The financial news that actually matters
A general consumer finance category covering everyday money decisions, budgeting, saving, debt management, credit behavior, and personal financial improvement strategies.
When the federal student loan payment pause finally ended, roughly 28 million borrowers were pushed back into repayment at once. The restart closed a relief program that had shielded households from monthly bills and interest charges for more than three years, but it did not mark a clean return to normal. Instead, it opened a…
American shoppers spent a record $964.4 billion during the 2023 holiday season, a 3.8% increase from the year before, cementing one of the clearest signs that consumer spending remained surprisingly durable even as higher interest rates and inflation continued to pressure household budgets. The number quickly became a benchmark for retailers because it showed that…
American consumers appear to have carried solid spending momentum into November as the holiday shopping season moved into full swing, with early retail signals pointing to another healthy month for household demand. The official government reading on personal spending had not yet been released, but the available evidence suggested shoppers were still spending at a…