened last year, but my husband doesn’t feel ready to retire. We’re both 66, and I want to enjoy our good health while we still have it. Help!Answer: In 2022, the last year for which there’s data available, the average 66-year-old had $609,230 in retirement savings, according to the Federal Reserve. If you and your spouse are 66 with a $5 million nest egg, you clearly have a lot more money than the typical person your age.In fact, a $5 million retirement nest egg puts…

Earnings from Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, and President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address take center stage this week. Quarterly reports from chipmaking powerhouse Nvidia have been a key driver of the AI trade. Other key firms are on the earnings calendar, with reports scheduled for tech firms Salesforce and Dell, hardware retailers Home Depot and Lowe’s, and a slate of Canadian banks. Trump’s comments will come after the Supreme Court last week struck down a key part of his tariff policies and economic growth showed signs of slowing. Several Fed speakers are lined up, potentially highlighting…

U.S. home prices rose 0.3% from a month earlier in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, and increased 2.1% year over year. Prices fell month over month in 14 major metros, with the biggest declines in Warren, MI, San Antonio and Minneapolis. U.S. home prices crept up 0.3% month over month in January on a seasonally adjusted basis, following a 0.2% gain in December.  Prices rose 2.1% from a year earlier, down from December’s 2.4% increase. Year-over-year price growth has now slowed for nearly 12 consecutive months. This is according to the Redfin Home Price Index (RHPI), which uses the…

You have a solid business plan or an interesting idea for an online project — now what? You will need a reliable web hosting service that can manage and securely store your information, enough power to handle traffic, and flexibility to scale up and down as your needs change. There are dozens of reputable web hosting providers available, many of which offer varying levels of compute resources, content management system (CMS) support, SEO guidance, web design templates, and useful add-ons that can increase your website functionality — and all for different price ranges. Below, you will find our top web hosting service…

(Oil Price) – The ratcheting up of tensions between the United States and Iran could push an already red-hot supertanker market even higher with rates soaring to the highest level since 2019, analysts say.   The daily rate for hiring a supertanker on the key Middle East-to-China route has surged threefold since the beginning of the year, to over $150,000. That’s the highest since 2020, per data from the Baltic Exchange cited by Bloomberg. The rally in freight rates for the very large crude carriers (VLCC) capable of carrying around 2 million barrels of crude began at the end of 2025 on…