Author: Money Mechanics

ZDNET’s key takeaways The Samsung Galaxy Watch FE retails for $250 in three colors. The watch is small, supports a host of health and wellness features, and lets you use it for communications even if you leave your phone at home. The small watch body means the display is also small, the processor is previous-generation, and there are no AI health features. Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.I feel like Samsung made the Galaxy Watch Ultra just for me, given its enhanced durability, advanced features, and big, bold design. I’ve spent a couple of weeks with a much…

(Investing.com) – Natural gas prices could surge to $5 per million British thermal units in 2026 as demand rises and supply remains constrained, Morgan Stanley said in a new report assessing winter market scenarios. The bank forecast that U.S. gas storage levels will exit October at around 3.97 trillion cubic feet, roughly 5% above normal, but expects inventories to tighten sharply in the coming quarters.  “With LNG demand growth progressing well and supply-side activity still subdued, we continue to forecast a tightening market in the quarters ahead,” the analysts wrote. Under normal weather conditions, Morgan Stanley expects “a storage deficit re-emerging this winter…

Key Takeaways Optimism about artificial intelligence has lifted the prices of stocks across various industries, but nuclear power providers have seen their valuations become the most untethered from the bottom line.Investors, aware of how much electricity is required to train and run AI models, are willing to pay three times more for AI-exposed power stocks than they were just two years ago. The stocks of nuclear tech companies with little to no revenue, like Oklo and NuScale Power, have pulled back over the last week, but the companies still sport multibillion-dollar market values. AI boom or AI bubble? That’s been…

Key Takeaways According to the EMH, stock prices reflect all available information, suggesting that it’s impossible for investors to find undervalued stocks. Warren Buffett argues against the EMH by pointing to examples of value investors, including himself, who have outperformed the market. Still, Buffett recommends that non-professional investors should choose low-cost index funds because successful value investing takes time and expertise. ​The legendary investor Warren Buffett has repeatedly denounced the efficient market hypothesis (EMH), which claims that stock prices reflect all relevant information and always trade at their fair value. Beyond simple luck, this should make it impossible to consistently…

Key Takeaways The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning of a viral “check hack” trend that’s not a harmless loophole but check kiting, a federal crime that can cost you prison time and other penalties. These social media posts are encouraging people to write checks for more money than they have, deposit them into different accounts, and withdraw the funds before the bad check processes. When the bank discovers the fraudulent check, you’re responsible for repaying all the withdrawn money. Social media feeds are flooded with money tips—some helpful, some harmless, and some that could land you in federal prison.…

When clients first walk into my office, they often ask the wrong question: “Have I saved enough money to retire?” The real question is, “Will I outlive my income?”A retirement portfolio that looks impressive on paper can still fail if it isn’t structured to deliver steady, tax-efficient income over decades.Inflation, market volatility, rising health care costs and taxes all threaten to erode those dollars. That’s why I tell clients that the true measure of retirement readiness isn’t the size of your nest egg, it’s whether you’ve engineered a paycheck that lasts as long as you do. From just $107.88 $24.99…

Social Security remains a significant source of income for many retirees, and yet, I’m reminded regularly just how little most people understand about the benefits they have coming to them.Month after month, the educational workshops I hold are packed with people trying to learn more, and I sympathize with their struggle.I’m actually drawing Social Security benefits myself. I have Medicare, and I’m a widower. Plus, I’m in my 50th year of working in the financial services industry. 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…

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 45-year-old senior manager in the biopharmaceutical industry who lives in Massachusetts but grew up in Vermont. See our earlier profiles, including a writer in New England, a literacy interventionist in Colorado, a semiretired entrepreneur in Nashville and an events industry CEO in Northern New Jersey. (See all of the profiles here.)Each profile features one person or couple, who will always be completely anonymous…

Cruising can be a great way to travel. Visit various locations and learn about the world while your luggage stays in one place. But how do you pick the right cruise?Larger ships, such as big ocean cruises, can take you to multiple countries in a single trip. With anywhere from 1,500 to over 7,000 guests, many of them offer intricate shows, casinos, a pickleball court and other activities to keep you occupied onboard.If you prefer a smaller, more intimate experience, there are a variety of options. Bette Esposito, 79, a retired principal who lives in Mount Arlington, New Jersey, didn’t…

When it comes to key numbers that give you insight into health status, things like blood pressure and BMI probably come to mind.There’s another number, however, that can give you unexpected insight into serious health risks, including your chances of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.You can find out this number with a simple tape measure, and it’s worth doing to shine a light on hidden health risks that you can work to eliminate. 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…