The financial news that actually matters
Self-employed workers across the United States face a June 15, 2026 deadline to submit their second-quarter estimated tax payments to the IRS. Those who fall short will begin accruing interest at a 6 percent annual rate, compounded daily, on every dollar they owe. With four days left, the math is simple but unforgiving: each day…
Drivers across the United States are losing billions of dollars to scammers posing as government agencies, and a growing share of those losses trace back to a simple text message claiming an unpaid toll. The Federal Trade Commission received over 1 million imposter-scam reports in 2025, with total reported losses climbing nearly 20% to $3.5…
The Federal Trade Commission published a consumer alert in June 2026 warning that fake CAPTCHA pop-ups are being used to trick people into running malware on their own computers. The scheme replaces the familiar “prove you’re human” verification box with a look-alike page that instructs visitors to press a specific sequence of keyboard shortcuts, quietly…
More than 38,000 tech workers learned in May that their jobs were being eliminated, making it the sector’s worst single month in nearly two years. Artificial intelligence was the reason employers gave most often, cited in connection with roughly 40 percent of all U.S. layoff announcements during the same period. The tech industry has now…
Borrowers hoping for cheaper mortgages, car loans, or credit card rates will have to wait at least another month. The Federal Open Market Committee convenes its two-day June meeting on June 16-17, and futures markets price in a 99 percent probability that officials will leave the federal funds rate target range exactly where it is….
Americans who reached age 50 this year just gained a bigger window to build their retirement savings. The IRS set the 2026 elective deferral limit for 401(k) plans at $24,500, up from $23,500 the year before, and raised the general catch-up contribution for workers 50 and older to $8,000, up from $7,500. That means eligible…
Members of the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan who had their protected health information exposed in a data breach can file claims for up to $5,000 in documented losses, with a July deadline fast approaching. The settlement, which covers individuals whose sensitive records were compromised, arrives as federal regulators continue to track large-scale health data breaches through…
Millions of taxpayers who filed without bank account details on their returns now face a new reality: the IRS will no longer drop a paper refund check in the mail as a default. Starting after Sept. 30, 2025, the agency began phasing out paper checks for individual filers, a shift that affects roughly 7% of…
Borrowers, savers, and businesses watching their loan costs will get no relief from the Federal Reserve’s next scheduled decision. The two-day FOMC meeting set for June 16-17, 2026, carries a 99 percent market-implied probability that officials will leave the federal funds rate exactly where it stands: 3-1/2 to 3-3/4 percent, the range locked in since…
Homebuyers and refinancers woke up to higher borrowing costs on June 5, 2026, after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Employment Situation report for May 2026. The data showed a labor market still running hot, with strong nonfarm payroll gains, steady unemployment, and firm wage growth. Traders responded by pulling back bets on…