Author: Money Mechanics

Key Takeaways People in their 20s are at the bottom of the income ladder, but it can also be best time to start investing for retirement thanks to the power of compounding.Take part in your company’s 401(k) plan, and contribute at least enough to receive your company’s matching contribution.Further bolster your retirement savings by opening a Roth IRA and investing up to $7,000 per year. While retirement might be the last thing on your mind in your 20s—especially compared to more immediate goals like paying down student debt, traveling, and enjoying time with your friends—it’s also the best time to…

Fans of the most popular sport in the U.S. can now trade on game outcomes on Robinhood’s app. Just don’t call it “sports betting.” Robinhood Markets (HOOD) on Tuesday announced the launch of trading “on the outcomes of the most popular pro and college football games, including all regular season pro matchups, and all college Power 4 schools and independents.” (In other words, customers can bet on all NFL games and those involving teams in the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12 conferences, as well as the likes of Notre Dame.) “Football is far and away the most popular…

Key Takeaways Credit card debt is a source of growing concern among many Americans, as it was the most commonly cited financial regret in a new survey.A quarter (24%) of Americans in a survey from Debt.com said credit card debt was their biggest regret, above lackluster retirement savings, emergency funds, and large student loans.Experts recommend sticking to a tight spending plan with credit cards and using the snowball or avalanche method to pay off any debts. Most Americans have at least one regret in their financial lives, a new survey shows, and the most common regret among U.S. adults is…

Key Takeaways Nearly half of newer investors admit they’ve made a bad money moves based on social media advice.A third said “most” of their investment knowledge came from social media.Inexperienced traders also tend to be the most confident in their investments.Fidelity found that new investors were more familiar with niche investment strategies like trading cryptocurrencies. Those who want to get into investing have more access to financial content than ever on social media. Whether it’s meme stock threads on r/WallStreetBets or TikTok “finfluencers” breaking down trading strategies, young traders’ social media feeds are crowded—and many of them are relying on…

Key Takeaways The S&P 500 slid 0.6% on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, as tech losses weighed on the index. Palantir shares plunged as a well-known short seller expressed concerns about the stock’s elevated valuation.Intel stock surged as SoftBank announced a major investment in the chipmaker. Major U.S. equities indexes were mixed Tuesday as tech sector losses weighed on their performance. The S&P 500 ended the session 0.6% lower, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 1.5%. The Dow held onto a fractional gain.   Shares of analytics software provider Palantir Technologies (PLTR) tumbled over 9%, falling the most of any S&P 500 stock. The…

With robust growth in equity trading across Europe, Cboe Europe plans to launch a brand-new trading service on its European Lit order book, designed to enhance execution outcomes for retail traders. Cboe sees the demand for further retail access across Europe and is eager to provide innovative and accessible trading solutions for customers to access some of the best available Lit liquidity in European equities. The new service is scheduled to go live on September 8, 2025, and will grant retail investors the ability to trade stocks and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) across 18 European markets, completely free of charge…

Key Takeaways The U.S. economy needs to add 10,000 to 40,000 jobs per month to maintain the current unemployment rate, according to recent estimates.That “breakeven” job creation rate is far less than the 73,000 jobs added in July.As recently as 2024, economists estimated the job market needed to add as many as 230,000 jobs a month to keep the unemployment rate steady.President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration has reduced the number of job seekers, leading to a lower bar for breakeven employment. When reading about the health of the economy in the coming months, don’t be surprised if you hear…

Intel (INTC) shares surged close to 7% Tuesday after Japan’s SoftBank Group said it would make a $2 billion investment in the struggling U.S. chipmaker. SoftBank will pay $23 for each Intel share, a slight discount to Monday’s closing price of $23.66, the companies announced. “This strategic investment reflects our belief that advanced semiconductor manufacturing and supply will further expand in the United States, with Intel playing a critical role,” said SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who last December announced plans for the firm to invest around $100 billion in the U.S. with President-elect Donald Trump. Last week, Bloomberg reported that…

Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is one of the Buzzing AI Stocks on Wall Street.  On August 15, DA Davidson upgraded the stock to Neutral from Underperform with an unchanged price target of $225. According to the firm, declining investor sentiment is appropriate for a business whose organic growth in its core is decelerating along with mounting competitive pressure. However, Starboard has increased its stake in Salesforce by 47% this quarter and “another round of activist involvement may help the company correct course.” DA Davidson Lifts Salesforce (CRM) to Neutral, Keeps $225 PT A professional trader working on a laptop in a busy…

Options trading has become increasingly popular in recent years, and we thought it was time to update our intern’s guide for U.S. options to help you understand options and how options markets work.Options are different to stocksOptions are very different from stocks and futures. Once you buy a stock, you benefit if its price rises and lose if its price falls. You also earn dividends. If you short sell a stock, the reverse is true. We show that in the payoff diagrams below – note that the profit (and loss) for stocks increases in a straight line as stock price moves.…