Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Buffett has long been a big proponent of the index funds that Bogle helped bring to the masses. However, his public declaration that Bogle is an American hero may have also been influenced by the fact that one of Bogle’s funds just helped Buffett win a $1 million bet. Buffett bet that the Vanguard 500 Index Fund would outperform five funds-of-hedge-funds over a decade—and won by a mile. Warren Buffett once proclaimed that Vanguard founder Jack Bogle “has probably done more for the American investor than any man in the country.” Buffett’s praise appeared to affirm his longstanding…

Key Takeaways Index funds consistently outperform actively managed funds.Index funds are also lower-cost and more tax-efficient.Indeed, indexing can be a viable strategy to achieve desired retirement account performance. Many dream of retiring early, but achieving it doesn’t require high-priced financial advisors or complex investment strategies. Indeed, low-cost index funds have emerged as a powerful tool in pursuing financial independence, offering a straightforward path that combines simplicity, diversification, and a proven track record of superior performance. Understanding Index Funds Index funds are investments that mirror specific market indexes, such as the S&P 500 or the total stock market. Think of them…

Sitting on a small fortune in retirement and don’t know what to do with it, or just want to live vicariously through the rich and frivolous?Well, look no further. We’ve put together a list of some of the most outrageous things retirees can spend their money on.Sure, we all want to give to charities and leave money to our heirs, but it’s also perfectly ok to splurge, especially if you made a fortune in the stock market bull run of the last twenty years. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from…

Key Takeaways Traditional retirement planning focuses solely on the goal of retirement, while “die with zero” planning focuses on achieving many goals throughout your life. “Die with zero” encourages spending on memorable experiences and generous giving during your lifetime, but it doesn’t allow you to leave an inheritance to your loved ones and comes with the risk of running out of money in retirement. It’s possible to balance traditional retirement planning with a “die with zero” mindset to maximize enjoyment throughout your life while minimizing financial risk in retirement. Traditional retirement planning encourages saving throughout your working years, often by…

Welcome to Kiplinger’s My First $1 Million series, in which we hear from people who have made $1 million. They’re sharing how they did it and what they’re doing with it.This time, we hear from a 74-year-old married and retired in-house corporate lawyer from the tech industry. He lives in the Midwest now, but spent most of his career in Boston and New York. He details here how he made his first $1 million by age 42, but then lost it all. Luckily, he’s made other millions since then.See our earlier profiles, including a writer in New England, a literacy…

(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…