Author: Money Mechanics

For many senior executives, corporate board service lives on the “someday” list — a post-retirement goal or final career chapter. But waiting too long may be one of the biggest missed opportunities in executive development today.The best time to prepare for a board role isn’t after you’ve stepped down. It’s while you’re still in the thick of your career, when your influence is high, your experience is current and your network is strong.Active executives stand outToday’s boards aren’t just looking for prestige or past titles. They want directors who bring a real-time perspective and relevant leadership experience. Subscribe to Kiplinger’s…

While tax planning might not be on your bucket list as we head into fall, neglecting your finances at this time of year can be costly.However, with less than five months left in the year, it’s a great time to reflect on your current situation and make needed adjustments to take the pressure off when April 2026 rolls around.First on the listStart by looking at your withholdings. If you’re withholding too little or too much, or if your income has significantly changed in recent months, now is the time to make updates to avoid scrambling in the new year or…

Time was when Chris and Kathy Perry, both 63, dreamed of retiring somewhere coastal. Maybe they’d relocate to Cape Cod, where they’d enjoyed many a family vacation. Or Maine, where their sons now live. “Being near water has always been important to us,” says Kathy Perry, a teacher in Katonah, N.Y. “We love kayaking, taking long beach walks.”As their retirement has drawn closer, though, another concern has come into play: The rise of extreme weather events across the U.S. “Climate has become an extra cloud looming over our plans,” says Kathy.Being able to afford the coastal home of their dreams,…

If rising travel costs are holding you back, the right credit card could help. The best travel rewards credit cards feature many unique perks that allow you to save on travel costs, from booking flights to dining out.Beyond savings, some cards can also upgrade your experience, offering late check-outs, resort credits and room upgrades when you book through their travel portals.To show how much value these cards can deliver, we’ve broken down how much you could save on a $10,000 trip using two top travel rewards cards. Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up…

Warren Buffett is known as the greatest long-term investor of all time, but that kind of gives him short shrift. When the Oracle of Omaha steps down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) at the end of 2025, it will mark the end of the career of the greatest capital allocator of all time.What’s the difference? Market participants who pore over which stocks Buffett is buying and selling every quarter forget that Berkshire is essentially a conglomerate with massive insurance operations at its core.That’s not to denigrate Buffett and his late partner Charlie Munger’s stock-picking skills. They are legendary. But…

Dealing with debt collection can be a source of significant stress for many people trying to navigate an already challenging financial landscape. Unscrupulous companies may use aggressive tactics to collect debts, including contacting people in the workplace, which can be illegal. This can threaten your employment or put pressure on you to pay debts even if you don’t actually owe them.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) continues to crack down on companies that harass consumers, including by unlawfully contacting their employers. In 2014, the CFPB with the states of North Carolina and Virginia got millions of dollars of relief from…

You made it! You’ve reached 67, or are almost there.Age 67 is the full retirement age for tens of millions of Americans — when they can collect complete Social Security benefits and may feel psychologically ready to retire.“Sixty-five might seem too early and 68 a little too late. But 67 is the perfect age,” says Pam Krueger, founder and CEO of Wealthramp. “You made it here, and now you have enough life left to live.” Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Save up to 74% Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with…

Please enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser or access the information through the links provided below. June 27, 2025 Agencies request comment on proposal to modify certain regulatory capital standards Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of the Comptroller of the Currency For release at 11:00 a.m. EDT The federal bank regulatory agencies today requested comment on a proposal to modify certain regulatory capital standards to reduce disincentives for banking organizations to engage in lower-risk activities and promote the smooth functioning…

(Oil Price)– Indian Oil Corp has bought another cargo of U.S. West Texas Intermediate for delivery in October, Reuters reported today, citing unnamed industry sources. The deal is part of a recent streak of U.S. oil purchases following President Trump’s threat to impose additional tariffs on Indian exporters to the United States if the country continues buying Russian crude. The October deal was priced at a premium of between $2.80 and $2.90 to dated Brent, Reuters’ sources said. It is price that pushed India to step up Russian oil purchases in the first place, turning Russia from a minor exporter to…

Key Takeaways The first autocallable note ETF approved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the Calamos Autocallable Income ETF, which delivers a laddered stream of autocallable-note coupons in a low-cost, low-minimum ETF wrapper. Income stops if markets rally sharply, and losses kick in if the linked index falls about 40% or more. High-net-worth investors have long tapped exotic “structured notes” to squeeze double-digit yields out of sideways markets. Now, Wall Street is packaging one of those strategies—laddered autocallable notes—into ETFs, available to ordinary investors. The first such ETF, the Calamos Autocallable Income ETF (CAIE), was launched in…