Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways AI may reshape many jobs, but one economist said widespread displacement is likely to unfold slowly and unpredictably.Historically, workers pushed out by a major technological innovation rarely benefit from the change, even if society as a whole eventually does. Over the past year, executives of major companies have warned that AI could wipe out swaths of the workforce—from software engineers to customer service representatives. While some business leaders believe AI could disrupt the labor force imminently, some economists think it could take decades. However, much remains uncertain. Earlier this year, the Yale Budget Lab released a report that…

Key Takeaways Reports on Friday suggested that an activist investor has taken a stake in beaten-down retailer Target. Precise details about the stake couldn’t be immediately determined, but investors nonetheless got on board, pulling the company’s shares higher Friday. We might not know how Target’s sales were this Christmas yet, but its shares are getting a holiday-week bump. Shares of the retailer rose Friday—recently up more than 2%, though a bit off earlier highs, they were among the S&P 500’s top gainers in Friday’s session—after the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the details, that hedge fund and activist…

Key Takeaways No two credit scores are the same, even if they belong to the same person. That’s because the financial industry uses different scoring models for different purposes.The credit score that matters the most is the score that your potential lender is using to determine your creditworthiness. To find out which one they use, just ask them.FICO and VantageScore are most commonly used by lenders, and there are different versions of each.Focus on improving the range your credit score is in (poor, good, very good, excellent) rather than the number itself. Your credit score impacts whether you’ll get credit.…

Key Takeaways Waiting until age 70 to claim Social Security benefits maximizes the amount of your monthly payments.Monthly benefits can be up to 132% higher when claiming at age 70 compared with claiming early at age 62.Retirement savings, pensions, and part-time income can bridge the gap to make the delay financially feasible. Deciding when to start taking Social Security can be a financial planning challenge. It requires everyone to weigh their individual circumstances—their salary, their retirement savings and other investments, their expenses, how long they’re able to work, and more—to determine the best strategy. A recent post on Reddit captured…

Don’t wait until January 1 to scramble for health resolutions that rarely last. As you enter a new year, the focus should shift from just ‘being healthy’ to optimizing your longevity and vitality. Maintaining physical health, preventing cognitive decline, and building social resilience are paramount to a happy and active retirement.Use this health and wellness checklist to leave the busy holiday season behind and step into the new year with a solid plan for your physical and mental well-being.10 point wellness checklist (Image credit: Getty Images)Our checklist is your end-of-year maintenance manual. This isn’t just about scheduling checkups; it’s about…

Key Takeaways Warren Buffett has pointed out that book value can significantly misstate the intrinsic value of a business. He prefers using intrinsic value, “the discounted value of the cash that can be taken out of a business during its remaining life.” Buffett goes so far as to say, “In all cases, what is clear is that book value is meaningless as an indicator of intrinsic value.” Warren Buffett has repeatedly reminded investors that book value is often a poor measure of a business. The calculation itself is simple: take the total assets minus liabilities. But book value, Buffett says,…

Key Takeaways Coupang announced it has resolved a cyberattack and that no customers’ personal information was taken.The South Korean e-commerce firm said the hack only revealed building entrance codes and that a former employee confessed. An e-commerce stock is rising Friday after the company said a cyberattack doesn’t appear to have left customer payment information at risk. Shares of Coupang (CPNG) were recently up about 9% after the company offered an update about the cyberattack on its South Korean subsidiary, which exposed the personal data of some 33 million customers. Why This Matters to Investors The fallout from a cyberattack…

Key Takeaways Nvidia earlier this week announced a partnership agreement with inference chipmaker Groq.The partnership will have Grog’s founder and CEO Jonathan Ross and others from the company joining Nvidia, which is reportedly paying $20 billion for some Groq assets. The trading year is almost over—but Nvidia still has some news to make. The chip giant earlier this week struck a deal with inference chipmaker Groq, a non-exclusive licensing pact that according to the announcement leaves the latter company independent—but also has founder and CEO Jonathan Ross, President Sunny Madra and other members of the company joining Nvidia (NVDA) “to help…

In the aftermath of the Christmas holiday for prices, everything is calm and everything is bright. Energy prices are flatlining, the supply and demand seem to be in this cosmic-like balance, and there are hopes that there could be a possible ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine from the new year. The BBC reported that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has given a positive assessment of a conversation he had with US envoys regarding efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Zelensky said Thursday’s call with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which lasted nearly an hour, had yielded “new ideas in terms of…

Cincinnati Insurance Companies has now secured the targeted $150 million of fully-collateralized reinsurance from the capital markets through its new Skyline Re II Ltd. (Series 2025-1) catastrophe bond, as the notes have now been priced to pay a lower spread than the initial guidance, sources have told Artemis.We had reported when this Skyline Re II 2025-1 cat bond launched to investors in late November that this is Cincinnati Insurance Companies first visit to the catastrophe bond market since 2017. Using a new Bermuda based issuer Skyline Re II Ltd., Cincinnati Insurance returned with an ambition to secure multi-year and multi-peril…