Author: Money Mechanics

The Payments: $12,000 in a Stablecoin Select New Yorkers are set to receive $12,000 worth of cryptocurrency payments thanks to a new program by GiveDirectly, a nonprofit focused on alleviating poverty by giving cash directly to people. The program is funded by Coinbase—a cryptocurrency exchange. According to a Bloomberg report, this pilot program provides 160 low-income New Yorkers with $12,000 worth of USDC, a type of stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar, and will be paid out in one lump-sum of $8,000 and five smaller payments of $800 each. USDC is issued by Circle, a payments technology company. USDC is…

Key Takeaways Tilray Brands shares tumbled Friday ahead of a 1-for-10 reverse stock split set set to take effect after markets close next Monday, Dec. 1. In a reverse stock split, a company cuts the number of its outstanding shares and increases the per-share price proportionally.  Nearly six months ago, Tilray Brands (TLRY) stockholders approved a 1-for-10 reverse stock split. Now the cannabis firm has given a date it will take effect, and shares are tanking. The stock lost over a fifth of its value in Friday’s shortened trading session, bringing its losses in 2025 to nearly 40%. (Read our daily markets coverage…

Rachael Green is a personal finance eCommerce writer specializing in insurance, travel, and credit cards. Before joining Kiplinger in 2025, she wrote blogs and whitepapers for financial advisors and reported on everything from the latest business news and investing trends to the best shopping deals. Her bylines have appeared in Benzinga, CBS News, Travel + Leisure, Bustle, and numerous other publications. A former digital nomad, Rachael lived in Lund, Vienna, and New York before settling down in Atlanta. She’s eager to share her tips for finding the best travel deals and navigating the logistics of managing money while living abroad.…

(Image credit: Getty Images)Stocks were choppy in Friday’s abbreviated session, though the three main indexes extended their daily win streaks to five on Black Friday. Today’s gains came even as futures and options trading were temporarily halted ahead of the open due to a cooling issue at a Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) data center.”‘Better late than never’ may turn out to be the stock market’s story for November,” says Chris Larkin, managing director of Trading and Investing at E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley. “While it might be too soon to say we’ve seen the last of tech volatility, over the past…

How Timing Impacts RMDs, Roth Conversions, and Year-End TaxesgettyA common theme across personal finance literature is that the end of the year brings important financial housekeeping tasks. Budgeting and insurance reviews are important, but can be tackled throughout the year. The true housekeeping that should be done by the end of the year centers around an old saying in personal finance, “It’s not about what you earn, it’s about what you keep.” This saying stems from the idea that saving and tax strategies are key to a successful financial picture and future. Required minimum distributions (RMDs) vary based on age…

Key Takeaways The possibility of adding a new Big Tech customer helped lift an American chipmaker’s stock on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, while a recently hot pharmaceutical stock cooled. Intel stock pushed higher after an analyst suggested the company could become a foundry supplier for Apple processors.Eli Lilly shares turned lower, giving back some of the gains that recently lifted the stock to a $1 trillion market capitalization. A major U.S. chipmaker got a boost from speculation that it could win a new Big Tech customer, while a high-flying pharmaceutical stock reversed some of its recent gains. Major U.S. equities indexes…

Joe Coughlin is founder and director of the MIT AgeLab, which recently partnered with the John Hancock Life Insurance Company to create the Longevity Preparedness Index.Here, he tells Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine what the research reveals about Americans’ attitudes to longer life, why social connections need just as much attention as retirement funds, and how best to start preparing for your later years.Q: What does the index measure, and what are you hoping to learn from it? The index asks Americans: Are you aware of what you need to do to be prepared for a longer life, have you assessed…

Key Takeaways Intel shares surged Friday after an analyst’s social media post added fuel to rumors that iPhone maker Apple could become a customer. Shares of Intel have doubled in value in 2025 after a flurry of high-profile deals, including a partnership with Nvidia. Could Intel be closer to scoring a deal with iPhone maker Apple? The chipmaker’s shares surged Friday as an analyst added fuel to rumors that the iPhone maker could become a new customer for the chipmaker. Shares of Intel (INTC) popped over 10% during Friday’s shortened trading session to lead gains on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. (Read…

NordVPN’s Black Friday deal is here, and it’s one of the steepest discounts we’ve seen all season. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to lock in a reliable VPN for streaming, browsing or general online security, this price drop makes it hard to pass up.Right now, you can save up to 77% on NordVPN depending on the plan. That’s a significant cut for a service that’s consistently ranked among the most dependable and user-friendly VPNs available.Whether you want to protect your data while traveling, access streaming content from other countries or simply beef up your everyday privacy, this…

(Image credit: Ramon Costa/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Few companies have been as critical to mobile communications as Qualcomm (QCOM). The tech giant’s chips and technology power devices made by everyone from Apple (AAPL) to ZTE (ZTCOY). At the same time, Qualcomm rakes in billions of dollars of revenue in royalties from licensing its patents.Based on its ubiquity and illustrious history of technological innovation, you might think QCOM has been a great buy-and-hold bet.It has not. 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…