Author: Money Mechanics

Spousal benefits are a core feature of Social Security, designed to provide financial security to married individuals and divorced spouses who may have limited or no work history of their own. Understanding this often-complex benefit is crucial for retirement planning, as the choices you and your spouse make can maximize your family’s total lifetime income.Test your knowledge on concepts like the primary insurance amount (PIA), claiming age reductions and the rules for divorced beneficiaries with this 10-question quiz on the basics of Social Security spousal benefits.And don’t worry if you miss an answer; you can follow the links below the…

The federal government’s shutdown has a bigger impact on retirees than just service delays. It can affect your everyday life, including how you visit loved ones, access health care, and enjoy your free time.Typically, during a shutdown, non-essential federal agencies are closed and most employees are furloughed without pay. Essential agencies, which include the Transportation Security Administration, the National Security Agency (NSA), and the majority of the Department of Veterans Affairs, remain open, although employees are not paid.Depending on how long the shutdown lasts, retirees can see no interruptions or a whole lot of them. Here’s how the shutdown can…

Key Takeaways Shares of Figma, Expedia, Uber and others gained Monday after shoutouts from OpenAI during the ChatGPT maker’s developer conference. The moves helped power gains for the tech sector, helping to boost the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite to fresh closing highs. These days, a shoutout from OpenAI is all it takes to send stocks higher. Shares of design software provider Figma (FIG) gained more than 7% in the wake of a mention from the ChatGPT maker at its DevDay developer conference Monday, while Expedia (EXPE) added about 2% and Coursera (COUR) closed slightly higher after rising as much as…

Key Takeaways A high-profile AI partnership powered a chip stock higher on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, while an adtech darling tumbled on reports of a regulatory probe. AMD shares took off after the chipmaker announced a collaboration with ChatGPT maker OpenAI.AppLovin shares slumped following reports the Securities and Exchange Commission has been looking into its data collection practices. A semiconductor stock logged the top performance in the benchmark index following the announcement of a collaboration with a major artificial intelligence player. Meanwhile, shares of an adtech darling plummeted following reports of a probe by federal regulators. The S&P 500 rose 0.4%…

A new infrastructure deal for a chipmaker and an acquisition between regional banks combined to boost markets Monday. The leader of the AI revolution was left out of the rally, though, and the naming of a new CEO invited fresh questions from investors about the future of the biggest U.S. telecommunications company by subscriber base.Seven of the 11 official stock market sectors closed in the green, led by consumer discretionary and communication services stocks. Real estate and consumer staples stocks lagged during a broadly positive day for many but a particularly tough session for some names.”October got off to a…

In-brief analysis October 3, 2025 The value of all energy trade between the United States and Mexico was estimated to be $57 billion in 2024, down from nearly $72 billion in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. A combination of lower petroleum output from Mexico and lower fuel prices, particularly for petroleum products that make up the bulk of the cross-border energy trade between the two countries, drove most of the decrease. Energy trade value represents the total value of energy imports and exports between two countries and is driven by commodity…

soared today and it almost touched the $4,000 level, but miners already reversed. While it could be the case that gold keeps on rallying even up to $4,150, miners might move up by relatively little. The Fibonacci-extension-based (2.618) target based on the 2008-2011 rally was just reached, but the upper border of the rising trend channel was not. The former creates the lower border of gold’s upside target, and the latter its upper border. Can gold price really rally to $4,150 or so? Yes, however, given how extremely overbought gold is (much more than it was at its 2011 top),…

Savings for homebuyers Founded in 2015, Arrivva offers a flat $9,750 fee for buyers and $15,750 for sellers — regardless of the home price. That contrasts sharply with traditional commission structures, which typically collect around 2.5% per side of a transaction. On a $1 million home, that can mean $25,000 in agent fees. “The idea is that I do the same work for a $200,000 loan or a $9 million loan,” Glick said. “I’m not the partner of the buyer or the seller — I didn’t invest in the property. I’ve got nothing into it. So I came up with…

Key Takeaways Trump Accounts are essentially free money from the government for newborns: Babies born between 2025 and 2028 will get $1,000 automatically deposited into their account. But these accounts aren’t just for newborns. Families can contribute up to $5,000 annually for kids up to age 18. Though the rules aren’t settled yet, it’s possible that Trump Account balances will be convertible to Roth IRAs at age 18, which could result in tax-free savings for the child for life. How Trump Accounts Work The Trump Accounts created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) are government-funded investment accounts designed…

Key Takeaways Shares of Tesla are rising to start the week. Part of the reason could be anticipation regarding an event, expected tomorrow, at which some watchers believe news of a more affordable EV could arrive. Tesla was the best-performing stock in the Magnificent 7 in the third quarter. Tesla is kicking off the week with a bit of mystery. The company yesterday posted a short video on X depicting a spinning wheel and Tuesday’s date. It later shared another showing the headlights of a vehicle, details of which couldn’t be easily seen. Tesla (TSLA) didn’t respond to Investopedia’s request…