Author: Money Mechanics

Six Months of Earnings at Various APYs APY Earnings on $10K for 6 months Earnings on $25K for 6 months Earnings on $50K for 6 months 3.75% $186 $464 $929 4.00% $198 $495 $990 4.25% $210 $526 $1,051 4.50% $223 $556 $1,113 4.75% $235 $587 $1,174 5.00% $247 $617 $1,235 These examples assume you can earn the stated annual percentage yield (APY) for the full six months, which may not be possible with variable-rate options. Important The rate you earn from a savings account, money market account, cash account, or money market fund can fluctuate and will almost certainly drop…

Key Takeaways Rent in over 70 U.S. cities now takes up more than 28.9% of median income, with Kahului, Hawaii, topping the list.Coastal and Sun Belt cities dominate the least affordable rankings, highlighting how rising rents are squeezing budgets even in places where buying isn’t an option. Renting may seem like the cheaper housing option—but in dozens of U.S. cities, it’s far from affordable. In some areas, renters are spending well over the recommended 30% of their income on housing, putting added pressure on already stretched household budgets. We analyzed recent data from Zillow, which shows renters in more than…

University of Michigan football is part of the culture of Ann Arbor, which offers opportunities for retirees to enjoy the arts, fine dining, life long learning and golf.Image of Sport/Newscom When Gary Graves began considering the best place to enjoy his retirement, it was an easy choice: He headed back to the town where he went to college. Born in New Jersey and reared in Ohio, Graves, now 65, had lived for years in Naperville, Illinois, a distant suburb southwest of Chicago, pursuing his long career as a corporate executive, turnaround expert, advisor and entrepreneur. But as he started scaling…

Key Takeaways Between 2025 and 2028, Americans aged 65 and older will receive an additional $6,000 deduction if they itemize or take the standard deduction. Higher-income seniors, or singles with an income of above $75,000 or $150,000 for joint filers, will not qualify for the full deduction. The senior tax break could reduce the amount of taxes you pay on your Social Security benefits, depending on your combined income as calculated by the Social Security Administration. The OBBB may be an impetus for some seniors to reevaluate their tax planning. For seniors aged 65 or older, you might owe less…

Each week, in our Ask the Editor series, Joy Taylor, The Kiplinger Tax Letter Editor, answers questions on topics submitted by readers. This week, she’s looking at questions on the tax rules for charitable deductions. (Get a free issue of The Kiplinger Tax Letter or subscribe.)1. How do I substantiate my write-off?Question: I donated money to charity earlier this year, and I would like to deduct the contribution on my tax return since I will be itemizing on Schedule A of Form 1040. What documents do I need to keep to support the tax write-off? Joy Taylor: The required documentation…

Key Takeaways An AI software darling’s stock tumbled following a report of security problems, while an update from a major health insurer helped lift its stock and other in the sector on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025.Palantir Technologies shares dropped after a report of potential security vulnerabilities in a new battlefield communications system from the company.Humana shared an update on the quality of its Medicare Advantage plans and reiterated its outlook, boosting shares of the insurer and others in the sector. Shares of a major health insurer notched strong gains after the company offered a peek into the quality ratings of…

Stocks closed mixed Friday, but ended with notable weekly gains even as the government shutdown dragged on for a third day. Blue chips outperformed with health insurer UnitedHealth Group (UNH) and construction giant Caterpillar (CAT) lifting the Dow Jones Industrial Average to another record closing high.Indeed, the Dow finished Friday up 0.5% at 46,758. The broader S&P 500 (+0.01% at 6,715) also notched a fresh all-time closing high, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (-0.3% at 22,780) slipped in late-day selling. The three main indexes ended with weekly gains ranging between 1.2% and 1.4%.UnitedHealth emerged as one of the best Dow…

Key Takeaways The Bureau of Labor Statistics didn’t publish its monthly jobs report Friday because of the government shutdown, leaving the public in the dark about the state of the job market.The data blackout poses a problem for officials at the Federal Reserve who adjust the central bank’s key interest rate to keep inflation low and employment high.Private-sector companies publish alternative measures of the job market, but there are few private-sector inflation measures to fall back on. The government shutdown makes it harder to tell how the economy is doing, and the problem is likely to get worse the longer…

It’s been another busy week on the financial front with Kiplinger covering topics as far ranging as Amazon’s settlement with the FTC, the government shutdown and changes due to the new tax and spending bill. So, how much do you remember from the past seven days? Test your knowledge of this week’s financial and business news.If you slip up on an answer or two, you can follow the links below the quiz to refresh your memory.Stories making the newsWant try more quizzes? Try last week’s news quiz, or try a different one from our quiz archive.Read more on the Kiplinger…

The market has just delivered one of the most dramatic short-term moves in recent memory, advancing $4 in only two trading sessions. From lows anchored around $44, futures surged to test the Weekly Sell 1 ($47.95) and Daily Sell 1 ($47.68) zones, touching as high as $48.01 before consolidating. This kind of volatility is not a random occurrence—it marks the emergence of a new volatility regime and signals “escape velocity,” where price momentum transcends normal gravitational pull of equilibrium levels.VC PMI Structure The Variable Price Momentum Indicator (VC PMI) mapped out the critical benchmarks:Weekly VC PMI: $45.66 Daily VC PMI:…