Author: Money Mechanics

porcorex/ iStock / Getty Images PlusFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysSometimes, in Linux, you just need the terminal.You can even manage files within the terminal.These five apps are free and easy to use.Sometimes, a GUI just won’t do. For example, I might be logged into a remote Linux server, and I need an easier way to manage files than the usual commands. Or, I might already be in a terminal window on a local machine and figure I might as well stay there.Or, maybe I just prefer the command line.There are plenty of reasons why you might…

Key Takeaways Buffett’s $50 racetrack loss showed him that gambling is a losing game in which you’re trying to beat other bettors, while investing in businesses offers a “positive expectancy” that grows over time.That mistake pushed him toward bets with positive odds and a margin of safety—the same logic he uses in investing.​​ Warren Buffett lost $50 at the racetrack as a teenager, and it permanently changed how he thinks about risk. In a recent CNBC special on his life, Buffett focused on the number like it still stings: “When I went home, I was $50 poorer, which was all I’d…

Key Takeaways President Donald Trump has pledged to roll out housing policies that will lower housing costs.Some of the proposals are aimed at increasing demand for housing, which may not help much with affordability.Proposals that help increase supply are more likely to help spur lower costs in the housing market, experts said. Seeking to lower borrowing costs, create more housing supply and make it easier for homebuyers to enter the market, President Donald Trump is expected to soon announce a series of housing reforms. It’s not clear that his plans will bring affordability back to the housing market. Economists and…

Key Takeaways Event contracts are viewed as information, but also assets, making it all the more difficult to figure out which rules do and don’t apply to them.Prediction markets are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, whose “Eddie Murphy rule” is aimed at preventing misappropriation of confidential information for unfair gain. But a busy run of regulatory debate seems likely. Someone profited handsomely after winning an unlikely short-term bet on Nicolás Maduro’s fate. The win kicked off a round of intense scrutiny of prediction markets. How, the questions went, could they have known what would happen in Venezuela with…

Key Takeaways Big tech stocks led a broad market sell-off Tuesday amid rising geopolitical concerns. President Donald Trump over the weekend threatened new tariffs on a number of European countries unless the U.S. is allowed to acquire Greenland. The Magnificent Seven aren’t looking so magnificent to start the week. All seven of the tech giants—Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL), Amazon (AMZN), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT), and Tesla (TSLA)—saw their stocks slide to start the holiday-shortened trading week as rising geopolitical concerns fueled a broad market sell-off, with the shares down 1% to 2% each. Stocks fell in early…

(Image credit: Getty Images)An adviser I know well had built what most would consider a dream practice. Twenty years of hard work had produced $200 million in AUM, a steady stream of referrals and a six-figure income.But something was wrong.He found himself arriving at the office before dawn to catch up on paperwork, staying late to return client calls and spending weekends reviewing portfolios. A family vacation meant checking emails poolside and taking “quick” client calls from the hotel room. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus…

Key Takeaways The distribution of Social Security payments follows a similar schedule each year.Payment dates are generally based on the beneficiary’s birth date.More than 74 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries have had their payments increased by 2.8% in 2026. The Social Security Administration follows a general schedule for mailing out checks to its more than 74 million beneficiaries. Most beneficiaries are paid according to their birth date and typically receive their payments on the second, third, or fourth Wednesday of each month. Those who began receiving retirement, spousal, or survivor benefits before May 1997 will typically receive…

Key Takeaways You’d need a portfolio worth about $300,000, yielding 4%, to earn $1,000 in monthly income.Building a diversified collection of 20 to 30 dividend stocks across different sectors helps protect your income. Want to earn $1,000 in monthly income from dividend stocks? Many investors have successfully built dividend portfolios that generate substantial monthly income through patience, smart stock selection, and consistent investing. Below, we show you how it’s done. What Are Dividends? When successful companies make a profit, they often distribute some of the money to their investors through dividends, this is typically done every three months. Not every…

(Image credit: Getty Images)College enrollment has been declining for more than a decade, especially after 2010. That story is well known by now. What’s less understood is what has happened underneath that trend.Even with fewer students going to college overall, completion rates have improved. According to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC), six-year completion rates have risen across most sectors since 2010 — most notably at community colleges.And even though total enrollment is lower, the number of younger adults earning bachelor’s and graduate degrees has steadily increased. Fewer people are entering college, but more of those who…

January 20, 2026 08:50 AM EST Fastenal Stock Drops After Q4 Sales, Operating Income Margin Slightly Miss Estimates FROM 15 minutes ago Shares of Fastenal (FAST) sank 6.5% in premarket trading after the industrial distributor reported fiscal 2025 fourth-quarter net sales and operating income margin that narrowly missed analysts’ estimates. The Winona, Minn.-based firm, which bills itself as “a leader in the wholesale distribution of industrial and construction supplies,” posted net sales that rose 11% year-over-year to just below $2.03 billion and operating margin of 19.0%. Analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had expected just above $2.03 billion and 19.4%, respectively. Fastenal’s…