Author: Money Mechanics

Artificial intelligence continues to take off, and hyperscalers are spending boatloads of money over the next several years to build out data centers that house these powerful algorithms. According to Goldman Sachs, hyperscalers such as Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms will spend $500 billion on capital expenditures this year. This massive amount of spending must go somewhere, and one theme that can be intriguing for investors is investing in pick-and-shovel stocks that stand to profit from the data center buildout, which is creating robust demand for their products or services. One industrial stock to pay close attention to is…

Silver futures are entering a critical technical and cyclical inflection zone as prices stabilize near $72 following a successful test of the VC PMI Daily Buy-1 level at $67.98. The market has respected Weekly Buy-1 support at $61.09, confirming that long-term demand remains intact while short-term volatility continues to create two-sided trading opportunities. Using the VC PMI mean reversion model, the daily mean at $78.91 becomes the key pivot that will determine directional bias in the coming sessions. A sustained close above $78.91 activates bullish price momentum and opens the door for a move toward the Daily Sell-1 target at…

Seattle and Boston fans traveling to this weekend’s football game would spend the equivalent of three months’ worth of mortgage payments.  Seattle renters are spending half a year’s worth of rental payments on going to the game. Boston renters are spending over four months’ rent.  For Seattleites traveling to watch their team compete in this weekend’s big game, it’s going to cost about three times their monthly mortgage payment–or nearly six times their monthly rent.  The story is similar for Bostonians, who are also likely to pay about three times their mortgage payment to watch their team on the national…

Deep tech startups in sectors such as space, semiconductors, and biotech take far longer to mature than conventional ventures. Because of that India is adjusting its startup rules, and mobilizing public capital, hoping to help more of them make it to commercial products. This week, the Indian government updated its startup framework, doubling the period for which deep tech companies are treated as startups to 20 years and raising the revenue threshold for startup-specific tax, grant, and regulatory benefits to ₹3 billion (about $33.12 million), from ₹1 billion (around $11.04 million) previously. The change aims to align policy timelines with…

Key Takeaways Getting laid off right before retirement can feel overwhelming, but you can still achieve a financially secure retirement.If you get laid off unexpectedly, take a breath, review your finances, and avoid rushed decisions.Avoid dipping into your 401(k) or claiming Social Security early, as those moves can cost you more in the long run. If you’ve just been laid off and retirement is around the corner, it may be stressful, especially if you were looking to save more before leaving the workforce. While you may feel powerless after a layoff, you still have options. With the right financial moves,…

Key Takeaways Now is the best time to adopt some simple new habits to take more control of your money.Small changes can lead to big payoffs in the long run. The new year is still fresh, providing a psychological opening where change feels possible and momentum is easiest to capture. But real financial progress isn’t built on willpower or sweeping resolutions. It’s built on simple systems that quietly compound long after the January enthusiasm fades. The habits that follow are designed to turn that fleeting motivation into clarity, control and durable financial momentum throughout 2026 and beyond. 1) Track Every…

Key Takeaways A Zillow study showed that mortgage rates in many major U.S. cities would have to drop well below today’s levels of around 6.1% to make housing affordable.Mortgage rates need to fall by about two percentage points in places like Dallas, New Orleans, and Nashville to make borrowing costs accessible for homebuyers. But in Pittsburgh, Birmingham, and other cities with low housing costs, mortgage rates could tick even higher and still remain affordable. Some housing markets are so expensive that they would still be unaffordable even if rates plummeted. In other areas, a small decline in rates would be enough…

Key Takeaway Living on $4,000 a year only works when your biggest cost—housing—is paid by someone else.Extreme frugality can look like financial independence, but without flexibility, it collapses fast when life changes. A Reddit post recently posed a question about a relative taking extreme FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) measures: “Is my ‘broke’ brother a genius or a deadbeat?” The brother in question is said to be 38, doesn’t work, and lives on about $4,000 a year, about $333 a month, or $11 a day: He eats on a $100 [per month] budget. He doesn’t have a phone plan. He…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Many women I speak with are financially successful by any reasonable measure. They have built strong careers, accumulated meaningful assets and made responsible decisions over time.Yet, when conversations turn to investing strategy, retirement planning or long-term wealth decisions, hesitation often creeps in. It rarely shows up as confusion about the numbers. More often, it appears as a quiet reluctance to engage fully.That reluctance is frequently driven by money guilt. 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…

(Image credit: Getty Images)If you inherited an IRA from a parent or loved one in the past few years, you may be facing a hidden tax trap. Since the passage of the SECURE Act, the rules governing inherited retirement accounts have shifted dramatically, and missteps can be costly.While the SECURE Act rules were initially confusing, the IRS issued final regulations in July 2024 that clear the air but also set the stage for significant penalties if you fail to act.The death of the ‘stretch IRA’For decades, beneficiaries could “stretch” distributions from an inherited IRA over their own lifetime, allowing for…