Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)Like a lot of people, I’ve eased my way into retirement. Since I left my role as a senior editor at Kiplinger Personal Finance about a year ago, I’ve continued to write freelance articles and columns for the magazine, and I’ve contributed to Kiplinger Retirement Report along with other publications, too.When I’m not writing about personal finance, I’m busy managing my own retirement finances, which sometimes feels like a full-time job. Some lessons I’ve learned:Taxes are complicated. While I was working for an employer, I had taxes withheld from my paycheck, so I didn’t pay much attention…

Key Takeaways Developments in Santa jobs this year mirror trends in the overall workforce, with job listings down and pay rising for workers with in-demand characteristics, in this case, real beards.Real-bearded Santas make $9 an hour more than their fake-whiskered counterparts, one analysis found.Job listings for Santa have plummeted 35% since 2024 due to dying malls and a shift to online sales. Having a real beard is worth an extra $9 an hour for people who work as Santas, an analysis of job postings found.Demand for Santas with real beards has surged over the past three years, and their pay…

Stock futures were little changed Wednesday, a day after the S&P 500 ended at a record closing high. Markets will shut early today and be closed tomorrow for Christmas.  Nasdaq 100 futures and those associated with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial average all ticked 0.1% lower. The U.S. stock market will close at 1:00 p.m. ET today, while the bond market will shut at 2:00 p.m. Markets will be closed for Christmas tomorrow but open on Friday. Yesterday, the tech-heavy Nasdaq, benchmark S&P 500, and blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average ended higher for a fourth straight session, again led by tech shares,…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.“Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do,” begins Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. In Lewis Carroll’s classic novel, young Alice is spurred to imagine a dream landscape populated by fantastical creatures and characters, from the White Rabbit to the Queen of Hearts. The same impulse should inspire us to tackle tedium this festive season, not as a blight but as a bonus.At this time of year, a high state…

Key Takeaways Leaving your 401(k) with your former employer keeps funds invested and growing tax deferred, but you can’t make new contributions.Rolling over the funds to an IRA gives you more investment choices, lower fees, and greater control over your savings.Transferring the funds to a new employer’s 401(k) can maximize employer matches and consolidate accounts, but new plans may have limited options or higher fees. When you leave a job, it’s important to decide what to do with your 401(k), because each option affects your taxes, fees, and long-term savings. One Reddit user shared their experience when changing jobs: “My…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Certificates of deposit (CDs) are a tried-and-true investment that retirees and others often turn to when they want to preserve their money while earning at least a smidgen of interest.These investment stalwarts serve as quiet guardians of your money rather than as risk-takers that could expose you to danger. Those traits are both their strength and their weakness.Yes, the money in a CD is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for up to $250,000 and guaranteed to give you the promised rate of return. But because of the low interest rates that CDs typically come…

Here’s a look at how today’s high-yield savings account rates stack up. The Federal Reserve cut the federal funds rate three times in late 2024, and it recently announced its third rate cut of 2025 which means deposit rates are on a steady decline. It’s more important than ever to ensure you’re earning the highest rate possible on your savings, and a high-yield savings account could be the solution. These accounts pay more interest than the typical savings account — as much as 4% APY and higher. Not sure where to find the best savings interest rates today? Read on…

Silver prices once again opened with a strong gap up during the morning Asian session today, hitting a fresh lifetime high. The market has become extremely difficult for traders to interpret, as daily volatility of 3%–4% in silver has now become common over the past two months. On 28th October, was trading near $45.543, and since then prices have surged sharply to a new lifetime high of $72.705 per ounce during today’s Asian session, marking an impressive nearly 69% rally in just two months. Silver March futures also touched a fresh record high near $72.750 today. In recent weeks, markets…

Customers at the GasWay Xpress Mart at 1120 Erie Blvd. pump gas on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Schenectady, N.Y. Lori Van Buren | Albany Times Union | Hearst Newspapers | Getty ImagesHoliday road-trippers are feeling some relief at the pump this year.The average price of unleaded gasoline in the U.S. has been below $3 a gallon for most of the month — the lowest level since 2021, according to AAA. The association said it’s shaping up to be the cheapest December for drivers filling up their tanks going back to the pandemic year of 2020.Fuel prices are down about…

Jack Wallen/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET’s key takeawaysA Linux distro should match your needs.Both CachyOS and Nobara cater to different users.These operating systems are free to install and use.This time around, in my “vs.” series, I decided to go a different route and choose two distributions that are quite different. Instead of possibly clearing confusion between two similar Linux distros, I thought showing off the diversity the Linux desktop has to offer might be a good thing.Hence, CachyOS vs. Nobara.Two operating systems that cater to different types of users. But which users are they?CachyOS This is what…