Author: Money Mechanics

Age is nothing but a number unless it comes to when you want to retire. While most people have an idea when they want to exit the workforce and start that next chapter, when it comes to an exact age, it gets a little fuzzier.Many people don’t actually have a choice in the matter, even if they have a target age in mind. As it stands, the average retirement age in America is 62, which is earlier than many retirees plan for, according to a MassMutual survey (PDF).The reasons why vary. For some, it’s due to a change in their…

(Image credit: Getty Images)If you’re preparing for retirement, or you’re already there, you’ve probably heard the ongoing debate: Should you follow the 4% rule or the guardrails strategy when withdrawing from your investments?For many retirees, these frameworks offer simple guardrails: Withdraw a steady percentage, adjust as markets move and hope the math works over a few decades.But if you’re part of the 2% Club — those with pensions who have saved $1 million or more (I wrote a bestselling book just for you; you can request a free copy here), I’ll give you the bottom line up front: You may…

Key Takeaways If you worked from home, you wouldn’t need to commute, saving you hundreds of hours per year. You’d also save money on gas, eating out, and more.If you worked at the office and had a higher salary, you could get your finances in order: pay down debt, build your emergency fund, and save for your goals, including retirement. The question of whether to work at home—but for half the salary of an equivalent office job—has inspired a viral debate with millions of online views. After all, salary decisions are part math, part philosophy. And in practice, they come…

Key Takeaways The 7-month “Slam Dunk CD” pays either 3.90% or 4.25% APY, depending on Villanova’s home basketball game results.You must apply by Feb. 28, 2026, and fund the CD with at least $100. Anyone nationwide is eligible.It’s clever marketing, but higher rates and better terms can be found elsewhere. How a College Basketball Win Changes This CD Rate Ardent Credit Union in Philadelphia has found a novel way to attract deposits: tying the interest rate on one of its certificates of deposit (CDs) to the outcome of basketball games. Its “Slam Dunk CD” has a 7-month term with the…

In-brief analysis February 5, 2026 Working natural gas stocks fell 360 billion cubic feet (Bcf) in the Lower 48 states for the week ending January 30, 2026, amid Winter Storm Fern—the largest weekly net withdrawal reported in the history of the Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report. The withdrawal exceeded the five-year average for the same week by 89% (170 Bcf). The large withdrawals resulted from increased heating demand for natural gas and natural gas production curtailments because of severe winter weather. Working gas stocks are now 1.1% below the five-year average for this time of…

An Amazon Go store in New York, US, on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesLayoff plans hit their highest January total since the global financial crisis while hiring intentions reached their lowest since the same period, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported Thursday.U.S. employers announced 108,435 layoffs for the month, up 118% from the same period a year ago and 205% from December 2025. The total marked the highest for any January since 2009, while the economy was in the final months of its steepest downturn since the Great Depression.At the same time, companies…

People without coding backgrounds are discovering that they can build their own custom apps using vibe coding — solutions like Lovable that turn plain-language descriptions into working code. While these prompt-to-code tools can help create nice prototypes, launching them into full-scale production (as this reporter recently discovered) can be tricky without figuring out how to connect the application with external tech services, such as those that can send text messages via SMS, email, and process Stripe payments. Ilan Zerbib, who spent five years as Shopify’s director of engineering for payments, is building a solution that could eliminate these back-end infrastructure…

(Oil Price) – ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) booked lower-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter as higher production was unable to offset the decline in oil prices. ConocoPhillips reported on Thursday fourth-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.3 billion, or $1.02 per share. That was nearly halved compared with adjusted earnings of $2.4 billion, or $1.98 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2024. The earnings for October-December 2025 were also lower than the $1.07 analyst consensus estimate in The Wall Street Journal. ConocoPhillips attributed the decline to the impact of lower prices, which were only partially offset by higher volumes. During the fourth quarter, the company’s total average…

A piggy bank might work when you’re a kid, but as you begin to earn and save money, you need a more functional place for your cash. Banks are financial institutions that hold and insure your deposits, protecting them from theft, loss, or natural disaster. They can also loan you money when you need to make a major purchase, such as a house or car. With thousands of banks catering to different audiences and financial goals, the definition and purpose of a bank may start to get blurry. Read on to learn more about how banks work and the products…

Gold, silver, and miners did move higher, but the move didn’t last. In fact, prices reversed on an intraday basis, and then they declined. Those declines continue today – benefiting all our trading positions. I just hope you shorted like I emphasized. Anyway, the question that you might be wondering about is whether the corrective upswing is already over. In today’s analysis, I’ll focus on bitcoin and the stock market – both are related to the performance of precious metals. In short, I’d give that 50/50 chance, and the reason why is connected with what’s driving the current move lower…