Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Impulse spending and social pressure can drain your finances, but small changes—like making it harder to online shop and setting clear boundaries with loved ones—can help you stay on track.It’s never too late to kick-start retirement savings: take advantage of employer 401(k) match and increase your contributions after you receive raises. Last year, did you splurge on a pair of shoes you couldn’t afford or fail to open an IRA even though you told yourself you would? If so, you’re not alone. A Credit Karma survey of more than 1,000 Americans found that the top financial regrets for…

Question: My partner and I plan to buy a home within the next year or two and are saving money for a down payment. Since we want to keep this separate from all other banking, what’s the best account to store it in?Answer: Having a dedicated account for larger savings goals is wise because it accomplishes two things: it provides a clear view of your progress toward the goal, and it reduces the temptation to spend that money impulsively, helping you stay on track.I’ll break down the best savings account to use in this scenario, as well as a viable…

Key Takeaways Financial planners say retirees are more likely to outlive their savings due to poor planning and spending habits.Experts recommend keeping five years of income needs in safer assets and tracking expenses closely to avoid premature portfolio depletion. Many Americans are worried that they will live longer than their savings. “Running out of money is a real risk, and for most retirees, it doesn’t happen because of bad investments,” said Melissa Caro, certified financial planner (CFP) and founder of My Retirement Network. “It happens because of bad timing, inflexible spending, or poor planning around income streams.” Whether you’re already…

Key Takeaways Buffett and Munger used financial data but prioritized understanding the actual business—its competitive advantages, management quality, and long-term prospects. They invested as if buying entire companies forever, not just trading stocks for short-term price moves or quarterly earnings. Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger built Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) into a massive empire by prioritizing a qualitative understanding of a business over complex financial modeling. While they certainly used financial ratios and other analytical tools, they didn’t let spreadsheets drive their investment decisions. Instead, these legendary investors focused on something many overlook: Deeply understanding how businesses actually work. This…

Q4 earnings mostly beat expectations, but indices remain range-bound. Johnson & Johnson and TSMC extend uptrends on solid outlooks. Meta lifts revenue guidance and doubles AI investment plans. The US earnings season for the fourth quarter of 2025 is still underway, but most major companies have already reported their results. That gives investors a clear picture of how the season is shaping up. So far, the results have been slightly positive. Many companies beat expectations, but the overall impact on the broader market has been limited. The Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 have moved in a narrow range, with returns…

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its inflation reportfor January 2026 on February 13th. Big News for our subscribers (at least we’re excited about it): We are in the process of a massive update for the site. We’ve already updated the Cumulative Inflation Calculator and made the tables easier to navigate. They collapse, so it is easier to scroll past them and continue on with the article. They are also searchable, reversible, and just plain easier to read. We’ve consolidated some pages, so there is less jumping around, and we are adding a table of contents to the page…

Something strange happened at University of California campuses this fall. For the first time since the dot-com crash, computer science enrollment dropped. System-wide, it fell 6% this year after declining 3% in 2024, according to reporting this past week by the San Francisco Chronicle. Even as overall college enrollment climbed 2% nationally — according to January data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center — students are bailing on traditional CS degrees. The one exception is UC San Diego — the only UC campus that added a dedicated AI major this fall. This all might look like a temporary blip…

(BOE Report) – The U.S. eased sanctions on Venezuela’s energy sector on Friday, issuing two general licenses that allow global energy companies to resume oil and gas operations in the OPEC member and for other companies to negotiate contracts on investments in new energy operations. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a general license allowing Chevron, BP, Eni, Shell and Repsol to resume oil and gas operations in Venezuela. The other license allows companies around the world to enter contracts for new investments in Venezuelan oil and gas. It does not allow transactions with companies in Russia, Iran, or China or entities…

This WeekThis week featured two heavyweights of economic data: jobs and inflation (and another artificial intelligence-related selloff on Thursday).Starting with the negatives… annual revisions erased over 400,000 job gains last year, meaning the economy added just 181,000 for the whole year (down from +1.5 million in 2024) – the least in a non-recession year since 2003!However, the more recent data were better. The economy added 130,000 jobs in January – double expectations – and the unemployment rate fell to 4.3% from 4.4%. Plus, the private sector has started to stabilize, gaining 172,000 in January, compared to losing 20,000 in August.The CPI…

Feb 13 (Reuters) – Paramount Skydance has named Rene Augustine, a former Trump administration attorney, as its senior vice president ‌of global public policy, according to a company memo ‌seen by Reuters, amid an ongoing takeover battle for Warner Bros Discovery. Augustine, who ​served in the Trump administration as a special assistant to the president and senior associate counsel in the office of White House Counsel, will join Paramount Skydance on February 17, reporting to Chief ‌Legal Officer Makan ⁠Delrahim. “In her role, Rene will be responsible for developing strategic policies that advance our business objectives and ⁠building key diplomatic…