Author: Money Mechanics

Abundant insurance and reinsurance capital means carriers and brokers can pursue “bold, client focused solutions” with both parties finding the current environment “energizing”, according to broker Willis (WTW).In fact, Willis calls the infusion of capital into global insurance and reinsurance markets equally powerful as the transformation being driven by the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). In the latest edition of Willis’ (WTW’s) Marketplace Realities report, the broker explains that “the commercial insurance industry finds itself at a unique and promising inflection point.” While the report focuses on the commercial insurance market, a lot of the insights from Willis read-across to…

Amazon’s October Prime Day (formally known as Prime Big Deal Days) kicks off on Tuesday, but you can already find steep markdowns on TVs from brands like Samsung, Sony, Hisense, and more — and we’re tracking them live, now through the event. Almost every screen size and panel type is on sale, from budget-friendly small-screen LED options to cinema-sized QLED and premium-grade OLED TVs. You can also find deals on other home theater equipment like soundbars, streaming sticks, and projectors.Also: The top 6 TVs our readers bought this year (including a surprise budget pick)I’ve been writing about and reviewing TVs for…

(Oil Price)– The International Energy Agency (IEA) has revealed that electricity consumption in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has tripled since 2000, making the region one with the fastest-growing power demand on the planet. According to the IEA, the explosive growth was mainly driven by expanding populations and rising incomes, with air conditioning accounting for nearly half of peak demand. The energy agency has predicted that MENA will see another 50% increase in electricity demand by 2035 based on current policy settings, driven by urbanization, industrial expansion and rapid population growth. However, MENA’s energy mix is set to undergo…

Stock investors continue to downplay the U.S. government shutdown. Futures pointed higher Monday after the three major stock indexes recorded weekly gains recorded weekly gains of at least 1%, with the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average and benchmark S&P 500 setting closing records for a third consecutive session Friday. Futures associated with the Nasdaq were up 0.7% following news that Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) was partnering with ChatGPT maker OpenAI on a massive chip deal. AMD shares soared more than 20% in premarket trading, while those of chipmaking rival Nvidia (NVDA) slipped less than 1%. The tech-heavy index closed down 0.3% Friday as Palantir (PLTR) shares sank…

Buffett has a simple test for every stock he buys: Would he be happy owning it if the market were to close for 10 years? If the answer is no, he doesn’t buy it. This philosophy explains why he built a $344 billion cash stockpile while other investors have chased perhaps overvalued stocks as the stock market has risen in 2025. It’s also what has helped his company generate over 20% annual returns for four decades, yet many investors still overlook it. Buffett’s Core Belief: The 10-Year Test Buffett’s investment philosophy centers on a single powerful idea: If you wouldn’t…

The energy industry is one of the most-talked-about areas of the global economy. It’s also one of the most misunderstood.Oil and gas fuel nearly every aspect of modern life, from cars and planes to plastics and fertilizers, yet the public conversation often veers into extremes.On one end of the spectrum are claims that renewable energy will soon make fossil fuels irrelevant. On the other are stories of instant wealth from oil wells that strike it big. 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…

In my career as a financial planner there have been several pendulum swings in attitudes, philosophies and even in the language we use.Ten years ago, if someone mentioned “golden handcuffs,” they would almost certainly be referring to some version of a deferred compensation arrangement for executives, a setup designed by companies to incentivize valuable employees to stay committed to their corporate role or risk forfeiting serious benefits.The planning for those situations would be fairly standard: derisk, diversify and be tax-efficient in doing so.But times change, and so do vocabularies. From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance Be a smarter,…

TOPSHOT – A general aerial view shows houses and Yurts in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on June 25, 2024.Hector Retamal | Afp | Getty Images Mongolia, long reliant on mining, plans to build data centers powered by renewable energy as it prepares its first sovereign wealth fund aimed at channeling its mineral wealth to social welfare and infrastructure.”We have a massive land with a very favorable climate for activities like [hosting] data centers,” Temuulen Bayaraa, CEO of the sovereign fund, told CNBC on the sidelines of the Milken Institute Asia Summit in Singapore on Friday.The landlocked East Asian nation is developing special…

Dr. Tom Kelly is a trauma surgeon, and everywhere, he sees doctors drowning in administrative work. He wanted change, so he set out to build it.  “We wanted to build an AI care partner that would stand alongside clinicians and take care of the admin so that individual providers, like me, can feel empowered to deliver the care which we dedicated our lives to,” he told TechCrunch.  Dr. Kelly teamed up with Waleed Mussa, with whom he had worked at a previous startup, and founded Heidi Health in 2021. The company began launching products in early 2024.  In just 18…

Is it too soon to begin looking forward to the new year? I don’t think so. Only 87 days remain in 2025. The time will fly by quickly. There’s usually plenty of eager anticipation and hopefulness as one year ends and the next year begins. That’s likely to be the case again as 2025 draws to a close. But retirees should get ready for an unpleasant Medicare surprise in 2026. Image source: Getty Images. Medicare Part B covers doctors’ visits, outpatient care (including some prescription drugs), ambulance services, and more. The standard monthly Medicare Part B premium currently stands at…