TMATT Tax & Financial

11/03/2026

Read the latest issue of Financial Watch here:

You can do everything right online and still end up on a spreadsheet you never agreed to be part of. In this month's Financial Watch, learn how to respond…

11/02/2026

Net worth is one of the most telling numbers in personal finance. Add up your assets and liabilities to see where you really stand today.

Get a snapshot of your overall financial picture by calculating your total net worth.

11/01/2026

🛍️ What if you and another shopper paid different prices for the exact same groceries?

AI could make that scenario more common.

Retailers are exploring personalized pricing, which may use data such as browsing habits, ZIP codes, and purchasing behavior to determine what individual shoppers are willing to pay.

In one Instacart pricing experiment, researchers found that identical grocery baskets cost some shoppers up to 23% more than others. Instacart disputed aspects of those findings and later ended the experiment.

As AI becomes more involved in retail, it raises an interesting question: Will the price you see depend on who's shopping? 🤖



Source:

Retailers want to harness the power of artificial intelligence to set personalized prices for shoppers, a consumer protection expert says.

10/31/2026

Wishing you a spook-tacular Halloween filled with treats, tricks, and lots of eerie fun!

10/30/2026

Talking with your parents about their wishes as they get older isn’t always easy. ❤️

You may worry about making them uncomfortable, or they may not feel ready to discuss it. But understanding what matters to them can make a difference if your family ever faces difficult decisions.

💬 The conversation doesn’t have to cover everything at once. You might start with a couple of simple questions:
▪️“Have you thought about what you’d want if you ever needed help making decisions?”
▪️“Do you have important documents somewhere we could find them if needed?”

Over time, those conversations may cover medical preferences and documents like a will or power of attorney.

And if your parents aren’t ready to talk? That’s okay. Respecting their comfort and independence is part of the conversation, too.

This isn’t about taking over. It’s about listening, so their wishes are understood if they’re ever needed.



Source:

End-of-life planning can be difficult to discuss, but the right approach can make the conversation easier.

10/30/2026

Looking ahead can help female investors conquer these unique obstacles. You can learn more here.

10/28/2026

How does it stack up? Looking back over the last 20 years of Social Security cost-of-living (COLA) adjustments:

✅ It’s higher than 2.8% in 2026
✅ It’s above the 20-year average of about 2.6%
✅ It ties 2012 for the 4th-largest increase since 2008, behind only 2023 (8.7%), 2022 (5.9%) and 2009 (5.8%)

What does that mean in dollars? The average retired worker’s monthly benefit goes from $2,095 to $2,170 in 2027, about $75 more per month. The maximum benefit raises just slightly, from $4,152 a month to $4,188 in 2027.

Nearly 72 million Social Security beneficiaries will see the 3.6% COLA beginning in January 2027. Increased payments to about 7.3 million people receiving SSI will begin on December 31, 2026.

10/27/2026

🌌 Astronomers just detected the most distant blazar ever observed, and its light has been traveling toward us for 8 billion years.

Known as Blazar OP 313, it’s powered by a supermassive black hole feeding on surrounding material and launching jets of plasma at nearly the speed of light. Because one of those jets points almost directly toward Earth, we see an especially intense burst of energy.

The light reaching us today shows the blazar as it existed about 5 billion years after the Big Bang, when stars and galaxies were forming at an extraordinary pace.

🔭 By studying its high-energy gamma rays, researchers can learn more about how supermassive black holes accelerated particles and shaped their surroundings during an earlier chapter of cosmic history.

Eight billion years later, that ancient signal is still teaching us something new about the universe. ✨



Source:

"Around 11 billion years ago, the universe experienced a period of peak activity known as the 'Cosmic noon,' characterized by an intense rate of star and galaxy formation."

10/26/2026

The AI trade isn't ending. It's expanding. Cetera's latest commentary examines what's driving the recent selloff, where they see opportunities emerging, and why staying invested still matters.

The AI trade isn't ending. It's expanding. Our latest commentary examines what's driving the recent selloff, where we see opportunities emerging, and why…

10/26/2026

Connecting everyday decisions can help you stay on track and spend intentionally. Learn the difference between spending intentionally and spending reflexively.

Simple systems can help you spend with purpose year-round, without relying on constant willpower to stay on track.