The financial news that actually matters
Millions of taxpayers in at least four states are receiving one-time rebate or surplus checks in 2026, with Georgia alone distributing nearly $1.2 billion and New York sending about $3 billion to 8.6 million filers. The payments reflect a pattern of states converting budget surpluses into direct cash for residents rather than rolling the money…
Federal prosecutors charged a board-certified cardiologist with running an $89 million fraud scheme that sent mobile testing teams into schools across the country, ordered heart scans on student athletes, and billed insurers for tests that were medically unnecessary. Jason Finkelstein, licensed in 48 states and serving as medical director for the operation, allegedly approved results…
Older homeowners in New Jersey are set to receive quarterly checks covering half their property-tax bills, up to $6,500 a year, through the state’s new StayNJ program. The benefit targets residents 65 and older and is designed to work on top of two existing relief programs, ANCHOR and Senior Freeze, filling the gap between what…
The Federal Trade Commission is sending 1,821 refund checks totaling more than $2.8 million to homeowners who paid for mortgage-relief services that never delivered. The recipients were victims of an operation that used the brand names Golden Home Services and Home Matters USA to collect upfront fees while falsely promising to negotiate loan modifications. The…
Workers saving for retirement through an Individual Retirement Arrangement will have more room to contribute starting in 2026, with the IRS raising the annual cap to $7,500 from $7,000. Savers aged 50 and older can set aside up to $8,600, thanks to a catch-up contribution that climbed to $1,100 from $1,000. The increases, driven by…
More American households are preparing to pull back on spending as anxiety over prices and job security spreads. The University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers found that sentiment edged higher from the prior month but remains below year-ago levels, with respondents pointing to weakened buying power and rising unemployment fears as the driving concerns. At…
Consumers across the United States can collect cash from at least a dozen active refund programs this summer, and several of those programs do not require any proof of purchase to file a claim. The Federal Trade Commission maintains a running index of these distributions, tied to enforcement actions against companies accused of illegal robocalls,…
American homebuyers face the most favorable purchasing conditions in years, as national house prices record sustained monthly declines and inflation-adjusted wages continue to climb. The combination has narrowed the gap between what a median-income household earns and what a median-priced home costs each month, a shift that had stalled for much of the past three…
Federal law guarantees that deposits at FDIC-member banks are protected up to $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each ownership category. That three-part formula, codified in statute and regulation, means a single person can keep well above $250,000 at one institution and still be fully covered, but only if the money is spread across…
Columbia, Missouri, residents are heading into the hottest months of the year with higher electric bills already baked into their accounts. The City Council approved a 2% increase on electric rates for fiscal year 2026, a change that took effect with the first billing cycle in October 2025. While 2% sounds modest on paper, the…