Author: Smart Wealthhabits

Julianna Stratton, lieutenant governor of Illinois and Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, speaks during a primary election night event in Chicago, Tuesday, March 17, 2026.Christopher Dilts | Bloomberg | getty imagesA major crypto PAC was dealt a blow after the Democratic candidate for Illinois Senate spent millions to win Tuesday’s primary and likely be sworn into office next year.Powered by Fairshake coinbaseRipple Labs and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz spent more than $10 million on ads opposing Illinois Lieutenant Governor Julianna Stratton in her Democratic primary race for Senate. Stratton received an “F” rating stand with cryptoAnd took to social media…

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a press conference after a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee at the Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington on March 18, 2026.Brandon Smialowski | AFP | getty imagesFederal Reserve Chairman Kevin Wersh wants to lower interest rates. Fed officials signaled on Wednesday that if he is appointed to that job any time soon, it may be more difficult for him to do so than expected.Fed officials raised their forecasts about the path of inflation and interest rates in data released by the central bank on Wednesday. This was largely expected given…

Company registers 171% growth as demand for protection against ad fraud and fake leads increases Tokyo, JP/ Access Newswire /March 17,2026/ Spider Labs, developer of the leading ad fraud protection platform Spider AF, today announced its debut in the Financial Times High-Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2026 ranking. Compiled in partnership with Statista, this prestigious list recognizes the region’s most resilient and rapidly expanding enterprises. The ranking highlights companies that achieved the highest compound annual revenue growth rate (CAGR) between 2021 and 2024. ​​During this period, Spider Labs achieved approximately 171% total growth and ranked among the top 10 IT and software…

A first-class ticket could soon cost around $1, as the US Postal Service warns it could run out of money by 2027 and is considering raising prices to stay afloat. Appearing before Congress on Tuesday, March 17, Postmaster General David Steiner said the price of a first-class ticket could rise from 78 cents to 90 to 95 cents. Steiner said higher prices are one of the few options available as the agency faces growing losses. Raising stamp prices to 95 cents, he told lawmakers, “will largely resolve our controllable losses.” The warning comes as the USPS says its financial runway…

What does your winning bet mean for your taxes key takeaways Sports betting winnings are taxable income, even if you don’t receive a tax form. Some winnings may trigger Form W-2G, but you must still report all gambling income. Gambling winnings are taxed as ordinary income, which is added to your other earnings for the year. My favorite football team didn’t even make the playoffs, so when I placed a longshot parlay during the Big Game, it was mostly to make things interesting. Things got interesting fast: I won, and it was more than I had ever bet on a…

Divide your retirement budget into two categories. First, your non-negotiable expenses: groceries, utilities, insurance premiums, and basic health care. “This should be 40% to 50% of your monthly needs, funded entirely by safe, fixed income instruments. Your Employee Provident Fund (EPF) and the PPF lump sum amount can be deployed in Senior Citizens Savings Scheme, Post Office Schemes and loan funds,” Jethwani said.

US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a press conference at the Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington, DC on January 28, 2026. Saul Loeb AFP | getty imagesFederal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says he will continue to serve as head of the central bank if his nominated successor, Kevin Warsh, is not confirmed by the end of his term in May, as set by law.Separately, Powell said he would not leave his Board of Governors post, which technically extends through early 2028, until the Justice Department investigation “is well and truly completed with transparency and finality.”Choose CNBC as…

insta_photo/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 A CD loan is a secured loan that lets you borrow money using your certificate of deposit as collateral – without breaking the CD or incurring early withdrawal penalties. When you repay the loan…

US Senator Markway Mullin, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on March 18, 2026 in Washington, DC, US.Ivan Vucci | reutersThe Senate confirmation hearing of Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to lead the Department of Homeland Security got off to a tense start Wednesday.Senator Rand Paul, Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, began the hearing by calling Mullin out on his recent comments. In February, it was reported that Mullin called the Kentucky Republican a “weird snake” and suggested…

RealPeopleGroup/Getty Images 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 best jumbo money market rates today are around 3.9% to 4.05% APY, depending on the bank and balance level. But here’s what’s changed in 2026: Jumbo accounts no longer markedly outperform standard money…