The financial news that actually matters
The three agencies that write capital rules for the largest U.S. banks opened a 90-day public comment window on March 19, 2026, with a June 18 deadline, on proposals that would change how much equity those firms must hold against mortgages, corporate loans, and trading positions. The Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and…
Thousands of U.S. importers that paid tariffs later struck down by the Supreme Court now face an uncertain path to getting their money back. The Justice Department has filed an appeal arguing that refunds should go only to companies that actively sued the government, not to every importer of record affected by the overturned duties….
Workers who skip their employer’s 401(k) match forfeit what amounts to an instant, guaranteed return on every dollar they contribute. Under federal tax rules, employers can match employee contributions dollar-for-dollar or at a set percentage, but that money only flows to participants who actually defer part of their paycheck. The catch: even after earning a…
Taxpayers sitting on underwater stocks, bonds, or real estate can trim up to $3,000 from their taxable income simply by selling those positions before year-end. The IRS caps the annual deduction at $3,000 for most filers and $1,500 for those married filing separately, but any excess loss carries forward indefinitely. With fewer than seven months…
Workers who borrow from their 401(k) plans and then leave their jobs can find themselves owing income tax and a 10% penalty on money they never meant to withdraw. Federal tax rules treat the unpaid loan balance as a distribution once employment ends, converting a temporary borrowing arrangement into a taxable event. The problem is…
Investors who buy a single share of a broad index fund gain exposure to hundreds of companies in one transaction, a structural advantage that has drawn trillions of dollars into passively managed portfolios. But the specific index a fund tracks, and the rules governing how companies enter or leave that index, shape exactly how wide…
Two church-linked investment schemes charged by the SEC in 2023 drained more than $55 million from congregants who trusted the people sitting beside them in the pews. In central Illinois, a father and son-in-law allegedly recruited over 1,000 investors from a single large congregation, raising at least $20.5 million while recycling more than $11 million…
Anyone who has spotted a duplicate restaurant charge or a debit for a subscription they canceled knows the sinking feeling of money leaving their account without permission. Federal law sets a hard deadline for acting on that discovery: 60 days from the date the bank sends the first periodic statement reflecting the error. Miss that…
People searching for connection on dating apps and social media are losing money to strangers who spend weeks building trust before steering conversations toward fake cryptocurrency platforms. Federal agencies have responded with enforcement actions, seizure filings, and a dedicated victim-notification program, but the gap between how quickly these schemes operate and how slowly funds can…
Credit card holders who pull cash from an ATM or deposit a convenience check against their credit line face a cost structure that works nothing like a standard purchase. Interest begins accruing the moment the transaction posts, there is no grace period to pay the balance before finance charges kick in, and the rate applied…