Author: Smart Wealthhabits

Gemini/GoogleAvis car rental customers may be entitled to a $5,000 settlement following a 2024 safety incident. According to the settlement website of the class action lawsuit, Avis experienced a security incident between August 3-6, 2024 involving customer names, driver’s license information, credit card numbers and expiration dates, dates of birth, and phone numbers. Avis claims no wrongdoing in the breach…

Thousands of revelers dressed as Santa Claus and other famous characters take part in the annual SantaCon pub crawl on Saturday, December 13, 2025 in New York City, United States. Selçuk Acre Anadolu | getty imagesChairman of Santacon was arrested on Wednesday federal criminal charges He has been accused of using hundreds of thousands of dollars earmarked for charity from a ticketed Christmas bar-crawl event in New York City for personal use, federal prosecutors said.The defendant, Stephen Pildes, who claimed he received no compensation from SantaCon, allegedly spent the money on extensive renovations of a lakeside property in New Jersey,…

Warren Buffett crossed the threshold of billionaire in 1985 at the age of 54. At the time, there were only 12 other billionaires on the planet (there will be about 2,800 in 2025).Buffett, whose fortune is now worth approximately $140 billion, made his fortune on his own. he got to work wealth creation As a kid and haven’t taken a break since. At age 95, Buffett is still chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, although he recently stepped down as CEO.Buffett is called the Oracle of Omaha because he often has amazing insight into what the stock market is going to do.…

On this week’s episode of the Niche Pursuits Podcast, François Mommens and I discuss what it looks like building and growing three SaaS businesses in the SEO space over the course of over a decade. This conversation follows a true founder journey, from an initially unsuccessful business to the launch of Linkodi 13 years ago, and then later building IndexChecker and Linkstorm. What makes François’s story so compelling is its honesty and measured tone. He explains how Linkodi started as a simple backlink-tracking solution and how 100% of their customers come through organic traffic. He also discusses how he once…

New Africa / Shutterstock.comAdvertising Disclosure: When you buy something by clicking on links in this article, we may earn a small commission, but it never influences the products or services we recommend. Due to global conflicts, energy costs are rising and inflation is rising once again. The economic environment in 2026 is uniquely volatile, and the rules that worked for building wealth in your earlier years are no longer in place…

State Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet addresses supporters of her campaign for Congress during a primary election night vigil party on August 6, 2024 in Saginaw, Michigan.Andrew Roth | APRep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Mich., will introduce a new bill to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit to provide a credit of up to $5,500 per parent of a child under the age of four. The bill, shared exclusively with CNBC, is dubbed the “Working Parents Tax Relief Act” and it would provide an additional credit of up to $5,500 for up to three children under the age of four to eligible…

Liubomir Vorona/Getty Images/iStockphoto Commitment to our readers The GOBankingRates editorial team is committed to providing you with unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methods to evaluate financial products and services – our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our review methodology for products and services. 20 yearsHelping you become richer trusted by millions of readers If you have debt, using your tax refund to pay it off seems like a responsible choice. But financial planners say that move isn’t always the smartest move, and in some cases, it…

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) speaks to reporters after a roundtable on rising energy costs on Capitol Hill on March 17, 2026 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker getty imagesThe top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is investigating whether the Trump administration has done enough planning to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, which has roiled energy markets for weeks as the war with Iran continues.Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., in a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright shared exclusively with CNBC on Tuesday, demanded answers to a series of questions about how the administration prepared to close…

The new Growth Agent integrates MX’s data-driven intelligence with Primitive’s agentic operating system to redefine the scale of human-AI collaboration in modern banking. Lehi, Utah, April 15, 2026 (Globe Newswire) — Ancient And MX Technologies, Inc. (mx) today announced a strategic partnership to deploy AI-native growth agents for the financial services industry. The collaboration marks a shift from manual data analysis to agentic execution in bank operations, beginning with the launch of Growth Agent designed to help banks and credit unions identify deposit opportunities, execute personalized campaigns, and streamline direct deposit switching.Growth Agent is designed to solve one of the…

G-StockStudio / Shutterstock.com Commitment to our readers The GOBankingRates editorial team is committed to providing you with unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methods to evaluate financial products and services – our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our review methodology for products and services. 20 yearsHelping you become richer trusted by millions of readers The cost of living remains a struggle for many people. For those who want to make the right career choice for their financial situation, you may want to start looking for jobs that…