Two previously missing episodes of “Doctor Who” from 1965 were recently discovered in a box of donated video tapes.
BUSINESS
Jean Chatzky shares critical message on Roth IRA problem
The question of whether Americans saving and investing for retirement should contribute to a Traditional IRA or a Roth IRA is one that is often discussed. In my experience reporting on personal finance and retirement savings concerns for many years, I’ve found that numerous experts — including former NBC “Today” show financial editor and HerMoney cofounder Jean Chatzky — seem to favor the Roth option. Chatzky reveals her preference when she offers readers an explanation about backdoor IRAs, which involve people with higher incomes (those whose income exceeds limits for Roth IRAs) who contribute to Traditional IRAs and then convert them to Roth IRAs. Related: AARP sounds alarm for American workers on 401(k)s, IRAsChatzky offers her readers a word of warning about paying taxes during this process.”The deal is, when you convert assets from a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA, you have to pay taxes on the amount that you convert at the time that you do it,” Chatzky wrote on HerMoney. “And so, generally, the advice is, don’t convert unless you have money from outside that IRA in order to pay those taxes.” “What you don’t want to do is pull money out of a tax-advantaged haven and use that money to pay taxes,” she continued. “That could, depending on your tax bracket, cost you well over 30% of every dollar.” “That’s not the way to go about it.”Jean Chatzky explains role of tax rates for Roth IRAsChatzky mentions overall tax rates as another consideration when using a backdoor IRA.”When we opt for a traditional IRA over a Roth IRA, it’s generally because we think that our tax rate is going to go down in the future,” Chatzky wrote. “When we go with a Roth, instead of a traditional, it’s generally because we think our tax rate is lower now and is going to go up in the future.” “What we’re aiming to do is pay our taxes at the lowest rate possible.”Chatzky further explores the impacts of taxes increasing in the future on Roth IRAs.”If you are of the belief that taxes are overall going to go up in the future — and I’ve got to say, personally, I’m of that belief — then having at least some assets in a Roth is beneficial,” explained Chatzky. “The other thing that’s nice about a Roth, particularly for people who are significant earners, is that you never have to pull the money out.” “You can pass it along to future generations in your family without that money being taxed,” she wrote. “And so, if that’s something that you’re thinking about doing, that indicates that a backdoor Roth IRA conversion would be a good idea as well.”More on personal finance:Zillow forecasts big mortgage change for U.S. housing marketAARP sounds alarm on major Social Security problemDave Ramsey bluntly warns Americans on 401(k)sChatzky offers a simple step to take to begin planning a backdoor Roth IRA.”What I would do is look at your menu of traditional IRAs and convert them strategically based on your financial situation and your ability to pay those taxes, at the time, out of proceeds that are not in retirement accounts,” she wrote.
Jean Chatzky explains the complexities around converting a Traditional IRA into a Roth IRA.Image source: Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash
2026 contribution limits for 401(k)s and IRAsBecause Social Security alone was never meant to cover the full amount of one’s retirement income, employer-sponsored 401(k) plans and IRAs are critically important tools for affording life after one’s career. That makes understanding contribution limits for each extremely important.401(k) contribution limits for 2026The annual employee contribution limit for 2026 increases to $24,500, up from $23,500 for 2025, allowing workers to save more through their employer plans.The standard catch‑up contribution for employees aged 50 and over rises to $8,000 for 2026, an increase from $7,500 in 2025.Workers who are 50 or older can contribute a combined $32,500 in 2026 when adding the base limit and the catch‑up amount.Employees aged 60–63 continue to qualify for a higher catch‑up limit of $11,250 in 2026, which remains above the standard $8,000 catch‑up amount.(Source:Internal Revenue Service)IRA contribution limits for 2026The annual IRA contribution limit increases to $7,500 for 2026, up from $7,000, giving savers a slightly higher cap for tax‑advantaged retirement savings.The IRA catch‑up contribution for individuals aged 50 and over increases to $1,100 for 2026, up from $1,000, reflecting the cost‑of‑living adjustment added under the SECURE 2.0 Act.(Source:Internal Revenue Service)Related: Jean Chatzky sends blunt message to Americans on 401(k)s, IRAs
Y Combinator-backed Random Labs launches Slate V1, claiming the first ‘swarm-native’ coding agent
The software engineering world is currently wrestling with a fundamental paradox of the AI era: as models become more capable, the “systems problem” of managing them has become the primary bottleneck to real-world productivity. While a developer might have access to the raw intelligence of a frontier model, that intelligence often degrades the moment a task requires a long horizon or a deep context window. But help appears to be on the way: San Francisco-based, Y Combinator-backed startup Random Labs has officially launched Slate V1, described as the industry’s first “swarm native” autonomous coding agent designed to execute massively parallel, complex engineering tasks.Emerging from an open beta, the tool utilizes a “dynamic pruning algorithm” to maintain context in large codebases while scaling output to enterprise complexity. Co-founded by Kiran and Mihir Chintawar in 2024, the company aims to bridge the global engineering shortage by positioning Slate as a collaborative tool for the “next 20 million engineers” rather than a replacement for human developers.With the release of Slate V1, the team at Random Labs is attempting to architect a way out of this zone by introducing the first “swarm-native” agentic coding environment. Slate is not merely a wrapper or a chatbot with file access; it is an implementation of a “hive mind” philosophy designed to scale agentic work with the complexity of a human organization. By leveraging a novel architectural primitive called Thread Weaving, Slate moves beyond the rigid task trees and lossy compaction methods that have defined the first generation of AI coding assistants.Strategy: Action spaceAt the heart of Slate’s effectiveness is a deep engagement with Recursive Language Models (RLM). In a traditional setup, an agent might be asked to “fix a bug,” a prompt that forces the model to juggle high-level strategy and low-level execution simultaneously. Random Labs identifies this as a failure to tap into “Knowledge Overhang”—the latent intelligence a model possesses but cannot effectively access when it is tactically overwhelmed.Slate solves this by using a central orchestration thread that essentially “programs in action space”. This orchestrator doesn’t write the code directly; instead, it uses a TypeScript-based DSL to dispatch parallel worker threads to handle specific, bounded tasks. This creates a clear separation between the “kernel”—which manages the execution graph and maintains strategic alignment—and the worker “processes” that execute tactical operations in the terminal. By mapping onto an OS-style framework, inspired by Andrej Karpathy’s “LLM OS” concept, Slate is able to treat the limited context window of a model as precious RAM, actively, intelligently managing what is retained and what is discarded.Episodic memory and the swarmThe true innovation of the “Thread Weaving” approach lies in how it handles memory. Most agents today rely on “compaction,” which is often just a fancy term for lossy compression that risks dropping critical project state. Slate instead generates “episodes”. When a worker thread completes a task, it doesn’t return a sprawling transcript of every failed attempt; it returns a compressed summary of the successful tool calls and conclusions.Because these episodes share context directly with the orchestrator rather than relying on brittle message passing, the system maintains a “swarm” intelligence. This architecture allows for massive parallelism. A developer can have Claude Sonnet orchestrating a complex refactor while GPT-5.4 executes code, and GLM 5—a favorite for its agentic search capabilities—simultaneously researches library documentation in the background. It’s a similar approach taken by Perplexity with its new Computer multi-model agent By selecting the “right model for the job,” Slate ensures that users aren’t overspending on intelligence for simple tactical steps while still benefiting from the strategic depth of the world’s most powerful models.The business of autonomyFrom a commercial perspective, Random Labs is navigating the early beta period with a mix of transparency and strategic ambiguity. While the company has not yet published a fixed-price subscription sheet, the Slate CLI documentation confirms a shift toward a usage-based credit model. Commands like /usage and /billing allow users to monitor their credit burn in real-time, and the inclusion of organization-level billing toggles suggests a clear focus on professional engineering teams rather than solo hobbyists.There is also a significant play toward integration. Random Labs recently announced that direct support for OpenAI’s Codex and Anthropic’s Claude Code is slated for release next week. This suggests that Slate isn’t trying to compete with these models’ native interfaces, but rather to act as the superior orchestration layer that allows engineers to use all of them at once, safely and cost-effectively.I’ve reached out to Architecturally, the system is designed to maximize caching through subthread reuse, a “novel context engineering” trick that the team claims keeps the swarm approach from becoming a financial burden for users.Stability AIPerhaps the most compelling argument for the Slate architecture is its stability. In internal testing, an early version of this threading system managed to pass 2/3 of the tests on the make-mips-interpreter task within the Terminal Bench 2.0 suite.This is a task where even the newest frontier models, like Opus 4.6, often succeed less than 20% of the time when used in standard, non-orchestrated harnesses.This success in a “mutated” or changing environment is what separates a tool from a partner. According to Random Labs’ documentation, one fintech founder in NYC described Slate as their “best debugging tool,” a sentiment that echoes the broader goal of Random Labs: to build agents that don’t just complete a prompt, but scale like an organization. As the industry moves past simple “chat with your code” interfaces, the “Thread Weaving” of Slate V1 offers a glimpse into a future where the primary role of the human engineer is to direct a hive mind of specialized models, each working in concert to solve the long-horizon problems of modern software.
‘Reminders Of Him’ Rotten Tomatoes Reviews Mildly Favor Colleen Hoover’s Latest
“Reminders of Him,” the latest movie adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel, is new in theaters this weekend. What do Rotten Tomatoes critics think of the romantic drama?
Elon Musk just made things uncomfortable for Paypal and Cash App
Elon Musk has been talking about turning X (the former Twitter) into a financial super app for years. In April, he is finally making good on that promise.On March 10, Musk posted a single line on X: “X Money early public access will launch next month.” It was brief, as his announcements tend to be, but the implications are hard to overstate. For the first time, X’s 600 million monthly users will be able to send money, earn interest, and spend via a debit card without ever leaving the app.Shares of Visa (V) climbed 1.2 percent to $312 following the news, reflecting the company’s role as X Money’s payments backbone. PayPal (PYPL) slipped 0.8 percent, a small but telling sign of how Wall Street is sizing up the competitive threat.X Money launches with a product lineup that goes well beyond VenmoThe April rollout will not be a stripped-down beta. X Money launches with peer-to-peer transfers powered by Visa Direct, a digital wallet, and both virtual and physical debit cards carrying 1 percent cash back, according to PYMNTS. Users can also link bank accounts for direct deposits and bill payments.The feature drawing the most attention is the yield. X Money will offer up to 6 percent APY on balances through FDIC-insured partner banks, including Cross River Bank. That rate beats virtually every traditional savings account in the U.S. and is competitive with the best money market funds.More Tech Stocks:Morgan Stanley sets jaw-dropping Micron price target after eventNvidia’s China chip problem isn’t what most investors thinkQuantum Computing makes $110 million move nobody saw comingThe Visa partnership enables “secure and instant funding” to an X Wallet, with real-time P2P transfers linked to a user’s debit card, explained X CEO Linda Yaccarino. CoinDesk notes the 6 percent yield is already drawing regulatory scrutiny, as Congress debates the CLARITY Act governing yield-bearing products from nonbank institutions.What X Money launches with in April:Peer-to-peer transfers via Visa Direct with real-time settlementDigital wallet with direct deposit and bill payVirtual and physical debit cards with 1 percent cash backUp to 6 percent APY on balances through FDIC-insured partner banksFDIC deposit insurance up to $250,000 via Cross River BankZero foreign transaction feesThe regulatory groundwork separates the X Money launch from past Musk promisesWhat makes this moment different is the infrastructure quietly assembled behind it. X has secured money transmitter licenses in more than 40 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, a legal footprint that took years to build state by state.There is one notable gap. New York, one of the country’s largest financial markets, is not yet among the licensed jurisdictions. State officials previously urged the Department of Financial Services not to authorize the platform, citing concerns tied to Musk’s other roles. X is working to close that gap ahead of a wider rollout.The Visa partnership does more than provide payment rails. It hands X a built-in compliance framework and access to Visa Direct’s capacity of 65 billion transactions per year. For a platform trying to earn trust in financial services, that association carries as much weight as the technology itself.Dogecoin spiked on the news, but X Money is strictly fiat at launchNo revelation from Musk arrives without a Dogecoin reaction, and this one was no different. DOGE surged as much as 8 percent before giving back most of those gains, following a pattern that has played out repeatedly since 2021: Any hint of payments activity on X gets read through a crypto lens.The reality, at least for April, is more grounded. X’s head of product Nikita Bier confirmed in February that any crypto tools on the platform would only display market data and redirect users to external exchanges. X Money will not execute trades or act as a brokerage at launch.Crypto integration, including potential support for bitcoin, Ethereum, and Dogecoin, is on the roadmap for later in 2026. The product arriving in April is a polished fintech competitor, closer to Venmo with a social layer than the crypto-native wallet some had anticipated.
X Money will offer a digital wallet with direct deposit and bill pay.Zawrzel/Getty Images
Creators stand to benefit from X Money as much as everyday usersThe payments launch is not aimed only at consumers. Musk has described X Money as the foundation for frictionless creator payouts, with Super Follows subscriptions, tipping, and in-stream Super Thanks all set to route through the new wallet. That creator economy layer already generates an estimated $5 billion annual run rate across the platform.For creators, the appeal is straightforward. Instead of waiting for payout cycles tied to external processors, X Money is designed to route earnings directly to the wallet in real time. That removes a friction point that has long frustrated independent creators monetizing audiences on social platforms.The broader roadmap extends further. Investing tools, loans, and crypto on-ramps are targeted for later phases in 2026, with a commerce marketplace and international expansion penciled in by year-end. That is the WeChat model Musk has pointed to repeatedly: one app for messaging, media, payments, shopping, and investing, all in one place.PayPal, Venmo, Cash App suddenly face a 600-million-user rival in X MoneyThe scale advantage X brings to this fight is difficult to match. PayPal has about 430 million users. Venmo has roughly 90 million. Cash App counts about 57 million actives. X arrives with 600 million monthly users from day one, without needing to acquire a single new customer to generate network effects.The product pitch is also sharper than what incumbents currently offer — zero foreign transaction fees, 6 percent yield, real-time P2P transfers, cash back on every swipe. Analysts tracking the launch note that the promotional fee structure will not last forever, but the strategy is clear: Build the habit before the margin kicks in.For Musk, this story stretches back more than 25 years. He founded X.com in 1999 with the ambition of building a financial super app, before it merged with Confinity and eventually became PayPal. X Money is, in many ways, the product he always wanted to build. Whether it finally becomes that depends on execution, and that is the one variable no regulatory license can guarantee.Related: Elon Musk’s xAI reveals $200 billion breakthrough project
Down 63 percent, Warren Buffett dividend stock signals opportunity
Pool Corporation investors have had a rough stretch in recent years. The stock is down 63% from its all-time high and has fallen nearly 40% over the past year. That’s a painful slide for a company that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway believed in enough to accumulate an 8.3% stake worth approximately $647 million.However, the ongoing drawdown in Pool Corp. (POOL) allows you to buy the dip and benefit from a 2.5% dividend yield. Let’s dive deeper. What does Pool Corp. do?Pool Corporation is the world’s largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool supplies and equipment. It also sells irrigation and landscape products, including chemicals, pumps, filters, heaters, and decking materials. The company serves pool builders, service businesses, specialty retailers, and commercial pool operators across the U.S. and internationally. It operates456 sales centers and also runs the Pinch A Penny franchise network, which just surpassed 300 locations.Valued at a market cap of $7.76 billion, POOL stock has returned 183% to shareholders in dividend-adjusted gains over the past decade. A focus on dividend growthPOOL has raised its annual dividend from $1.24 per share in 2016 to $5 in 2026, according to data from Fiscal.ai. The company’s annual dividend expense is roughly $185 million, while it is forecast to end 2026 with a free cash flow of $389.75 million, indicating a payout ratio of less than 50%. In 2025, Pool Corp. returned $530 million to shareholders, including $341 million in buybacks. Company CEO Peter Arvan offered more detail.Pool Corp.’s key dividend metrics:Annual dividend: $5 per shareDividend yield: Around 2.4% at current prices10-year dividend growth rate: Approximately 17% annuallyPayout ratio: Roughly 48%, leaving room for continued growthCash returned to shareholders in 2025: $530 millionThat dividend track record is hard to ignore. Pool Corp. has consistently grown its payout across economic cycles.
Pool Corp. continues to grow its dividend amid sluggish demand.Shutterstock
Why the Warren Buffett dividend stock is downNew pool construction has collapsed from pandemic-era highs. In 2025, roughly 60,000 new pools were built in the U.S. That’s down about 40% from 2022 and approximately half the peak seen during the Covid-era boom.That matters because new construction drives a big chunk of discretionary spending — the kind that flows through Pool Corp.’s equipment and building materials categories.Related: Warren Buffett successor Abel sends first Berkshire Hathaway letter to shareholdersIn Q4 of 2025, Pool Corp. reported revenue of $982 million, below estimates of $999 million, per Reuters. Adjusted earnings per share of $0.84 also missed consensus estimates of $0.97. Moreover, Pool Corp.’s full-year 2026 earnings guidance of $10.85 to $11.15 per share fell short of the $11.62 Wall Street had expected, Reuters reported. Notably, Pool Corp.’s vendors raised prices in response to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which pushed the company to raise its own prices. Inventory climbed 13% to $1.5 billion by year-end, as management bought ahead of cost increases.More Dividend Stocks:This megacap AI stock pays over $12 billion in annual dividends147-year-energy behemoth expected to raise dividends as oil surges past $90156-year-old energy giant to pay $17 billion in dividends as oil spikes to $110Despite the headline pressure, Pool Corp.’s maintenance business held up well. CEO Peter Arvan noted that roughly 64% of pool product sales in 2025 came from maintenance items, such as chemicals, replacement parts, and service supplies. That business doesn’t disappear when new pool construction slows.Gross margin improved slightly, reaching 29.7% for the full year and 30.1% in Q4, up 70 basis points year over year. That’s a sign of disciplined pricing and solid supply chain management, even in a tough market.Can POOL stock recover in 2026?Management’s tone on the earnings call was cautiously optimistic. Arvan said dealer sentiment heading into the 2026 season was “more encouraging than not,” with many builders expecting to match or exceed last year’s pool counts.Texas showed signs of recovery late in 2025. Florida, despite headwinds from insurance and housing costs, posted positive results on a two-year stack. Europe posted its first local-currency growth in three years.Digital sales hit a record 15% of total revenue for the full year, up from prior levels. The company’s POOL360 platform is gaining traction, and management believes technology investments will begin generating more meaningful returns in 2026.Still, risks remain for POOL stock investors.Consumer confidence has not meaningfully recovered. Discretionary spending on renovations and new builds is still weak. And the tariff environment adds cost pressure that is difficult to pass through fully.What is the POOL stock price target?POOL stock reported a free cash flow of $309.5 million in 2025, down almost 50% year over year. Wall Street now estimates FCF to improve to $454 million in 2028. If the dividend stock is priced at 25x forward FCF (similar to its five-year average), it could return 50% over the next two years. Out of nine analysts covering Pool stock, five recommend “buy” and two recommend “hold.” The average POOL stock price target is $272, indicating an upside potential of 29% from current levels. The bottom line: Pool Corp. is not a broken business. It is a high-quality distributor navigating a cyclical downturn. With Buffett’s Berkshire holding a significant stake, a growing dividend, and improving operational efficiency, the stock could attract long-term income investors willing to wait for the cycle to turn.Related: This Warren Buffett favorite just hiked its dividend by 15%
Bitcoin climbs to near $72,000 after Treasury Secretary Bessent attempts to calm oil fears
Bessent said the U.S. Treasury Department will provide temporary authorization to allow countries to purchase Russian oil currently in transit.
Walmart’s effortlessly cool denim jackets are a spring wardrobe staple, starting at just $17
TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.Why we love this dealUp there with the little black dress and basic white tee, few wardrobe staples have stood the test of time like the denim jacket. Year after year, this classic garment is always trending and stays in style. While it may see a few adjustments to the crop, denim color, and silhouette, the basic look remains the same and continues to be a go-to style for springtime due to its versatility. As the outdoor temperatures continue to fluctuate between warm and cold, the jean jacket is perfect for layering. It matches casual graphic T-shirts and fancier summer dresses alike to keep you comfortable in any weather, and it easily transitions from a day at the office to a night on the town. Depending on how you dress it up, your style options are endless. A denim jacket can look edgy and cool paired with chunky platform soles or sweet and romantic when worn over a delicate lacey blouse. You don’t need to splurge to add an effortlessly cool jean jacket to your spring wardrobe. Both Walmart and Amazon have a variety of options that are stylish and affordable. We’ve gone through these finds and hand-picked the highest-rated denim jackets priced at $23 or less at these popular retailers. No Boundaries Oversized Cotton Denim Jacket, $17 (was $25) at Walmart
Courtesy of Walmart
Oversized for those who like something roomy, the No Boundaries Oversized Cotton Denim Jacket is on sale for just $17 at Walmart. It’s constructed with 100% cotton and has a desirable light blue wash with vintage charm. The simple structure works well for everyday wear, and can bring a touch of polish to your basic outfits when running to the grocery store or visiting the coffee shop. Shoppers praise the jacket for its comfort, classic look, and budget-friendly cost. One reviewer raved, “It’s stylish, comfortable, and the denim feels soft while still looking structured — perfect for layering with so many outfits.”Levi Strauss Signature Way Out West Trucker Denim Jacket, $17 (was $37) at Walmart
Courtesy of Walmart
Just as iconic as the jacket itself is the Levi’s brand, known for classic denim apparel with top-notch quality. You can score the Levi Strauss Signature Way Out West Trucker Denim Jacket for just $17 at Walmart, which is more than 50% off its original $37 price tag. The vintage-inspired jacket offers a classic design with a cropped fit and slouchy shoulders. The premium quality of Levi’s denim means superior performance and durability, so you’ll be able to wear this jacket again and again in the future. Amazon Essentials Oversized-Fit Heavyweight Denim Shirt Jacket, $16 (was $19) at Amazon
Courtesy of Amazon
Picked and worn by singer Demi Lovato herself, you can feel certain the Amazon Essentials Oversized-Fit Heavyweight Denim Shirt Jacket is a fashion-forward option. This jacket’s oversized cut makes it roomy enough to layer with thick hoodies and sweaters. The heavy cotton-blend denim comes with added stretch for a more comfortable fit without the rigidness associated with thick denim. The longer hem covers the backside, which some people may find more flattering. The $16 denim jacket deal is specifically for the sleek black color, but the jacket also comes in dark blue washes if you’re willing to pay extra.Yeokou Cropped Zip-Up Denim Bomber Jacket, $23 (was $46) at Amazon
Courtesy of Amazon
The Yeokou Cropped Zip-Up Denim Bomber Jacket offers a fresh take on the traditional jean jacket. Forgoing the regular structured design, this lightweight denim coat uses the classic bomber jacket silhouette for something unique, but just as timeless. This fun spin still brings the vintage vibes, but does so in a way that’s unexpected and sure to attract attention. “Constant compliments when I wear this one to work or going out,” wrote one reviewer. “It is beyond cute, and I wear it often.”Related: Walmart is selling a genuine sapphire tennis bracelet for just $17, and it’s adjustableShop more dealsDreweatts Oversized Denim Jacket, $21 (was $30) at AmazonCmfshape Distressed Leopard Denim Jacket, $23 (was $26) at WalmartFashionSpark Basic Button Down Denim Jacket, $16 (was $32) at AmazonElevate your springtime wardrobe for less with a denim jacket for $23 or less. By taking advantage of the deals happening now at Walmart and Amazon, you can add these staples to your closet at an affordable price.
FBI Says Michigan Synagogue Shooting Was ‘Targeted’ Attack Against Jewish Community
No victims were injured or killed in the attack.
Most Entrepreneurs Are Using AI Wrong. Here’s a Simple 3-Step Fix
Most entrepreneurs think they have an AI problem, but the real issue is how they structure their requests — and fixing it can save hours of frustration.