The financial news that actually matters
Cardholders who picked up the phone and asked their credit card issuer for a lower interest rate had remarkably good odds of success last year, with a prior-year survey wave recording an 83% approval rate. That figure has since dropped, but the core finding holds: most people who request a rate cut still get one,…
Americans lost $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, a roughly 20 percent jump from the prior year, after the Federal Trade Commission logged more than one million reports in that category alone. A growing share of those cases started with a fake romantic connection before the scammer pivoted to pushing fraudulent cryptocurrency or forex…
Freelancers, gig workers, and other self-employed individuals face a hard deadline this Monday for their second-quarter estimated tax payment. Missing it triggers an automatic interest charge from the IRS at a 6% annual rate, and that interest compounds daily, not monthly or quarterly. For independent earners who already manage uneven cash flow, even a short…
American drivers are paying less at the pump this week after the national average price of regular gasoline dropped to $4.13 a gallon, down from $4.28 just seven days earlier. The 15-cent decline arrived as crude oil pulled back from its highest level of 2026, easing pressure on refiners and the retail fuel chain. For…
American grocery shoppers are paying measurably more than they were a year ago, and federal forecasters expect the pressure to continue. The Consumer Price Index for food climbed 3.1% over the 12 months ending May 2026, while grocery store prices specifically rose 2.7% in the same period. The USDA Economic Research Service has issued 2026…
Customers affected by Krispy Kreme’s data breach face a tight window to file claims for payments reported to reach as high as $3,500, with the deadline set for June 22. The settlement follows a cybersecurity incident that prompted the company to file a breach notification with the California Department of Justice. With fewer than two…
Owners of roughly 880,000 Honda and Acura SUVs sold in cold-weather states now face a safety recall tied to rust eating through rear subframe mounts that hold the suspension in place. The recall covers 2016 through 2020 model-year Honda Pilot, Ridgeline, and Passport vehicles along with the Acura MDX, all registered in 20 salt-belt states…
Crude oil prices have shed roughly 20% from their 2026 high after traders began pricing in a durable ceasefire between the United States and Iran. North Sea Dated crude, a key global benchmark, fell from $144 a barrel to below $100, driven by shifting conflict signals and recalculated supply risks. The speed of the drop…
American drivers paying more than $4 a gallon at the pump got a break when U.S. crude futures dropped below $100 a barrel after Washington and Tehran agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The deal sent oil prices sharply lower, lifted U.S. stock futures and Asian equity markets, and…
More than 7 million federal student loan borrowers enrolled in the SAVE repayment plan are roughly 20 days away from receiving formal exit notices that will force them to choose a new repayment path or be automatically shifted into a plan with potentially higher monthly bills. The Department of Education confirmed that servicers will begin…