Author: Money Mechanics

(Image credit: Getty Images)Like most people I talk to, when you ask yourself, “What’s the maximum I can give to my kids this year?” you’re probably thinking of a number like $10,000, $15,000 or $19,000.But when it comes to the gift tax limit, the number you’re probably thinking isn’t actually the limit at all.Today, we’ll go through the rules, along with common questions and misconceptions, of the IRS gift tax system in 2025 so that you can give the amount you want to your kids without the fear of extra taxes or lengthy paperwork. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The writer is a managing director at Frontline Analysts and author of “The Unaccountability Machine”“I didn’t see any of the shareholders putting in 80-hour weeks,” as the saying goes in investment banking. In the industry, there is always a delicate question of whether the money made ends up going to providers of human capital or financial capital. In a year in which profitability has been unexpectedly good, this might all turn on questions of internal politics.Way back in April, it was possible…

KEY TAKEAWAY Millions of borrowers on the Saving for a Valuable Education repayment plan will soon need to transition to a new repayment plan and resume payments after nearly six years.Since the COVID-19 payment pause, millions of SAVE borrowers have not had to make payments, as other administrative forbearances and $0 payments have alleviated some of the student loan burden from borrowers’ budgets. Millions of borrowers on the Saving for a Valuable Education repayment plan will soon have to make payments for the first time in over a year, and for some, it’ll be their first payment in almost six…

VeriSign, Inc. (VRSN), headquartered in Reston, Virginia, provides domain name registry services and internet infrastructure that enable navigation of various recognized domain names. Valued at $22.5 billion by market cap, it is a critical infrastructure provider that operates and protects the authoritative domain name registries for .com and .net, making it central to global internet stability. Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as “large-cap stocks,” and VRSN perfectly fits that description, with its market cap exceeding this mark, underscoring its size, influence, and dominance within the software infrastructure industry. The company generates highly recurring, high-margin revenue through domain registration and renewal fees, supported…

In-brief analysis December 12, 2025 In our latest Short-Term Energy Outlook, we forecast U.S. crude oil production will average 13.5 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2026, about 100,000 b/d less than in 2025. This forecast decline in production follows four years of rising crude oil output. Production increased by 0.3 million b/d in 2024 and by 0.4 million b/d in 2025, mostly because of increased output in the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico. In 2026, we forecast modest production increases in Alaska, the Federal Gulf of America, and the Permian will…

Consumers are still dining out, but instead of higher-priced entrees, many are ordering more appetizers. As food inflation and affordability dominates the conversation about the U.S. consumer, new restaurant purchasing data shows even among Americans who are going to restaurants, many are in the mindset of cutting back.”Appetizer orders are up 20% year over year, even as entrees and desserts are largely flat or declining,” said Jim Pazzanese, executive vice president of global strategic procurement of Buyers Edge Platform, which tracks supply chain data within the food service industry. “The shift is visible at the item level,” he said, with…

Key Takeaways Costco reported quarterly results that topped analysts’ expectations on the top and bottom lines, as its e-commerce sales took off.The biggest U.S. warehouse club retailer also saw a big jump in revenue from membership fees.Costco shares lost ground on Friday, pushing the stock further into negative territory for the year. Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) posted better-than-expected results as its e-commerce business boomed and revenue from membership fees increased. The biggest U.S. warehouse club retailer late Thursday reported first-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings of $4.50 per share, 19 cents more than what analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha were looking for.…

(World Oil) – WASHINGTON — The American Petroleum Institute (API) is welcoming the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of two bipartisan bills aimed at overhauling the federal permitting process for energy and infrastructure projects. The legislation includes the Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act (H.R. 3668) and the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act (H.R. 3898). Both measures are designed to streamline federal approvals and reduce permitting delays that have slowed major energy projects across the country. “We applaud the House for advancing bipartisan legislation to modernize permitting and fix a system that’s long been broken,” said API President and CEO…

 While the government shutdown has ended, previously unreleased economic data is now slated to be released in the coming days and weeks. What challenges or opportunities does this pose for market participants and analysts?There are a couple challenges. First, some data will be incomplete. For example, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett has said that, due to the shutdown, the unemployment rate data for October will not be available. So, in the short term, how do we deal with these gaps in the data? Of course, there are numerous private or alternative data series that can help plug the holes,…

Key Takeaways Lululemon announced CEO Calvin McDonald is departing at the same time as its search for his replacement.The process irked Lululemon’s founder Chip Wilson—who, along with analysts, expressed optimism about bringing on fresh leadership. Lululemon’s once high-flying stock has plummeted this year. Now a new CEO will be brought in to help coach the athleisure brand through its recovery. Lululemon Athletica (LULU) said Thursday that Calvin McDonald’s roughly eight-year tenure will conclude at the end of January. The transition process is unfolding in a somewhat dramatic manner, with the company announcing a search rather than immediately naming a permanent…