Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin talks to residents and small business owners impacted by the Palisades Fire on Feb. 4, 2026 in Pacific Palisades, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty Images The Trump administration repealed a key defense in the U.S. fight against climate change — and it will likely have…
Sturti | E+ | Getty Images Even Americans who are covered by health insurance can emerge from medical emergencies with long-lasting financial scars. In a new study published this month in the journal Health Affairs, researchers found that 18 months after being hospitalized for a traumatic injury — such as a car accident or fall…
ShareShare Article via FacebookShare Article via TwitterShare Article via LinkedInShare Article via Email New data shows a growing financial strain on U.S. households is reflected not only in the divide between rich and poor. There’s also a widening gap in spending growth between higher income and middle income households, reflecting affordability issues impacting millions of…
Artistgndphotography | E+ | Getty Images With many expecting a bigger tax refund this season, there may be an incentive to file returns sooner. But that doesn’t mean you should rush to send yours. First, you’ll need all the necessary tax forms, or you could risk processing delays — or worse, experts say. Every year,…
Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images New laws enacted in 2025 may have a big impact on how much Social Security beneficiaries pay in taxes this season. On Jan. 5, 2025, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act, a law that ended provisions that reduced or eliminated Social Security benefits for more than…
Americans ended 2025 more in debt than ever before. Credit card balances hit a fresh high in the fourth quarter, rising by $44 billion to $1.28 trillion, according to a new report on household debt by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released Tuesday. That’s a 5.5% jump from a year earlier. The central bank’s monthly Survey of…
A trader works as the Dow Jones Industrial Average surpasses the 50,000 mark on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., Feb. 6, 2026. Brendan McDermid | Reuters There’s a disconnect between the stock market and consumer optimism — and some economists say affordability is a primary culprit….
Amid the flurry of promotions for Trump accounts, families now have another way to opt in to the investing accounts for kids and claim seed money of up to $1,000. Parents or guardians can now start the process to open a Trump Account by filing IRS Form 4547 electronically via TrumpAccounts.gov. They can also…
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau headquarters in Washington, Feb. 2, 2025. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Federal student loan borrowers submitted a record number of complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from mid-2024 to mid-2025, a recent report from the bureau shows. But the government’s 21-page report, published in early January, omits…
Trevor Williams | Digitalvision | Getty Images By librarian Katy Punch’s reckoning, she became eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness in November 2024. At that point, she submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Education for a program that would allow her to make her last qualifying payments and wipe out her roughly $30,000…