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D.R. Horton signage stands in front of homes under construction at the Eastridge Woods development in Cottage Grove, Minnesota.Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Property Play newsletter with Diana Olick. Property Play covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, from individuals to venture capitalists, private equity funds, family offices, institutional investors and large public companies. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.D.R. Horton, the nation’s largest homebuilder, is tapping an artificial intelligence tool from Portland, Oregon-based startup Prophetic to build more homes and address the country’s…

This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Vicki Lynn, 67, a physical therapist assistant who relocated from California to Florida and used AI-powered platform Homa to draw up her contract without the help of an agent. Homa charges a flat rate of $1,995 for transactions with a selling agent. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.I like being a part of new ideas and more innovative ways of doing things. Thinking outside the box, so to speak, and brainstorming “how can we do this better?”I felt the same when it came to buying a home, which I…

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for shoppers, but Target is trying to reduce the chaos of holiday shopping in its stores.Target’s chief guest experience officer, Cara Sylvester, said customers are craving consistency when shopping in stores. For Target, that means cleaning them up, keeping shelves stocked, and having happy staff members.It’s all part of an effort to keep consumers engaged and shopping the aisles of the winter wonderland that Target is creating throughout its 2,000-plus stores.Although it’s spreading holiday cheer this season, Target hasn’t had a joyous past few years. The retailer posted declining comparable sales for…

Remember when Reels was dismissed as Meta’s attempt to clone TikTok?Well, now the five-year-old app is on track to generate $50 billion a year. It’s turned into a huge win for Meta, and it has become one of the biggest “creator economy” businesses in the world.But that number also makes something else clear: The creator economy’s biggest winners aren’t creators. It’s the platforms that depend on them.That’s because almost every one of those platforms depends on the labor of creators — a shorter way of describing “people who make and/or own content” — but shares very little of the revenue…

Millions of Americans could see their health insurance premiums climb by a staggering average of 75% next year.Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies — which lower the cost of marketplace coverage for middle- and low-income households — are set to expire December 31. And, without a healthcare spending agreement from Congress, it’s likely they won’t be renewed. With open enrollment underway for those plans, Americans could be facing a new round of insurance sticker shock.Extending these ACA tax credits has been a key goal of Democrats, contributing to the stalemate at the heart of the recently-ended government shutdown. While the government…

The demise of a key consumer protection agency could push relief for student-loan borrowers further out of reach.Attorneys for Russell Vought, acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, wrote in a legal filing on November 10 that the administration “anticipates exhausting” the CFPB’s available funds in early 2026, meaning that after that point, the agency created in 2011 to protect Americans from another financial crisis will be defunct.Vought wrote in a memo that the CFPB’s funding structure, which relies on money from the Federal Reserve, is not constitutional, marking the Trump administration’s most significant step to date in attempting…

When high-powered Democratic attorney Kathryn Ruemmler — now the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs — needed to vent about Donald Trump’s rise in politics, she turned to their mutual acquaintance, Jeffrey Epstein.”Trump is living proof of the adage that it is better to be lucky than smart,” she told Epstein in an email in August 2015, while planning a visit to his Manhattan mansion.Later, Ruemmler expressed alarm about Trump’s climb in the polls.”The Trump success is seriously scary,” she wrote in February 2016.The two chatted frequently about the 2016 presidential election and transition. (Ruemmler wasn’t a fan of Steve Mnuchin,…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Levi Pells, 32, a life coach and retreat leader in Japan. It’s been edited for length and clarity.I spent five years as a recruiter in Tokyo.From my high-rise apartment in Roppongi, with Tokyo Tower glowing in the distance, I had everything I thought I wanted: a steady paycheck, a girlfriend, and the trappings of success. Yet I felt completely alone.My achievements were measurable; my happiness wasn’t. So I walked away — from Tokyo, and the life I’d built — to start over in the Japanese countryside.Japan wasn’t new to meI was…

Grant Thornton Advisors agreed to add GT Brazil to its multinational platform, extending its reach into Latin America. The transaction adds GT Brazil’s $80 million revenue and nearly 2,000 staff, and marks the Top 10 Firm’s 16th deal since founding the international platform earlier this year with the support of its private equity investor New Mountain Capital. The transaction is expected to close later this year. Last week, Grant Thornton announced it would add Grant Thornton Poland and New Zealand. The platform currently includes firms in the U.S., Ireland, France, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, the Channel Islands and the Cayman…

‘Making Money’ host Charles Payne discusses 401(k) savings with Walser Wealth Management president Rebecca Walser and what it says about Americans’ retirement. The IRS unveiled contribution limit changes for popular retirement plans, including 401(k) plans and IRAs. Americans who contribute to 401(k) and 403(b) plans, as well as governmental 457 plans and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan, will see their contribution limit rise to $24,500 in 2026 – an increase from $23,500 in 2025 – the IRS announced on Thursday.The IRA contribution limit is also rising next year, increasing to $7,500 in 2026 from $7,000 this year. People aged 50…