The financial news that actually matters
The future of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s attempt to curb overdraft charges is no longer just a fight over one banking rule. It has become an early measure of how far the new administration is willing to go in pulling back consumer regulations that were finalized at the end of the Biden era.For bank…
The Federal Reserve ended 2025 with a clear message for households, businesses, and investors: even after cutting rates again in December, officials were no longer signaling a quick slide back to cheap money. The central bank’s latest projections pointed to a much slower pace of easing in 2026 than many borrowers had hoped for, suggesting…
Americans are carrying roughly $1.56 trillion in auto loan debt, a reminder that the cost of getting behind the wheel remains one of the biggest pressures on household budgets. At the same time, the typical monthly payment for a new vehicle has climbed into the mid-$700 range, turning what used to be a manageable bill…
For many American households, the extra cash cushion built during the pandemic is no longer providing much protection. Stimulus payments, enhanced jobless benefits, and a temporary drop in spending during lockdowns helped many families build up unusually large bank balances in 2020 and 2021. But that cushion has steadily thinned as inflation raised the cost…
The Supreme Court wiped out a major pillar of President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy, ruling that the White House had no authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose sweeping import duties across a wide range of goods. On paper, that should have opened the door to relief for businesses and, eventually, for…
The U.S. Supreme Court handed importers and manufacturers a major legal victory when it ruled on February 20 that President Donald Trump could not use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, to impose sweeping tariffs. But for many businesses, the decision landed after months of higher costs, disrupted planning, and lost sales that…
The inflation report investors and Federal Reserve officials watch most closely did little to reopen the door to lower interest rates. Fresh data on the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index, or PCE, showed inflation still running too hot in late 2025, with the underlying trend proving especially stubborn.For households waiting for relief on mortgages, credit…
Arizona Public Service, the state’s largest electric utility, is asking regulators to approve a nearly 14% rate increase that would add hundreds of millions of dollars to the company’s annual base-rate revenue. The request has opened a high-stakes fight over what Arizona households and businesses should be asked to pay for power in one of…
Millions of Americans caught between raising children and helping aging parents are absorbing a financial hit that reaches far beyond a tight monthly budget. For many households, caregiving is no longer a temporary strain. It is reshaping how families spend, save, and think about the future. What begins as helping with groceries, medications, housing, or…
Remote work is no longer the default white-collar perk it appeared to be just a few years ago. Across the United States, fully remote listings have become harder to find, and the openings that remain are attracting outsized attention from job seekers who still want flexibility. At the same time, more large employers are tightening…