Author: Money Mechanics

As the holidays approach and the year begins to wind down, it’s tempting to shift into cruise control. Between family gatherings, end-of-year deadlines and gift shopping, financial check-ins often fall to the bottom of the list. But before you officially switch into vacation mode, carving out just a little time to take care of a few smart money moves can make a big difference.Think of this as a quick financial reset (not a full overhaul). The goal isn’t perfection; it’s progress. By reviewing where your money went this year and making some intentional decisions before December 31, you can lower…

Key Takeaways Florida, South Carolina, Illinois, and Delaware top the list of states with the most foreclosure activity, which includes default notices, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions, according to a report from real estate data firm ATTOM. Foreclosure activity in October rose by nearly 20% year-over-year.  In many states across the U.S., homeowners are struggling to keep up with their housing costs. As of October, foreclosure activity had risen by 19% when compared with the same month last year. It was 3% higher than September’s levels. That said, foreclosure activity is “below historic highs,” according to a report by real estate…

If you’re among the nearly one in four Americans who are providing financial support to an aging parent, chances are you’re feeling the squeeze — emotionally as well as financially.That’s the conclusion of two recent surveys, which found that the cost of lending parents a hand is making it tough for many adult children to reach their own money goals and leaves some of them feeling conflicted about the help they’re giving.About three-fourths of those helping out parents, a partner’s parents or both with expenses such as groceries, housing and medical bills said that doing so prevents them from paying…

Thank you, President Schmid, for the kind introduction and for the invitation to speak here today.1 It is an honor to be in Kansas City and in the beautiful 10th District. I welcome the opportunity to attend events like this one because I believe it is essential for Federal Reserve policymakers to share their views with the public and, just as important, to hear directly from business leaders, workers, and families about how they are experiencing the economy. In many ways, the Kansas City region is a perfect place to make those connections. Sitting at the confluence of the Kansas…

Our latest video features the third panel discussion of the day at Artemis London 2025, a session focused on the non-catastrophe opportunities in ILS, from our fourth catastrophe bond and insurance-linked securities (ILS) conference in the City of London, UK, held on September 2nd 2025.More than 220 attendees joined our Artemis London 2025 conference to hear insightful talks and benefit from valuable networking, with over 120 organisations represented across a mix of ILS industry participants, insurance and reinsurance specialists, institutional end-investors and those considering allocating to the asset class, entities looking for efficient risk transfer, and service providers to the sector.…

Home sellers outnumbered buyers by a record 36.8% in October, giving buyers who were in the market room to negotiate.  The number of buyers in the market dropped 1.7% to the lowest level on record aside from the start of the pandemic amid high housing costs and economic uncertainty. The number of sellers dropped 0.5% to the lowest level since February as sellers retreated in response to low buyer demand. The strongest buyer’s markets are in Texas and Florida, while the strongest seller’s markets are in the Tri-State area. San Francisco quickly shifted to a balanced market. There were an…

Autonomous electric tractor startup Monarch Tractor warned staff Thursday it may need to lay off more than 100 employees, or possibly even ‘shut down,’ according to a company-wide memo obtained by TechCrunch. The memo comes after Monarch Tractor was already cutting some positions over the last few weeks at its California corporate facilities and remote teams in India and Singapore, according to multiple former employees who spoke with TechCrunch on the condition of anonymity. Monarch Tractor was founded in 2018 by a team that included a former top executive at Tesla’s first gigafactory and Carlo Mondavi, a scion of the…

Major U.S. equities indexes were mixed at midday Wednesday ahead of highly anticipated earnings from Nvidia (NVDA) due after the closing bell. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq gained, while the Dow fell. Shares of the AI chipmaker climbed ahead of what is being widely viewed as the biggest event of this earnings season. Lowe’s (LOW) stock surged after the home improvement retailer reported a better quarterly profit than analysts had expected. Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) shares continued their winning streak that began Monday when Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) revealed a stake in the owner of Google and YouTube. Shares of…

Key Takeaways The Bureau of Labor Statistics will publish its report on Thursday on September job creation, after a six-week delay caused by the government shutdown.U.S. employers are forecast to have added 51,000 jobs, more than the 22,000 in August, although less than the 147,000 average in the 12 months through April.Uncertainty about tariffs has weighed on job creation, resulting in a significant hiring slowdown. A long-delayed report on job growth Thursday is likely to show the job market bounced back in September after a dismal summer.The Bureau of Labor Statistics is set to publish its monthly report on job…

Key Takeaways Robinhood’s automated investment portfolio added to its T-bill exposure last week, she said, a move toward some of the safest investments around. Guild said retail-investor trading volume hasn’t been as big compared to other downturns, but there was net buying on the dip. Some “smart money” has been seeing signs of rain—and reaching for the umbrella. Robinhood (HOOD), the company behind the popular retail trading app, last week added to its allocation to T-bills, the short-term Treasury notes considered some of the safest investments around, “to protect some capital,” CIO Stephanie Guild said in an interview with Bloomberg…