The financial news that actually matters
The U.S. Treasury just gave savers a reason to log into TreasuryDirect. As of May 1, 2026, newly purchased Series I savings bonds earn a composite annual rate of 4.26%, the highest yield the government has offered on I bonds since the 5.27% rate set in November 2023. That rate applies to any bond bought…
Smoke was still rising over the port of Fujairah on the morning of May 28, 2026, when tanker captains in the Gulf of Oman began rerouting. Hours earlier, a coordinated Iranian barrage of cruise missiles and armed drones had slammed into one of the UAE’s largest oil export terminals, igniting fires visible from commercial shipping…
A round-trip flight from Fort Lauderdale to Detroit on Spirit Airlines used to run about $120 in the off-season. That fare no longer exists. Neither does the airline that offered it, at least not in any form most travelers would recognize. Spirit’s financial collapse across 2024 and 2025 ripped more than 200 routes and roughly…
Millions of taxpayers who paid late-payment penalties on their 2020 or 2021 federal returns may be entitled to refunds of hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The catch: the window to claim that money is closing fast. For many filers, the statutory deadline falls in July or August 2025, which means as of late May…
Published in May 2026. Two pounds of steak for a weekend cookout now costs more than $25 before you even grab the charcoal. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the average price of all uncooked beef steaks reached $12.74 per pound in February 2026, the highest reading in a data series that goes back…
A year ago, parking $25,000 in a high-yield savings account at a top online bank would have earned you north of 5% with no effort and no risk. By late May 2026, multiple secondary reports and account-holder disclosures indicate that Capital One, Synchrony Bank, and Marcus by Goldman Sachs have all trimmed their flagship rates…
If you are shopping for a mortgage in May 2026, here is the number that matters most right now: 6.20%. That is where the 30-year fixed rate landed for the week ending April 24, according to the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) tracked by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. And according…
Someone earning $30,000 a year with $35,000 in federal student loans could soon owe just $10 a month. That is the central promise of the Repayment Assistance Plan, the new income-driven repayment option taking effect July 1, 2026. The catch: borrowers who stay on RAP could carry their debt for up to 30 years before…
A 62-year-old worker earning $120,000 can now put up to $35,750 into a 401(k) in 2026. That is roughly $4,250 more than the same worker could have contributed last year, and it reflects the largest single-year expansion of late-career retirement saving capacity in more than a decade. The jump comes from two changes landing at…
A baby born on the Fourth of July last year already has $1,000 waiting in a savings account she has never seen. So does every other child born in the United States since that date. The money is real, it is federally funded, and starting July 4, 2026, parents will finally be able to access…