Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways If you contribute the 2026 individual retirement account (IRA) limit of $7,500 every year from age 27 to 67, investing fully in an S&P 500 index fund, you could end up with roughly $1.38 million, assuming that past annual inflation-adjusted returns match future ones. A more conservative 60/40 portfolio of U.S. stocks and bonds, respectively, would yield a much smaller nest egg—just over $882,000—with an average annual return of 4.89%. In 2026, you can contribute up to $7,500 to your IRA, according to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). (If you’re 50 or older, you can contribute $1,100 more…

Key Takeaways Columbus’s central location and proximity to John Glenn Columbus International Airport make it a convenient travel hub. The city’s low cost of living can help make room in the budget for trips, especially the housing costs, which are roughly 38% below the national average. Residents enjoy big-city amenities, including accessible health care and a vibrant art scene, without much of the usual large metro drawbacks, like high prices and heavy traffic. Columbus offers outdoor recreation opportunities year-round, with four distinct seasons but relatively mild weather. When you picture your retirement years, do you see yourself going on frequent…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Question: I’m 45 and I’ve barely invested in the stock market. I recently inherited $50,000. What should I do?Answer: Well, to start, congratulations on your recent windfall. When invested responsibly, $50,000 can certainly get you well on your way to building your nest egg.As for what to do with the money, there are two fundamental questions you need to answer. 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 FREE ISSUE Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters Profit…

Douglas Boneparth, a certified financial planner, and his wife, Heather Boneparth, co-run the financial planning firm Bone Fide Wealth, which works with clients with an emphasis on both spouses working together. They even have a newsletter, The Joint Account, to help partners “navigate finances and relationships without losing their minds or each other.”They recently wrote a book, Money Together, that compiles their advice about how married couples can navigate their finances together, and they hope it offers a pathway “for creating powerful relationships with both partners at the table.”Here, they speak with Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine about what they’ve learned.…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.When trading stocks takes milliseconds and can be done from a smartphone, the notion that markets close seems quaint. Overnight trading of US stocks, between 8pm and 4am in New York, will in 2026 take a big step forward with the addition of faster settlement, reducing risk. But it is still not clear who really gains from the new hours. The popularity of trading in the wee hours has grown as many new retail traders from pandemic-era lockdowns have remained involved in the…

In what has been a bit of a rarity in the catastrophe bond market throughout recent months, the price guidance for Canadian insurer TD Insurance’s new MMIFS Re Ltd. (Series 2026-1) deal has been raised, with the insurer seeming prepared to pay a higher spread than the initial guidance had indicated.TD Insurance, part of Canada’s TD Bank group, returned to the catastrophe bond market earlier this month for its second sponsorship. Initially, the insurer was seeking C$125 million in aggregate reinsurance from the capital markets through an MMIFS Re cat bond deal that will cover a broader range of perils…

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysA lightweight Linux distribution can revive old hardware.Puppy Linux and Linux Lite achieve this in very different ways.Both of these distributions can be used for free.Do you have an old computer laying around, doing nothing but collecting dust? Is that computer the one that used to run Windows 10 but doesn’t qualify for Windows 11?If that sounds like your situation, I have good news. There are plenty of lightweight Linux distributions available for you to install on that old and crusty machine…

Key Takeaways A 401(k) might be your best bet for saving more for retirement.A recent study shows that people with 401(k)s were able to save 29% more for retirement than their peers who did not have the same type of account.401(k) plans are often sponsored by employers, but even if you’re self-employed, you can open one for yourself.Traditional plans offer tax-deferred investing, a smart approach to regular contributions, compounding interest, and other tax advantages.Your employer might provide a matching contribution up to a certain percent of your salary. There are many retirement savings vehicles to choose from—401(k)s, IRAs, and more—but…

Key Takeaways “Healthiest country” rankings tend to focus on a nation’s current health conditions and systems, while longevity rankings reflect decades of habits and policies. You don’t need to move abroad to live longer: Research on long-lived populations points to habits you can adopt anywhere—daily movement, strong social ties, and preventive care. You might assume the “world’s healthiest country” is also where people live the longest. It’s not that simple. Singapore and Taiwan top recent health index rankings, but Japan still leads in raw life expectancy at 84.5 years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). What Singapore does lead in…

Key Takeaways Legendary investor Charlie Munger called the first $100,000 difficult to earn, but he also pointed out that compound growth makes all your future gains easier. It takes 9.5 years to save $100,000 if you’re putting away $650 per month at an average 7% annualized return. After that decade, it only takes just under two and a half more decades to become a millionaire, showing the speed of growth under compound interest once you save six figures. Legendary investor Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s longtime business partner at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A, BRK.B), understood the psychology of wealth building better…