David Keller, Author at The Financial Wire

A yellow and black jet airliner taking off from an airport

The average domestic flight now costs $365 — up 24% from last year — after Spirit Airlines shut down and took 300 daily flights off the board

David Keller5 months ago5 months ago010 mins

The gate agent at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport used to call Spirit Airlines boarding groups every few minutes, funneling bright-yellow-clad travelers onto some of the cheapest flights in the country. That ritual ended for good in early May 2026. Spirit confirmed on May 2, 2026, that it was ceasing all scheduled service, according to Axios,…

Happy family preparing healthy food in the kitchen family cooking

The average American family is now spending $960 more a year on gas than before the Iran war started — and the peace deal just collapsed

David Keller5 months ago5 months ago011 mins

The peace deal with Iran fell apart in late May 2026, and American drivers are paying for it. President Trump rejected Tehran’s latest response to a ceasefire proposal, ending weeks of back-channel diplomacy. Within hours, Brent crude jumped above $103 a barrel, as traders priced in the likelihood that Iranian oil would remain locked out…

A display in a store filled with lots of meat

Steak is still at an all-time record of $12.74 a pound — ground beef is $6.70 — and the USDA says prices could rise another 18% before the grilling season ends

David Keller5 months ago5 months ago012 mins

The last time many Americans fired up the grill for Memorial Day, a pound of boneless sirloin steak cost roughly $10. This year, that same cut averages $12.74 a pound at U.S. grocery stores, the highest price the Bureau of Labor Statistics has ever recorded. Ground beef sits at $6.70 a pound, also an all-time…

Hispanic Students Listening to a Lecturer student classroom writing

Student loan borrowers have 51 days to pick a new repayment plan — miss the July 1 deadline and the government picks the most expensive one for you

David Keller5 months ago5 months ago013 mins

A borrower earning $45,000 a year with $35,000 in federal student loan debt could pay roughly $350 to $400 a month under the government’s default repayment schedule. Under an income-driven plan, that same borrower might owe closer to $150 to $200. The difference is real, and it kicks in on July 1, 2025, when the…

the home of the week is listed for 3 5 million

Home prices grew just 0.5% nationally — the weakest growth since 2011 — while 28 of the 53 largest metros are now seeing price declines

David Keller5 months ago5 months ago012 mins

Home prices grew just 0.5% nationally – the weakest growth since 2011 – while 28 of the 53 largest metros are now seeing price declines The pandemic housing boom didn’t end with a crash. It ended with a whimper. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s House Price Index for the first quarter of 2025,…

Gas station illuminated at night in the fog.

Gas prices drove three-quarters of March’s 3.3% inflation — and tomorrow’s April report is expected to hit 3.7%, the highest since January 2024

David Keller5 months ago5 months ago010 mins

Gasoline did nearly all the work in March’s inflation report. The Bureau of Labor Statistics confirmed that the Consumer Price Index rose 0.9% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the month, lifting the annual rate to 3.3%. The critical detail buried in the release: the gasoline index jumped 21.2% year over year, and the BLS…

1040 tax form on a wooden table Tax time Financial concept

The IRS may owe you a refund for penalties paid between 2020 and 2023 — you have 60 days left to file a paper form or the money disappears

David Keller5 months ago5 months ago013 mins

A taxpayer who filed a late 2021 return on a $15,000 balance could have been hit with more than $4,000 in combined IRS penalties. If a federal court ruling from 2024 holds up, that money never should have been charged, and the taxpayer can ask for it back. But the clock is running out: the…

Sad dismissed worker are taking his office supplies with him from office

Cognizant is cutting up to 15,000 workers under “Project Leap” — spending $320 million on severance to replace employees with AI

David Keller5 months ago5 months ago012 mins

Cognizant Technology Solutions has set aside up to $320 million to restructure its workforce under a program called Project Leap, a move that industry analysts estimate could eliminate as many as 15,000 jobs from the company’s roughly 350,000-person payroll. The 350,000 figure is derived from Cognizant’s most recent public filings, including its 8-K filed on…

Hand and credit card photos for online businesses. Legal liability

The OCC just rewrote the rules on bank fees — including interchange “swipe fees” — and the new rule takes effect June 30

David Keller5 months ago5 months ago012 mins

Every time you tap or swipe a card at a restaurant in Illinois, the bank that issued your card collects an interchange fee, typically between 1.5% and 3.5% of the total charge depending on the card type and network. That total includes the meal, the sales tax, and the tip. Illinois passed a law, the…

Four Fired Managers Sitting With Office Boxes

128,270 workers have been laid off across 286 tech companies in 2026 — and AI is now the #1 reason for job cuts for the second straight month

David Keller5 months ago5 months ago011 mins

When a mid-level QA engineer at a large SaaS company opens a company-wide email in May 2026 and reads that her entire team is being “restructured around AI-driven testing tools,” she joins a rapidly growing count. By early June 2026, the Layoffs.fyi tracker showed 128,270 tech workers cut from 286 companies since January. For the…

David Keller

The average domestic flight now costs $365 — up 24% from last year — after Spirit Airlines shut down and took 300 daily flights off the board

The average American family is now spending $960 more a year on gas than before the Iran war started — and the peace deal just collapsed

Steak is still at an all-time record of $12.74 a pound — ground beef is $6.70 — and the USDA says prices could rise another 18% before the grilling season ends

Student loan borrowers have 51 days to pick a new repayment plan — miss the July 1 deadline and the government picks the most expensive one for you

Home prices grew just 0.5% nationally — the weakest growth since 2011 — while 28 of the 53 largest metros are now seeing price declines

Gas prices drove three-quarters of March’s 3.3% inflation — and tomorrow’s April report is expected to hit 3.7%, the highest since January 2024

The IRS may owe you a refund for penalties paid between 2020 and 2023 — you have 60 days left to file a paper form or the money disappears

Cognizant is cutting up to 15,000 workers under “Project Leap” — spending $320 million on severance to replace employees with AI

The OCC just rewrote the rules on bank fees — including interchange “swipe fees” — and the new rule takes effect June 30

128,270 workers have been laid off across 286 tech companies in 2026 — and AI is now the #1 reason for job cuts for the second straight month

IG

FB

PIN

LI

X