The financial news that actually matters
Tens of thousands of gig workers who cleaned homes and assembled furniture through the Handy Technologies platform are now receiving refund checks from the Federal Trade Commission. The agency is distributing more than $2.7 million to 62,893 recipients who performed work between January 2019 and November 2024, resolving allegations that the company used deceptive earnings…
AES Indiana customers are set to absorb roughly $9.50 more per month on their electric bills after the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission issued a final order in mid-June 2026 approving a base rate increase in Cause No. 46258. The decision caps a contested rate case that drew opposition from the state’s consumer advocate, the Indiana…
Five people received federal prison sentences for draining the bank accounts of elderly retired Florida school district employees, acting as domestic links in a fraud operation directed by overseas scammers. The defendants exploited a retirement specialist’s access to personal data, faxed fraudulent withdrawal forms, and funneled roughly $1,000,000 in stolen funds through personal and business…
Homebuyers and current borrowers face a direct hit to their wallets after the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate climbed to 6.55 percent, its highest level in nearly a year. The Federal Reserve’s June 16-17 meeting minutes show policymakers tilting toward tighter policy rather than easing, a shift that could push borrowing costs even higher in…
Homeowners across the United States are paying hundreds of dollars more each year to insure their properties than they did just a few years ago. Average premiums climbed roughly 27 percent between 2019 and 2024, rising from about $2,235 to approximately $2,829, according to a federal analysis. The steepest increases have hit ZIP codes exposed…
Pizza Hut workers and franchisees across the United States face a sharp contraction as roughly 250 locations are set to close during the first half of 2026. The closures, tied to parent company Yum! Brands’ ongoing unit-level performance reviews, preceded a far larger corporate decision: Yum! Brands filed paperwork on June 16, 2026, formalizing the…
Gold prices held above $4,000 an ounce this week as escalating violence across the Middle East pushed investors into safe-haven assets, testing the durability of a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire and raising fresh questions about inflation, oil costs, and the Federal Reserve’s next move. The convergence of diplomatic uncertainty and central bank caution has created conditions…
Nearly 5,000 Microsoft employees are losing their jobs in a second round of cuts this year, with the Xbox division absorbing the heaviest losses as the company reconfigures its gaming business. The reductions affect about 2.1 percent of Microsoft’s total workforce and follow an earlier wave of layoffs, concentrating pain in a unit that has…
Roughly one in seven U.S. homes now lacks homeowners insurance, according to a Federal Reserve survey of household finances, as carriers accelerate their retreat from areas hit hardest by wildfires, hurricanes, and severe storms. Federal data covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia show that nonrenewal activity has climbed steadily since 2018, with…
A record 645,000 Americans now hold at least $1 million in their 401(k) accounts, a figure that has climbed steadily as federal contribution ceilings have risen and equity markets have delivered strong returns. The milestone reflects years of disciplined saving by a small but growing slice of the workforce, and it arrives as the IRS…