The financial news that actually matters
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.51% in the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey for the week ending May 22, 2026, its highest reading since late August 2025. That number, on its own, is not the story. The story is that it barely differs from the reading in January, or February, or March. For most…
When Maria Gonzalez, a 72-year-old widow in Portland, Oregon, sat down with her estate attorney in early 2025, the conversation centered on a single fear: that the federal estate tax exemption was about to be cut nearly in half, potentially exposing her $10 million estate to a tax bill her heirs could not afford without…
Amazon made canceling Prime so frustrating that its own employees had a name for the process: “Iliad,” after Homer’s epic about a war that ground on for ten years. The Federal Trade Commission agreed it was a problem, and the agency’s $2.5 billion settlement with Amazon is now paying out. If you tried to cancel…
For years, a married couple earning $38,000 who adopted a child out of foster care might owe only $1,500 in federal income tax. The adoption tax credit could wipe that bill to zero, but the thousands of dollars left over just sat there on paper, carried forward year after year, often expiring before the family…
When an orthopedic surgeon in one of six pilot states submits a request to perform knee surgery on a 72-year-old Medicare patient, the claim no longer goes straight to CMS for payment. Instead, it lands with a private technology vendor, which uses algorithms and clinical reviewers to decide whether the procedure should happen at all….
A freelance graphic designer earning $120,000 a year can now shield $24,000 of that income from federal taxes, not just this year but every year going forward. A two-partner accounting firm splitting $400,000 in profits can each deduct up to $40,000. And the owner of a small plumbing company clearing $200,000 through an S-corporation can…
A 50-year-old teacher in Virginia has $180,000 sitting in her 403(b). She knows she should own long-term-care insurance. She has even been quoted a premium: $2,200 a year for a standalone policy. But between her mortgage, two kids in daycare, and a car payment, writing that check has never quite made the cut. As of…
When Alyssa Bridgeman left her warehouse logistics job in 2021, she didn’t think much about the $2,800 sitting in her 401(k). She started a new position, enrolled in a new plan, and moved on. Two years later, she learned her old balance had been pushed into a default IRA invested in a money-market fund earning…
Until recently, a trip to the pharmacy for a shingles vaccine could cost a Medicare enrollee more than a week’s worth of groceries. Shingrix, the two-dose vaccine recommended for adults 50 and older, lists at roughly $200 per shot. Before 2023, most Part D plans required enrollees to cover a copay, coinsurance, or deductible on…
Workers who have been maxing out their 401(k) contributions just got more room. Starting January 1, 2026, the annual deferral limit for 401(k) plans climbed to $24,500, a $1,000 increase over the 2025 ceiling of $23,500. The IRA contribution cap rose as well, reaching $7,500 after holding at $7,000 for the prior two years. For…