Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways Dental insurance often disappoints consumers—it charges monthly premiums, but offers limited coverage compared to health insurance. It functions more like a discount plan, covering only a percentage of non-preventive care and often requiring lengthy waiting periods before coverage begins.To get the most value, choose employer-sponsored plans when possible, review policy details carefully, and confirm your dentist is in-network.Alternatives include dental discount programs, health savings accounts (HSAs), and low-cost community providers. About 76% of Americans under 65 have dental insurance, but not all policyholders are satisfied with their coverage. In fact, social forums like Reddit are rife with comments…

Key Takeaways Federal Reserve officials are sharply divided over whether to cut interest rates in December, with some citing cooling labor data and others warning inflation remains too high.The split has fueled volatility in markets, with investors’ expectations for a December rate cut swinging wildly as new data and Fed comments emerge. Markets are quite confused about whether the Federal Reserve will cut rates in December, as Fed officials’ sharp divide on that question plays out in public.  One camp argues lowering interest rates next month would help a job market that’s showing signs of weakening. The other argues inflation…

Key Takeaways A recent study by MovingPlace.com found that the states where homes are more likely to have issues, such as foundation damage, faulty plumbing, and electrical problems that could go undetected during the buying process.Rhode Island, Ohio and Massachusetts led the states with potential ‘lemon’ homes, while Nevada, Florida and Utah were states where homes were likely to have the fewest issues.States with a higher proportion of lemon homes were generally in the Rust Belt and suffered from an aging housing stock and harsher weather conditions. Does the home you’re thinking about buying have hidden problems like water leaks,…

Key Takeaways Bath & Body Works laid out a plan to zero in on its core products and make its digital and physical stores feel less overwhelming.A slump in consumer sentiment is weighing on many retailers, but Bath & Body Works is underperforming its peers, CEO Daniel Heaf said. Some stores aspire to be basic. Bath & Body Works is one of them. Bath & Body Works (BBWI) on Thursday said it’s simplifying its approach after its sales dipped 1% year-over-year and adjusted income fell 33% in its latest quarter. The retailer known for soaps, candles and skincare products overlooked…

Key Takeaways Intuit beat profit and sales estimates with its latest quarterly results thanks to demand for its AI products.The maker of QuickBooks, TurboTax and MailChimp said its AI platform is helping mid-sized businesses improve efficiency. Intuit (INTU) shares jumped Friday, one day after the maker of accounting software reported better-than-expected results as its AI tools boost demand from mid-market businesses. The company behind QuickBooks, TurboTax and MailChimp posted first-quarter fiscal 2026 adjusted earnings of $3.34 per share, 25 cents more than analysts from Visible Alpha were looking for. Revenue grew 18% to $3.89 billion, also topping estimates. Why This…

Major U.S. equities indexes gained Friday afternoon as comments from a Federal Reserve official boosted confidence in the likelihood of an interest rate cut in December. The Dow climbed 1.4%, the S&P 500 rose 1.2%, and the Nasdaq was up 1.1%. Ross Stores (ROST) was the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 after the off-price retailer beat earnings and revenue estimates and raised its outlook as bargain-hunting shoppers flocked to its stores. Its shares jumped 7%, leaving them on track to close at a record high. Shares of Gap (GAP) popped 8% after the company behind Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy,…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. November 21, 2025 Federal Reserve Board announces it will extend until February 21, 2026, the comment period on proposal to improve stress test model and scenario transparency and accountability For release at 1:30 p.m. EST The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced that it will extend until February 21, 2026, the comment period on its proposal to improve stress test model and scenario transparency and accountability. The Board extended the comment period to…

NEW YORK (AP) — Maybe your car broke down, your computer was stolen, or you had a surprise visit to urgent care. Emergencies are inevitable, but you can prepare to deal with them by building an emergency fund. “There are so many things that happen in our lives that we don’t expect and most of them require financial means to overcome,” said Miklos Ringbauer, a certified public accountant. The industry standard is to save three to six months of expenses in an emergency fund. However, this can feel daunting if you live paycheck to paycheck or if you have debt.…

In-brief analysis November 21, 2025 Data source: Enverus DrillinginfoNote: For consistency, the various state pressure bases used to measure natural gas volumes have been converted to the federal pressure base of 14.73 pounds per square inch absolute (psia) and 60°F. U.S. production of associated dissolved natural gas, also known as associated natural gas, increased by 6% last year, mirroring the growth in crude oil production from the Permian region. Associated natural gas production averaged 18.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2024, according to data from Enverus DrillingInfo. Associated natural…

Luxury home sale prices rose 5.5% year over year to a median $1,278,950, a record high for October. Non-luxury home prices grew 1.8% to a median $373,249. Luxury home sales increased 2.9% year over year, while non-luxury sales rose 0.7%; both remain near decade-low October levels. Luxury inventory climbed 6.4% year over year, compared with a 9.5% increase in non-luxury inventory, with both categories posting their highest October levels in at least five years. Luxury home prices rose most in Warren, MI (+14.9%), Milwaukee (+13.5%), and San Jose, CA (+11.9%). The only declines were in Tampa, FL (-2.9%) and Oakland,…