Finance

I’m a financial planner — this is the one simple money habit you need to break in 2025

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2025

I’m a financial planner — this is the one simple money habit you need to break in 2025

New year, new habits.

Shannon McLay, the CEO of financial planning service The Financial Gym, is shaeing the one spending habit that people should break in 2025.

Emphasizing “mindfulness,” the money guru says it’s time to delete easy payment apps off your smartphone, which allow you to make thoughtless purchases with just the click of a button.

“I always say we work really hard for every dollar that we make, so we need to make it hard to spend those dollars because it’s hard to get it in the bank,” she told TheStreet.

“But it’s so easy for us to spend money we spend on our phones. We spend it with credit cards on apps, and we don’t realize where it’s going.”

McLay says financial experts “hear all the time” that their clients have “no idea” where their money is going, with many saying they “make it and then it’s gone.”

She encourages people to be mindful of their money, even though it’s often anxiety-inducing.

“We see people who look to us very financially healthy and are feeling anxiety,” she said. “And when we feel anxiety about an area, we avoid it. We don’t want to dig into the thing that’s creating anxiety.”

As a result, people are “not going to look at” where their income is going.

One study last year found that 73% of Americans are stressed about their finances.

“So that’s one of the first steps we’ll say is being mindful of where your money is going and whether it’s tracking your expenses via an app or even just manually tracking it in the Notes app on your phone,” McLay advised.

“That process of paying attention where your money is going is really a good first step.”

Gen Z has also ushered in another financially savvy trends — “loud budgeting,” or being transparent about finances.

“They are saying there is no shame and guilt in their financial situation,” financial expert Julie O’Brien, the senior vice president and head of behavioral science at U.S. Bank, previously told Money.

“They are just saying, out loud, that healthy management of their money is something they value more than consumption and the curated, unrealistic ideals they see portrayed.”

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Finance

Goldman Sachs Sets $1 Trillion M&A Record

Published

5 hours ago

July 14, 2026

Press Room

Breaking a six-month record, the investment banking giant capitalizes on a surging wave of global megadeals.

Goldman Sachs said it had advised on more than $1 trillion of announced global mergers and acquisitions so far this year, the fastest any investment bank has reached that milestone in a six-month period, citing data from capital markets data provider Dealogic.

The bank attributed the milestone to a string of marquee mandates, including serving as co-financial adviser to Dominion Energy on its roughly $67 billion sale to rival utility NextEra Energy, announced last month, along with other major transactions.

Rise of the Megadeal

Goldman reported that its investment banking fees rose 48%, to $2.8 billion in the first quarter. It’s a reflection of the “K-shaped” M&A market, where megadeals are the dominant force, but deal volumes are declining, and mid-market activity is subdued.

Data compiled by PwC revealed that the global M&A market is on track to reach $4 trillion in 2026, a 13% annual increase, with major sales estimated to account for 48% of deal value worldwide, a significant expansion from two years ago.

“Goldman has been the global leader in M&A advisory fees for more than 90 consecutive quarters. The fact that it’s reaping benefits from a moment of megadeal activity simply proves the strength of its franchise,” said Mark Narron, senior director at Fitch Ratings. “However, advisory revenues are generally a small share of total revenues. In 2021, which was Goldman’s record year for advisory, advisory revenues contributed only 10% of total revenues.”

Fitch says it’s difficult to forecast whether Goldman’s advisory revenues will continue to climb, given the cyclical nature of advisory fees and uneven regional M&A trends — with most deal activity still concentrated in the U.S.

Fitch expects M&A activity to be sensitive to market conditions, economic growth, geopolitical events, and interest rates. Global growth is estimated to decelerate to 2.8% this year, according to the latest OECD economic outlook report. Inflationary pressures are rising in advanced and emerging economies due to energy shocks from the Iran conflict. Prices in the G20 economies are expected to climb to 4% in 2026. In a “prolonged disruption” scenario, inflation could rise further, which may prompt hawkish interest rate responses from central banks.

Peter Taberner is a contributing writer based in the U.K.

Finance

Rodriguez fires campaign manager over finance filing issues – Civic Media

Published

17 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

Rodriguez fires campaign manager over finance filing issues – Civic Media

MADISON, Wis. (Civic Media) – Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a Democratic candidate for governor, fired her campaign manager Sunday after discovering problems with campaign finance filings, her campaign said.

The campaign said the person was terminated effective immediately following an internal review that found “serious mismanagement and inaccuracies” in reports they prepared. Staff identified the issues late last week and alerted Rodriguez, who then moved to secure campaign accounts and remove the staffer.

The campaign said it plans to contact the Wisconsin Ethics Commission on Monday to correct the filings ahead of a key reporting deadline Wednesday.

Full statement below.

“The Sara Rodriguez for Wisconsin campaign has terminated its campaign manager, effective today, after discovering serious mismanagement and inaccuracies in campaign finance filings she prepared. An initial review found that the manager filed inaccurate and incomplete campaign finance reports. The campaign will be in contact with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission first thing Monday morning to ensure the inaccuracies are corrected. The moment Sara learned of these inaccuracies, she acted swiftly and decisively removed her. The campaign will continue to build support to win in August and beat Tom Tiffany in November.”

Finance

Wedding budget: How to decide what to spend on your big day

Published

1 day ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

Wedding budget: How to decide what to spend on your big day

Weddings, and the amount they cost, can run the gamut from a small, DIY ceremony in the backyard to a massive bash that shuts down Madison Square Garden. Obviously, the latter may only be within reach for certain pop stars and their football-playing partners, but that still leaves a wide range for how much you and your soon-to-be spouse could potentially spend.

When making the determination, it is important to weigh two things: making your big day a special one and honoring your financial reality. Your wedding may mark the start of your next chapter, but your finances are what will largely shape your future as a married couple.

As a benchmark, the average wedding costs $34,200, said wedding planning website The Knot, based on findings from its 2026 Real Weddings Study. You can expect the bulk of that to go toward your venue and any necessary rentals, such as tableware and tables themselves, as well as catering and drinks. But there a myriad of other small costs that can quickly add up: cake, photographer, flowers and decor, music, outfits, rings, wedding planner.

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How much you “should budget for a wedding depends on your financial situation,” said NerdWallet. While this may seem obvious, it is easy to get carried away with a grand vision when you sit down to start planning. Consider what savings you and your partner have set aside for the wedding, how much of your upcoming earnings you can set aside and whether you are getting any outside financial help, such as from your parents.

It is also important to put your wedding in context with your other financial goals. “Zoom out and identify short- and long-term financial goals you have individually and as a couple,” said Charles Schwab, whether that is paying off student loans, buying a house or retiring early. Figure out how you would “prioritize them in order of most importance and allocate your resources appropriately,” keeping in mind that “ideally, your wedding spend shouldn’t get in the way of other financial goals.”

As you build the budget, do not forget to leave some wiggle room ahead of your absolute maximum, which you should also make sure to set and agree to honor. “Even the best planners who budget early on might forget to add items or will inevitably have things they need to add on,” said Andrew Westlin, a certified financial planner at Betterment, to The Knot. This could include anything from add-on service charges to a last-minute rain tent to extra time on the dance floor.