Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways The average retiree household spends roughly $60,000 annually, with housing (36%), transportation (15%), healthcare (13%) and food (13%) taking the largest shares of the budget. Inflation-adjusted spending typically declines by about 26% between the ages of 65 and 84, but long-term care costs remain a major wild card that standard spending data doesn’t capture. On average, Americans think they need $1.26 million to retire comfortably, according to Northwestern Mutual’s 2025 Planning & Progress Study. Let’s compare that to what retirees in their 60s are actually spending. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average household headed…

Key Takeaways Intel shares tumbled Friday after the chipmaker’s outlook disappointed, erasing much of the stock’s gains over the past few weeks.Wall Street analysts suggested some of the investor enthusiasm behind the stock’s recent rally may have been premature. Intel’s recent rally might just be over. Shares of Intel (INTC) plunged 17% to close at $45 Friday, giving up most of their gains in the last few weeks, after the chipmaker gave a disappointing outlook for the current quarter. While Intel posted fourth-quarter results that topped analysts’ estimates, executives warned Thursday that supply could hit a low this quarter, as…

Chase is offering two IHG credit card bonuses for a limited time: : Earn 90,000 Bonus Points after spending $2,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening and up to 30,000 more points by earning 3 additional points in the first 6 months from account opening on purchases that earn 2x and 3x on up to $10,000 spent. : Earn 175,000 Bonus Points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. Both cards are offering valuable bonuses, but we think the IHG One Rewards Premier is the better offer considering its simplicity.…

The theme of risk aversion has once again taken center stage in crypto markets this week. Geopolitical tensions, the resurgence of US-driven trade threats, and the resulting increase in uncertainty have put pressure on risky assets, including Bitcoin. While and continue to set new records during this period, it is clear that Bitcoin’s “digital gold” narrative has not been working in recent times. The long-standing concentration of safe-haven demand in traditional assets has also put pressure on the Bitcoin market. In this context, Bitcoin has shown a predominantly downward trend over the past week. Although Bitcoin has shown a bearish…

“For years, analysts have held out hope that the aging Baby Boomer generation would trigger the ‘Silver Tsunami’ — a massive wave of homes unlocked and returned to the market,” the report stated. “However, new data suggests the Tsunami may, instead, hit the beach as a soft, rolling wave.” California’s tax incentives lock in homes The inheritance trend is especially pronounced in California, where tax policies encourage families to keep homes rather than sell them, according to the report. State rules cap property tax increases at 2% per year. They also allow children and grandchildren to inherit tax benefits on…

Yann LeCun’s new venture, AMI Labs, has drawn intense attention since the AI scientist left Meta to found it. This week, the startup finally confirmed what it’s building — and several key details have been hiding in plain sight. On its newly launched website, the startup disclosed its plans to develop ‘world models’ in order to “build intelligent systems that understand the real world.” The focus on world models was already hinted at by AMI’s name, which stands for Advanced Machine Intelligence, but it has now officially joined the ranks of the hottest AI research startups. Building foundational models that…

Key Takeaways The Federal Reserve is widely expected to hold interest rates steady at its next meeting on Wednesday.The central bank is expected to sit back for months and not move rates while it assesses the effect of its last three rate cuts.Fed Chair Jerome Powell will field (or duck) questions about how he will respond to President Donald Trump’s demands to lower interest rates. The Federal Reserve is all but certain to keep its key interest rate steady at its next meeting on Wednesday, leaving a few open questions, including how far Chair Jerome Powell will go to defend…

(Oil Price) – Europe is expected to import a record-high volume of liquefied natural gas this year as stronger demand for replenishing storage sites, the phase-out of Russian supply, and continued pipeline exports to Ukraine will drive increased demand, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday. After setting a record in 2025, European LNG imports are poised to reach a new all-time high of over 185 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2026, the agency said in its Gas Market Report Q1 2026. Europe’s LNG imports hit an all-time high of over 175 bcm in 2025, surging by 30% (or 40 bcm) from…

KEY TAKEAWAYS Fewer self-employed workers who accept payments through a third-party service, such as PayPal or Square, will receive a form reporting their 2025 income. That means it will be up to them to calculate how much they earned.The new ‘no tax on tips’ will likely lower the tax bill of many self-employed workers who have typically received tips for their work. The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ has made many tax changes that will affect 2025 returns, which the IRS will start accepting on Monday. The most important changes for self-employed workers are the increase in the threshold for 1099-K…

Key Takeaways If you’ve worked hard to save $30,000 or more, it’s time to make that money work for you. A high-yield savings account can pay 13 times more than a traditional savings account, which often pays nearly 0% interest. By switching to an account that pays 4.50% APY (or better), you could earn hundreds of dollars more every year, helping to grow your savings faster. Consider high-yield savings, checking, and money market accounts, which all pay high rates of 4.00% to 6.75%. For many, saving $30,000 can take years. So if you have $30,000 in your bank account, you’re doing relatively…