The financial news that actually matters
Oil tankers resumed passage through the Strait of Hormuz after an interim diplomatic agreement, and Brent crude spot prices fell to about $78 per barrel. The price drop landed as maritime tracking data confirmed that stranded vessels had started moving again, easing weeks of supply anxiety that had kept the global benchmark elevated. For American…
Three Democratic senators have given the White House a June 29 deadline to answer a direct question: does the administration plan to raise the full retirement age for Social Security? Senators Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, and Richard Blumenthal sent the letter after a March 25 Senate Budget Committee hearing where witnesses discussed trust-fund pressures and…
Millions of Medicare beneficiaries face a projected jump in their monthly Part B premium to $218.60 by 2027, roughly $15 more than the $202.90 they pay in 2026. The increase, drawn from forward-looking estimates in the 2026 Medicare Trustees Report, reflects rising costs in the Supplementary Medical Insurance program and raises real questions about whether…
Married couples where only one spouse earns a paycheck can still set aside up to $7,500 in an IRA for the non-working partner in 2026, provided they file a joint federal tax return. The rule, formally called the Kay Bailey Hutchison Spousal IRA Limit, has existed for years, yet many households overlook it because they…
Workers born in 1960 or later face a permanent 30 percent cut to their monthly Social Security checks if they claim benefits at 62 rather than waiting until their full retirement age of 67. That reduction applies to every payment for the rest of a retiree’s life, and it cannot be reversed once benefits begin….
Medicare beneficiaries earning above certain income thresholds in 2025 will face higher Part B and Part D premiums two years later, when the Social Security Administration applies its fixed lookback rule to set 2027 surcharges. The first income-related monthly adjustment amount, or IRMAA, tier for 2027 is projected at $111,000 for single filers and $222,000…
Home sellers across the South and West are slashing prices at rates not seen in over a decade, driven by a growing mismatch between rising inventory and cautious buyers. Nearly one in five new-construction homes carried a price reduction in late 2025, and by February 2026, a record 34 percent of all sellers nationwide had…
Aging wartime veterans who struggle with bathing, dressing, or feeding themselves can receive up to $2,874 a month through the Department of Veterans Affairs Aid and Attendance pension, a benefit that many eligible households still fail to claim. The current Maximum Annual Pension Rate for a veteran with one dependent stands at $34,488, effective December…
Millions of Americans saving for retirement treat every dollar inside an IRA as untouchable until age 59 and a half. For Roth IRA holders, that belief is wrong in one specific and consequential way: the money they contributed, not the earnings it generated, can be pulled out at any time without federal income tax or…
Starting around July 1, federal loan servicers will begin sending notices to 7.5 million borrowers enrolled in the SAVE repayment plan, directing them to switch to a different plan within 90 days. The U.S. Department of Education has declared SAVE unlawful, and borrowers who have been stuck in forbearance since the summer of 2024 now…