The financial news that actually matters
Monthly child care bills can exceed $5,000 in some parts of the U.S., pushing the annual cost of infant care well past what many families pay for a year of in-state college tuition. The gap between what parents spend on care for young children and what they earn has widened sharply, with recent reporting and…
JPMorgan Chase warned in January 2026 that a proposed 10% cap on credit card interest rates could eliminate lending access for up to 40 million American borrowers, a figure the bank’s executives cited during earnings-cycle communications. The warning landed as Senate bill S.381, the 10 Percent Credit Card Interest Rate Cap Act, continues to draw…
Auto loan delinquencies in the United States have climbed to 4.1%, the highest level recorded in 14 years, according to Federal Reserve data tracking the share of balances at least 30 days past due. The increase signals mounting financial pressure on millions of American households that depend on vehicle financing for daily transportation. With total…
U.S. manufacturing ended the year on a weaker note, with the sector slipping deeper into contraction as demand remained soft and factory managers grew more cautious about the near-term outlook. The Institute for Supply Management’s Manufacturing PMI fell to 47.9, down from 48.2 a month earlier, marking the lowest reading of the year and extending…
The benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yield pushed above the 4.2% threshold this week, a move that reflects growing tension between the bond market’s expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts and a wave of government borrowing that keeps pushing long-term rates higher. The climb puts pressure on mortgage rates, corporate borrowing costs, and household budgets at…
The IRS raised Health Savings Account contribution limits for 2026 to $4,400 for individuals with self-only high-deductible health plan coverage and $8,750 for family coverage. The adjustment, published through Revenue Procedure 2025-19, also tightens the thresholds that define qualifying high-deductible plans, a shift that could reshape how millions of workers plan for medical expenses in…
Buy now, pay later has moved well beyond being a niche checkout option for online shoppers. What started as a way to split up a sneaker purchase or holiday gift is becoming a routine payment method for millions of Americans, including many who are already carrying balances elsewhere. That growth matters for more than retail….
American consumers are carrying more credit card debt than ever, and the cost of carrying that debt remains punishingly high. Credit card balances have pushed past $1.2 trillion, while the average annual percentage rate on card plans has stayed near 21%, leaving many households with less room to absorb higher housing, food, insurance, and transportation…
American drivers are paying more than ever to keep their cars insured, with the average full-coverage premium now running about $2,638 a year nationwide. The increase is smaller than the sharp run-up seen a year earlier, but it still adds another expensive monthly bill for households already trying to absorb higher costs for housing, groceries,…
The federal government’s beneficial ownership reporting system was once poised to reach a huge share of the American small-business economy. Under the original framework, millions of corporations, LLCs, and similar entities were expected to disclose the real people behind them to the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN. That is no longer the…