Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images As more older Americans near retirement , many are eager to boost 401(k) savings to combat the rising cost of health care and other day-to-day expenses. And for 2026, there are key 401(k) changes that investors need to know, financial experts say. This year, "small 401(k) details matter more than ever," said certified financial planner Joon Um with Secure Tax and Acc...
Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images As more older Americans near retirement , many are eager to boost 401(k) savings to combat the rising cost of health care and other day-to-day expenses. And for 2026, there are key 401(k) changes that investors need to know, financial experts say. This year, "small 401(k) details matter more than ever," said certified financial planner Joon Um with Secure Tax and Accounting in Hayward, California. For 2026, you can defer up to $24,500 into your 401(k) plan, up from $23,500 in 2025. The full plan limit , which includes employer matches , profit sharing and other contributions, is $72,000. There's also a higher 401(k) catch-up contribution limit . In 2026, investors age 50 and older can save an additional $8,000 per year, up from $7,500 in 2025. The "super catch-up" limit for savers age 60 to 63 remains at $11,250 for 2026. Individual retirement account contribution limits also rose for 2026. The new cap is $7,500, up from $7,000 in 2025. Investors age 50 and older can make a $1,100 catch-up contribution, up from $1,000 the previous year. Read more CNBC personal finance coverage We're in a 'hiring recession,' economist says — how job seekers can stand out War, booze and mopeds: Travel insurance coverage gaps that may surprise you First 2026 Social Security payments bring a bigger check in January Consumer outlook improves despite job worries, New York Fed survey finds IRS will start accepting tax returns Jan. 26 for the 2026 tax season Where Trump's $2,000 tariff dividend checks stand now After a record-breaking holiday shopping season comes a wave of returning What Medicaid changes in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' mean for family caregivers Older workers could use 401(k) money to buy annuities, under bipartisan bill Who could see bigger tax refunds in 2026 from Trump's cuts ACA subsidy cliff may mean 'astronomical tax bills' for many, CFP says 2026 tax brackets could mean a slightly bigger paycheck — what to expect Why estate planning he...
‘The Kid’s jazz-influenced rhythm guitar made him utterly integral to the Dead and his later collaborations solidified the band’s influence over latter-day alt-rock • Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead, dies at age 78 • Bob Weir: a life in pictures For most of their career, the other members of the Grateful Dead referred to Bob Weir as “the Kid”. You can understand why. He was on...
‘The Kid’s jazz-influenced rhythm guitar made him utterly integral to the Dead and his later collaborations solidified the band’s influence over latter-day alt-rock • Bob Weir, co-founder of rock group the Grateful Dead, dies at age 78 • Bob Weir: a life in pictures For most of their career, the other members of the Grateful Dead referred to Bob Weir as “the Kid”. You can understand why. He was only 16 when the band that would ultimately become the Grateful Dead was founded. Moreover, Weir was implausibly fresh-faced and boyishly handsome, particularly compared to some of his bandmates. Jerry Garcia’s photo was used in one of Richard Nixon’s campaign broadcasts, a symbol of all that was wrong with US youth. Keyboard player Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, by all accounts sweet-natured, nevertheless gave off the air of a man who would strangle you with his bare hands as soon as look at you. Weir, on the other hand, somehow managed to look like the kind of charming young man a mother would be happy for her daughter to bring home, even in the famous 1967 photo of him leaving the band’s Haight-Ashbury residence in handcuffs after being busted for drug possession. His relationship with Garcia and bass player Phil Lesh – five and seven years older than him, respectively – is regularly characterised as that of a junior sibling: at one juncture in 1968, the pair contrived to have Weir dismissed from the band on the grounds that his playing wasn’t good enough. It never happened – Weir simply kept turning up to gigs and the matter was eventually dropped – but it’s hard to see how the Grateful Dead would have worked without him. For one thing, the band’s famed ability to improvise on stage was rooted in a kind of uncanny psychic bond between the key members – “an intwined sense of intuition”, as Weir described it – that they usually claimed was forged while playing together on LSD as the house band at Ken Kesey’s infamous acid test events of 1965 and 1966. For another, whether Garcia an...
With expeditions priced as high as $230,000, heated tents and Western chefs at base camp, Everest is now a luxury playground for the ultra-wealthy. Growing demand for Everest expeditions is the latest in a growing trend from the wealthy to seek out adventure in their travels. (Source: Bloomberg)
With expeditions priced as high as $230,000, heated tents and Western chefs at base camp, Everest is now a luxury playground for the ultra-wealthy. Growing demand for Everest expeditions is the latest in a growing trend from the wealthy to seek out adventure in their travels. (Source: Bloomberg)
New standard creates a common language for agents and systems across the entire shopping journey from discovery and buying to post-purchase experiencesAUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Commerce (Nasdaq: CMRC), an open, intelligent ecosystem of technology solutions and the parent company of leading ecommerce platform BigCommerce and data feed optimization leader Feedonomics, today an...
New standard creates a common language for agents and systems across the entire shopping journey from discovery and buying to post-purchase experiencesAUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Commerce (Nasdaq: CMRC), an open, intelligent ecosystem of technology solutions and the parent company of leading ecommerce platform BigCommerce and data feed optimization leader Feedonomics, today announced its endorsement of Google’s new Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). The new, open-source stan
Shares of e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) slipped 39.4% in 2025, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence . The beauty company focused on mass market products at a lower price point made an acquisition this year, but is seeing slowing growth at a premium earnings multiple, which is a recipe for bad stock performance. The stock is now down 60% from all-time highs. Here's why e.l.f. Beauty st...
Shares of e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) slipped 39.4% in 2025, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence . The beauty company focused on mass market products at a lower price point made an acquisition this year, but is seeing slowing growth at a premium earnings multiple, which is a recipe for bad stock performance. The stock is now down 60% from all-time highs. Here's why e.l.f. Beauty stock was falling again in 2025. For years, e.l.f. Beauty has been a market share taker in beauty categories such as lip gloss, makeup, and eyeliner, leading to impressive revenue growth. In 2025, that growth began to stagnate. Continue reading
Content creators are leverging their high follower counts to apply for the visa for ‘individuals with extraordinary ability’ Content creators and influencers in the US are now increasingly dominating requests for O-1 work visas. Astoundingly, the number of O-1 visas granted each year increased by 50% between 2014 and 2024, as noted by recent reporting in the Financial Times . These visas allow non...
Content creators are leverging their high follower counts to apply for the visa for ‘individuals with extraordinary ability’ Content creators and influencers in the US are now increasingly dominating requests for O-1 work visas. Astoundingly, the number of O-1 visas granted each year increased by 50% between 2014 and 2024, as noted by recent reporting in the Financial Times . These visas allow non-immigrants to work temporarily in the US. The O-1 category includes the O-1A, which is designated for individuals with extraordinary ability in the sciences, education, business or athletics and the O-1B, reserved for those with “extraordinary ability or achievement” . Continue reading...
Yes, the number of small businesses that filed for bankruptcy in 2025 increased from 2024. But only by 10 Are mom-and-pop stores going bankrupt at historically high levels? That would seem to be the impression you’d get from recent news reports referencing data released from Epiq Bankruptcy Analytics, a provider of legal services that specializes in bankruptcy services. Uh-oh! Some have seen this ...
Yes, the number of small businesses that filed for bankruptcy in 2025 increased from 2024. But only by 10 Are mom-and-pop stores going bankrupt at historically high levels? That would seem to be the impression you’d get from recent news reports referencing data released from Epiq Bankruptcy Analytics, a provider of legal services that specializes in bankruptcy services. Uh-oh! Some have seen this as proof that Donald Trump ’s policies are bankrupting Main Street. Well, no, not quite. Continue reading...
A Walmart sign hangs on the exterior of the store on Nov. 20, 2025 in Hollywood, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Walmart and Google said Sunday that shoppers will soon be able to use Google's artificial intelligence assistant Gemini to more easily discover and buy products from the retail giant and its warehouse club, Sam's Club. Incoming Walmart CEO John Furner and Google CEO Sundar Pichai ann...
A Walmart sign hangs on the exterior of the store on Nov. 20, 2025 in Hollywood, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Walmart and Google said Sunday that shoppers will soon be able to use Google's artificial intelligence assistant Gemini to more easily discover and buy products from the retail giant and its warehouse club, Sam's Club. Incoming Walmart CEO John Furner and Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the companies have teamed up on stage at the National Retail Federation's Big Show, an annual industry conference held at New York City's Javits Center. The CEOs did not say when the new feature will launch or share financial terms. The company said the experience will start first in the U.S. and then expand internationally. With the Google deal, Walmart is boosting its effort to keep up with customers who are using AI chatbots to save time or look for inspiration . Walmart announced a deal with a rival to Gemini, OpenAI's ChatGPT, in October to allow shoppers to make purchases with "Instant Checkout," a feature that allows them to buy an item without leaving the AI chatbot. OpenAI recently launched that feature with Walmart and it has Instant Checkout deals with other retailers, including Etsy and several Shopify merchants like Skims, Vuori and Spanx. Walmart also has its own AI chatbot, a yellow smiley-faced assistant on its app called Sparky. "The transition from traditional web or app search to agent-led commerce represents the next great evolution in retail," Furner said in a news release. "We aren't just watching the shift, we are driving it." Furner, who will step into Walmart's top role on Feb. 1 , described the deal with Google's Gemini as "another step toward creating seamless shopping experiences for customers and members that are more intuitive and personal than ever before." Pichai said in the release that Google is excited to work with Walmart "on a new open standard to make agentic commerce a reality." For Walmart, the evolution of customers' shop...
In this article GOOGL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT The Google logo displayed on a smartphone alongside a shopping cart. Rafael Henrique | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images As retailers increasingly turn to artificial intelligence tools to lure shoppers and run key parts of their business, Google wants to make sure it's in the center of the action. At the kickoff of the ...
In this article GOOGL Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT The Google logo displayed on a smartphone alongside a shopping cart. Rafael Henrique | SOPA Images | LightRocket via Getty Images As retailers increasingly turn to artificial intelligence tools to lure shoppers and run key parts of their business, Google wants to make sure it's in the center of the action. At the kickoff of the National Retail Federation's annual show on Sunday, Google announced the launch of what it's calling the Universal Commerce Protocol. The company wants UCP to become an industry standard that retailers use for their AI agents and systems across tasks like discovery, buying and "post-purchase-support." Google says the open-source protocol creates a unified system spanning the shopping experience, from searching to payment, so that retailers don't have to build their own tools and connect the various functions. "It's very important to have a standardized way so we can scale these things and everyone can be prepared for all the various steps to happen," Vidhya Srinivasan, vice president of Google ads and commerce, said in an interview. "Businesses can pick and choose what they want so there's flexibility for them." E-commerce has emerged as one of the major battlegrounds in the booming generative AI market, with Google facing off against OpenAI, Perplexity and Amazon , as they all try and get consumers to use their various apps and services to begin their shopping journey. In September, OpenAI announced Instant Checkout , which allows users to buy some products through ChatGPT, taking a fee from transactions it helps orchestrate. OpenAI's Agentic Commerce Protocol developed in partnership with Stripe, is open source and could compete with UCP. Perplexity in May said it's partnering with PayPal to let users buy products, book travel and secure concert tickets directly in its chat without leaving the platform, and in November said it will roll out a free agentic shopping product...
Wing is bringing drone delivery to even more Walmart stores in 2026. The Alphabet-owned company announced today that its drones will be flying above 150 more locations this year, including in four new cities: Los Angeles, St. Louis, Miami, and Cincinnati. In June 2025, the companies said they would expand their delivery partnership to 100 additional stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, ...
Wing is bringing drone delivery to even more Walmart stores in 2026. The Alphabet-owned company announced today that its drones will be flying above 150 more locations this year, including in four new cities: Los Angeles, St. Louis, Miami, and Cincinnati. In June 2025, the companies said they would expand their delivery partnership to 100 additional stores in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa. So far, they've launched at several stores in Atlanta, in addition to Walmart locations in Dallas-Forth Worth and Arkansas. They currently operate at approximately 27 stores, and with today's announcement, the goal is to eventually esta … Read the full story at The Verge.
BENTONVILLE, Ark., January 11, 2026--Today, Walmart Inc. and Google share plans to launch a new experience that pairs the intelligence of Google’s Gemini with Walmart and Sam’s Club’s unmatched assortment, value and convenience, to make shopping more intuitive, reliable and perfectly aligned with the rhythms of everyday life. The new experience — built by Walmart and accessible directly within Gem...
BENTONVILLE, Ark., January 11, 2026--Today, Walmart Inc. and Google share plans to launch a new experience that pairs the intelligence of Google’s Gemini with Walmart and Sam’s Club’s unmatched assortment, value and convenience, to make shopping more intuitive, reliable and perfectly aligned with the rhythms of everyday life. The new experience — built by Walmart and accessible directly within Gemini using the Universal Commerce Protocol — addresses several key customer needs:
Walmart Inc. is partnering with Alphabet Inc. to offer AI-enhanced shopping on Google’s Gemini platform — part of the retailer’s race to apply the technology across its operations. Customers will be able to purchase items on Gemini’s browser or mobile app in the coming months, David Guggina , chief e-commerce officer of Walmart US, said in an interview. The selection will include apparel, consumab...
Walmart Inc. is partnering with Alphabet Inc. to offer AI-enhanced shopping on Google’s Gemini platform — part of the retailer’s race to apply the technology across its operations. Customers will be able to purchase items on Gemini’s browser or mobile app in the coming months, David Guggina , chief e-commerce officer of Walmart US, said in an interview. The selection will include apparel, consumables, entertainment and food products that are currently available at Walmart and Sam’s Club, he said. Customers can build a basket and purchase the items directly on Gemini, with Walmart handling orders. “We are moving past the era of the search bar,” Guggina said. “We aren’t just meeting people where they shop, we’re anticipating how they live.” Customers will be able to ask Gemini for tips and suggestions — such as which running shoes are the most recommended. Gemini will respond with items, including those sold at Walmart and Sam’s Club if relevant, which they can purchase directly. Queries that aren’t tied to shopping could also include item recommendations. Gemini will assess people’s purchasing intent — for example an inquiry about removing a wine stain out of a rug could lead to links for related products sold at Walmart. Fresh, frozen and marketplace items won’t be included in the initial offering, although the assortment will expand with time. AI is making inroads into consumers’ shopping habits, with people increasingly using the technology to research items or compare deals. Brands and retailers are creating new partnerships in order to capitalize — Walmart is also working with OpenAI . That deal, which lets shoppers buy items through ChatGPT, is in “very early days,” Guggina said. He added the retailer is aiming to make shopping experiences simpler, more personalized and anticipatory through AI. Other retailers are forging their own partnerships. Target Corp. is working with OpenAI to enhance shopping and help employees, with a goal of “weaving AI throughout the...