Author: Money Mechanics

Dave Ramsey has guided millions of Americans through their debt struggles, but his advice to hit “pause” on your 401(k) while you’re paying off debt could cost you tens of thousands of dollars you’ll never get back. Pausing contributions forfeits employer matches, misses market rebounds that often follow market downturns, and derails the automatic savings that keep you on the path toward retirement. Financial advisors we spoke with say there’s a better way. Why Pausing Can Be a Pricey Mistake Here’s what you could lose if you stop contributing to your 401(k): You forfeit free money: Employer matches are real…

Key Takeaways Constellation Energy shares jumped Wednesday after the company said it received a federal loan of up to $1 billion to restart a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania.Shares of Constellation and other nuclear energy companies have seen their stocks soar this year, amid anticipation of growing demand to power AI and support from the Trump administration. Constellation Energy (CEG) shares surged Wednesday after the power provider said it won a federal loan of up to $1 billion to restart a nuclear reactor at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island. The shares were up over 5% in recent trading,…

Key Takeaways Many women expect to live to age 90, yet a significant percentage of older women are unprepared for retirement. 27% of Generation X women and 19% of baby boomer women have saved less than $25,000 for retirement. Persistent gender pay gaps, career interruptions for caregiving, and limited access to retirement plans contribute to women’s lower retirement savings. Women can strengthen their retirement security by saving early, working longer, and delaying Social Security to maximize benefits. Women are planning to live long lives: their median anticipated life expectancy is 90 years, according to a new survey from the Transamerica…

Key Takeaways President Donald Trump once again expressed his desire to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who has kept interest rates higher than Trump would prefer.Trump also threatened to fire Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent if he could not get Powell to cut rates.The Fed is an independent central bank, and Powell does not report to either Trump or Bessent. In pressuring the Federal Reserve to lower its benchmark interest rate, President Donald Trump is putting a twist on his “you’re fired” catchphrase from his days as a game show host. Speaking at a Saudi Arabian investment forum in Washington, D.C.…

Restaurant stock Cava Group (CAVA) has underperformed dramatically this year, down 60% year-to-date as the major market benchmarks have set new record highs. CAVA’s stock price is down more than 28% over the past month alone, pressured by fears that a consumer crunch will leave the $15 salad store out in the cold. Are you buying this dip – or betting on more losses? Based on the latest block trades, smart money is expecting additional downside for CAVA in the months ahead. Today, there was big unusual option activity at CAVA’s January 2026 35-strike puts, as volume of over 23,000 contracts hit the…

Today, after the US market closes, NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:) reports its fiscal year Q226 results—and rarely have euphoria and skepticism collided so sharply.Before we get to the technical numbers, let’s take a quick look at the fundamentals:Nvidia posted $46.7 billion in revenue in its second fiscal quarter—a 6% increase from Q126 and 56% year-over-year. The data center segment accounted for $41.1 billion, also up 56% from the previous year. Source: InvestingProThe data center segment—the core of Nvidia’s story—is expected to deliver about $48.8 billion. Profitability expectations are equally strong: a 73.7% gross margin, 65.9% operating margin, and roughly $30.5 billion…

The fifth installation of the video game Europa Universalis (hereafter EU5) just came out, and it had some interesting economic modelling issues. However, to get to explanation of how EU5 relates to the historical period (the start date of the game is 1337) I first need to go back to the historical background of what the situation was like in 1337 in the lands of the Roman Empire. (Although EU5 is global, I am really only familiar with European/Mediterranean history of that era. The game systems best fit “Western” regions, although the rest of the world gets filled in better…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. November 19, 2025 Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, October 28-29, 2025 For release at 2:00 p.m. EST The Federal Reserve on Wednesday released the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting that was held on October 28–29, 2025. The minutes for each regularly scheduled meeting of the Committee are generally published three weeks after the day of the policy decision. The descriptions of economic and financial conditions contained in these…

A home is shown for sale in The Heights in Houston, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. Kirk Sides | Houston Chronicle | Getty ImagesThis is the strongest buyer’s market in housing in more than a decade. That’s the headline on a new report from Redfin, a real estate brokerage owned by Rocket Cos. The report points to specific data on the supply of homes for sale and the number of buyers actively looking. There were an estimated 36.8% more sellers than buyers in October, according to Redfin, the largest gap in records dating back to 2013. Redfin defines a buyer’s market…

KEY TAKEAWAYS The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” adds some tax deductions and increases others for the 2025 tax year, which will mean lower tax bills for many Americans.Taxpayers who prefer to pay less in taxes throughout the year can use IRS tools to estimate how to adjust their withholdings to account for the tax rule changes. Some workers may want to adjust the amount they withhold for taxes from their last few paychecks of the year, since new laws will change how much many will owe for 2025. The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” introduced new tax breaks and updated others…