The financial news that actually matters
Homeowners across California are staring down the steepest home-insurance increase of any state in the country this year, a fresh signal of how sharply the cost of protecting a house has climbed in the most disaster-exposed corners of the United States. Industry forecasters put the average 2026 increase in California at roughly 16%, a bigger…
Buying a new vehicle has quietly become one of the largest financial commitments a household will make outside of a home, and the latest figures show just how far the bar has moved. The average price of a new car has pushed close to $50,000, and the monthly payment that comes with it now runs…
Another small bank has gone under, and federal regulators have put a price tag on the cleanup. The failure marks only the second time a U.S. bank has collapsed in 2026, a reminder that even in a relatively calm stretch for the banking system, individual institutions still buckle. The estimated cost to the government’s deposit…
One corner of the booming annuity market has quietly gone into reverse. Sales of fixed-rate annuities, the plain-vanilla contracts that lock in a set interest rate for a few years, slipped in early 2026 after a long run of blockbuster demand. The pullback stands out precisely because the broader annuity business is still setting records,…
The boating-supply chain that has outfitted recreational sailors and fishing enthusiasts for decades is sharply reducing its store count after landing in bankruptcy court. West Marine, a fixture in coastal and lakeside communities across the country, is closing dozens of locations as part of a court-supervised reorganization that began this spring. The retreat marks a…
Behind gold’s record-setting year sits a striking split in who is actually buying. The largest and most conservative buyers in the world, national central banks, have been loading up on the metal at a pace that ranks among the fastest in years. At the same time, many everyday investors have been moving the other way,…
American workers are stashing away a larger slice of their paychecks for retirement than at any point on record, a rare piece of encouraging news in a stretch of stubborn prices and market whiplash. The combined amount that employees and their employers are steering into workplace retirement plans has climbed to a new high, according…
More take-home pay protected from collectors Oregon has raised the share of wages that a creditor cannot touch, a change that took effect around July 1, 2026. Under the updated rule, the protected portion of a worker’s pay is the greater of 75% of disposable earnings or $400 per week — a floor that guarantees…
Homebuyers hoping the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act would bring quick relief on monthly payments face a hard reality: the law’s supply-side provisions phase in over years, while the bond yields that set mortgage pricing show no sign of retreating soon. With 30-year fixed rates hovering near 6.5 percent and the 10-year Treasury constant…
Homeowners who install a heat pump, upgrade insulation, or replace old windows can claim a federal tax credit of up to $3,200 a year under rules the Inflation Reduction Act expanded. But a tightening layer of manufacturer-registration and product-identification requirements is raising questions about how many taxpayers will actually collect the full amount when they…