Author: Money Mechanics

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. March 03, 2026 Federal Reserve Board issues enforcement actions with former employee of East Cambridge Savings Bank and former employee of United Bank For release at 11:00 a.m. EST The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday announced the execution of the enforcement actions listed below: Consent prohibition order against Jacob Hilton Former employee of United Bank, Fairfax, Virginia Embezzlement of bank funds Consent prohibition order against Klaus Koberstein Former employee of East Cambridge Savings Bank,…

Elliott Investment Management, an activist investor known for its assertive involvement in company decisions, has taken a $1 billion stake in Pinterest. The firm first invested in the social platform in 2022. Pinterest announced the financial boost on Tuesday, and CEO Bill Ready said he considers this a major vote of confidence that underscores the company’s ambitious AI efforts.  “We delivered record revenue in 2025, with users reaching all-time highs for ten consecutive quarters and more than 80 billion monthly searches on our platform, as we continue to deliver strong innovation in visual search using AI. We are excited to…

Key Takeaways The average 30-year mortgage rate has fallen below 6%—its lowest level since September 2022—offering buyers some relief.Rates still vary by state, with today’s lowest and highest averages separated by about a quarter of a percentage point.Even with rates easing, buyers are often better off moving when they’re financially ready rather than waiting for a perfect rate. Nationwide mortgage rates dropped in the latest weekly average to their lowest level since September 2022, offering homebuyers some long-awaited relief. While rates tend to move in the same direction across the country, what you’ll actually pay still depends on where you…

Key Takeaways CrowdStrike is scheduled to release its fourth-quarter results after the closing bell Tuesday, with analysts expecting the cybersecurity provider to report rising revenues and profits.Options pricing suggests traders expect CrowdStrike’s stock could move as much as 7% in either direction in the days following the results. CrowdStrike is set to report earnings after the closing bell Tuesday, with traders anticipating a big move in the cybersecurity provider’s stock following the results. Options pricing suggests traders expect CrowdStrike (CRWD) stock could move as much as 7% in either direction by the end of this week. A shift of that…

After I retired last year, I resolved to complete household projects I didn’t have time to tackle when I was working full-time. I’m not alone in this regard: One of my friends spent his first week of retirement cleaning out his garage. I don’t have a garage, but I have a file cabinet that contains almost as many documents as the National Archives, so I spent a recent snowy afternoon going through old tax returns and other financial ephemera.I used to believe it was a good idea to hold on to a copy of your tax return forever, because it’s…

Florida has long defined its tax identity around one promise — no state income tax. That policy has attracted retirees, business owners and high-earning professionals for decades. Property taxes, however, remain one of the primary ways local governments fund schools, police, fire departments, and infrastructure.A proposal moving through the Legislature, House Joint Resolution 203, which passed the Florida House on February 19, would ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment eliminating certain city and county property taxes on homes that qualify for Florida’s homestead exemption. School taxes would still apply.If the measure clears the Senate, it would appear on the…

(Image credit: Getty Images)”Vincent’s” tone of voice sounded urgent: “Mr. Beaver, I run a construction company in the Pacific Northwest, and we are facing a situation that I hope you can help us with.”I’ve read your column in Kiplinger for years and recall two stories where you pulled rabbits out of a hat, convincing people to do the right thing.”In one, you persuaded a badly near-sighted carpenter to get a pair of eyeglasses (Can an Employer Fire an Employee for Not Wearing Glasses?), and in the other, a married father with a young daughter refused to wear a motorcycle helmet…

(Image credit: Getty Images)To help you understand the trends surrounding AI and other new technologies and what we expect to happen in the future, our highly experienced Kiplinger Letter team will keep you abreast of the latest developments and forecasts. (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Letter or subscribe.) You’ll get all the latest news first by subscribing, but we will publish many (but not all) of the forecasts a few days afterward online. Here’s the latest…Meta’s recent blockbuster deal with AMD highlighted a key number: Six gigawatts. The dollar figure (up to an estimated $100 billion) and the…

(Image credit: Getty Images)When the stock market became particularly volatile in early 2025, many investors began looking for safer investment vehicles. They were often disappointed.One of the safest places to put your money is an FDIC-insured savings account. However, with interest rates as low as 0.01%, that safety comes with a considerable caveat in the form of inflation.If you put $100,000 into such an account, you’ll have made $10 in interest after a year. Before you go on a spending spree, keep in mind that such accounts often carry fees. One common 0.01% APY savings account charges $8 per year,…

(Image credit: Getty Images)There’s nothing like a paycheck. Steady income pays the bills. Not to mention fun stuff like dinners out or a European getaway. But when you retire, the paychecks stop. The challenge, of course, is to turn your retirement nest egg into a steady paycheck that lasts a lifetime.Let’s say you’ve socked away $1 million. How do you turn that seven-figure account balance into a lifetime income machine that is able to fund the lifestyle you envision in retirement?It starts with a game plan, says Nilay Gandhi, senior wealth adviser at Vanguard. “A lot of clients want to…