Author: Money Mechanics

We are only a few days away from Thanksgiving and Black Friday, the major shopping event that signals the start of the holiday season — but Black Friday week deals are already live.We’ve spotted a range of Apple deals, and with the arrival of M5-powered iPads and MacBooks, deep discounts have appeared on older models, alongside cut-price iPhones, AirPods, AirTags, and Apple accessories.Black Friday is an excellent opportunity to save, especially as Apple device sales aren’t historically massive throughout the year. You might not see many bargain Apple products, but given how expensive they can be, even a discount of 5% – 20%…

Key Takeaways According to a new study released by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, not even half (42%) of people in the middle class say financial planning is one of their top priorities.That’s less than those who say that enjoying life (63%) and being healthy and fit (61%) are top priorities.You can do all three things: enjoy life, stay healthy, and plan for your financial future. It just takes a little work. Putting Off Saving for Retirement Planning for your financial future is tough. Even when you have goals and a savings plan in place, life can get in…

(Oil Price)– As exclusively revealed to OilPrice.com some years ago by a very high-ranking official from the Kremlin: “By keeping the West out of energy deals in Iraq, the end of Western hegemony in the Middle East will become the decisive chapter in the West’s final demise.” Consequently, the push has been on from Russia and China – especially since the U.S.’s unilateral withdrawal from the ‘nuclear deal’ with Iran in 2018 – to remove all Western firms from southern Iraq and from the semi-autonomous Kurdistan territory in its north as well. On the other side of the superpower equation,…

Key Takeaways Deere & Company is warning that tough market conditions, partially attributable to tariffs, will continue into next year.The manufacturer of big farm and construction equipment gave a full-year outlook below forecasts.The news offset better-than-expected profit and sales figures for the fiscal fourth quarter. Shares of Deere & Company (DE) fell Wednesday morning after the maker of large farm and construction equipment gave a weak forecast and warned that “difficult market conditions” will continue for a while longer. In the company’s fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 earnings report, CEO John May said “ongoing margin pressures from tariffs and persistent challenges in…

Key Takeaways Americans are expected to spend some $78 billion between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, according to Salesforce, and retailers are jockeying for their business.A number of consumers want to spend less on the holidays than last year, but total retail sales are expected to crack $1 trillion for the first time, the National Retail Federation said. Let the cash registers ring. Retailers are working hard to beckon Americans on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Companies are rolling out digital wishlists, running sweepstakes, and setting up elaborate in-store displays. Nordstrom’s flagship Seattle store will…

Kay Takeaways The people with the top income in the U.S. make six figures.Other measures—including net worth, retirement savings, living without debt, and financial flexibility—are not directly related to income.A high-income person with a lot of credit card debt may not be as rich as a debt-free person with a modest income. How much does it take to be considered rich? According to an internal survey from Charles Schwab, the average American believes it takes a net worth of $2.5 million to be wealthy, while $778,000 is enough to be “financially comfortable.” But, there are many ways to measure affluence.…

Eric Rivera always knew his retirement would include a house in the mountains of Puerto Rico. So instead of waiting ten or fifteen years until retirement, he went ahead and purchased his dream home while he’s still working.It doesn’t matter that it means two mortgages. He can still contribute to his 401(k), and although things may be a little tighter, when he does retire, he’ll have two homes that he hopes will have appreciated, along with a plan for where he’ll spend his golden years.Unconventional? Maybe. After all, the normal trajectory is to save money in a tax-advantaged retirement savings…

When parent wishes to transition a business to her child be careful of imputed gifts of business goodwill.gettyAs a business owner you might wish to gift your business to a child or other designated heir. The problem is that if you make a gift you might trigger gift tax once your exemption is used ($15 million in 2026). Another approach, that may be part of an overall transfer strategy is to shift business opportunity to a business created by your child. For example, parent may train child in the nature of the business so that the child can begin growing…

The launch of ChatGPT led to a wave of democratization that’s made artificial intelligence (AI) useful in everyday life.It’s no longer an esoteric technology that interests only nerds. Now, people use the technology to write, create images, edit videos, analyze data and write code.As AI continues to impact every industry, the personal finance industry hasn’t been left behind. The AI-powered personal finance management market was valued at $1.48 billion in 2024, according to Research and Markets. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters…

Some lessons we teach our kids come naturally, such as saying “please” or “thank you.”Others take a little more creativity and patience. Teaching them to give back definitely falls into that second category.Generosity doesn’t happen overnight. Kids learn it by watching, feeling and doing. As parents, we’re constantly walking that line between wanting them to appreciate what they have and not turning every lesson into a lecture. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice…