The financial news that actually matters
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…
American consumers watching grocery bills and gas prices climb got hard confirmation in June when federal data showed the all items index rose 4.2 percent for the 12 months ending in May 2026, the first time that measure topped 4 percent in three years. Now two events on the same morning, July 14, will collide…
A franchisee operating a Tuffy tire-and-auto service location filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The petition, accessible through the court’s electronic filing system, adds to a pattern of financial strain hitting independent auto-repair operators as the cost of parts, tires, and shop…
Families who bought Series EE or I savings bonds years ago and are now redeeming them to cover college tuition face a federal tax bill on the accumulated interest, unless they qualify for a little-used statutory exclusion that can zero out that liability entirely. Under 26 U.S. Code Section 135, bond interest that would otherwise…