Author: Money Mechanics

The moribund housing market has been a headwind for Lowe’s (LOW) over the past few years, but truly long-term investors in the nation’s second-largest home improvement retailer have enjoyed market-beating returns.Lowe’s and competitor Home Depot (HD) are both contending with higher interest rates, lower home sales and a decline in do-it-yourself (DIY) customers who flocked to their stores during the pandemic.It’s also hard for a stock like LOW to keep up with a market that’s being driven by outsized returns accruing to Magnificent 7 stocks and other red-hot winners of the AI trade. While the cap-weighted S&P 500 returned more…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Late in 2025, shares in Snap (SNAP) surged as much as 25% following the company’s announcement that it had signed a deal to integrate an answer engine powered by artificial intelligence into its social-media app Snapchat. A day later, Duolingo (DUOL) stock plunged 25% after the language-learning platform lowered its guidance for earnings for the quarter ahead.Both price moves occurred after the traditional stock-exchange hours of 9:30 am to 4 pm Eastern Standard Time. Opportunistic investors who traded after the market closed were able to limit their losses in Duolingo stock or pocket a nice gain in…

KEY TAKEAWAYS Families of high school seniors who plan to start college in 2026 will have stricter loan limits on Parent PLUS loans, meaning they may have to find other ways to finance their students’ education.Once these high schoolers graduate from college, their repayment options will be very different than what’s currently available. High school seniors planning to attend college in the fall of 2026 will face a significantly different landscape when it comes to federal student loans, compared to previous years. ‘The One Big Beautiful Bill’ made many changes to student loans, most of which will take effect on…

Since the early 1980s, 401(k) plans have helped millions of employees save more for retirement. And in 2026, the IRS just handed you a big break with higher contribution limits. Why does this matter? In an era of increased longevity, rising health care costs, and uncertainty surrounding the future of Social Security, maximizing your 401(k) is more than a savvy move. It is a foundational strategy for securing your financial independence, managing retirement costs, and building a lasting legacy for your heirs.Why maxing out your 401(k) matters more than ever in 2026During the years leading up to retirement, you’ve probably…

Key Takeaways The median net worth for Americans under 35 is a modest $39,040, reflecting limited time to accumulate assets.While many young adults already save and invest, debt like loans, credit cards, and mortgages can keep net worth low—or even negative.As a young adult, net worth is best used as a tracking tool to gauge financial progress over time rather than compare yourself to others. What’s the Typical Net Worth for Americans Under 35? Americans under 35 are in the earliest stages of building net worth, often balancing new careers, uneven incomes, and debt alongside their first savings and investments.…

Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) is one of the best NASDAQ stocks to buy in 2026. On December 29, Needham analyst John Todaro lowered the firm’s price target on Coinbase to $290 from $400 and maintained a Buy rating on the shares. Additionally, on December 22, Coinbase Global Inc. (NASDAQ:COIN) announced its acquisition of The Clearing Company to accelerate the platform’s expansion into prediction markets and equities trading. By acquiring its own derivatives clearinghouse, Coinbase aims to solidify its transition into an “Everything Exchange,” complementing its existing CFTC-approved derivatives exchange and its recently launched prediction market features. Is Coinbase Global (COIN)…

Selling a business in Massachusetts is very doable, but buyers here tend to be thorough. If your books are clean, your compliance is tidy, and the business can run without you, you will usually get better terms and fewer last-minute headaches. Below is a Massachusetts-first playbook you can follow, plus trusted local resources and city-by-city notes. Massachusetts business doing $1M+ revenue? Get a free valuation before you pick a price. If you are already at $1M+ in annual revenue, Earned Exits focuses on selling businesses in the $1M–$40M revenue range. A free valuation helps you understand your likely range and…

The real estate sector is limping out of 2025, but Wall Street analysts spot an overlooked opportunity for the new year: Federal Realty Investment Trust . While the S & P 500 is on track for a 17% jump in 2025, the real estate sector within the broad market index is on pace to end the year flat. Investors have largely shied away from that corner of the market, flocking instead toward high-flying tech and communication services plays. But analysts see some potential in 2026 for the likes of Federal Realty, even as it’s on pace for a nearly 10%…

Adam Breeden/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysSmart TVs track viewing habits with ACR tech.Collected data fuels billions in targeted ads.Turning off ACR protects privacy but takes effort.Did you know that whenever you turn on your smart TV, you invite an unseen guest to watch it with you?These days, most mainstream TVs use automatic content recognition (ACR), a type of ad-tracking technology that collects data on everything you watch and sends it to a central database. Manufacturers then use this information to understand your viewing habits and deliver highly targeted ads.Also: Own a Samsung TV? I changed these…

(Investing)– Mexico’s sweeping new tariffs on imports from mostly Asian countries are set to take effect on Thursday, in a move that will largely align Mexico with the U.S. as the neighboring countries place significant barriers on Chinese imports. Approved by Congress in early December, the measure raises tariffs – most up to 35% – on countries without free trade agreements with Mexico, including China, India, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia. China is expected to bear the greatest impact. The hikes will apply to thousands of products, including automobiles, auto parts, textiles, clothing, plastics and steel. The move has drawn…