Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Across the country, millions of low wage workers are starting the year with a bigger paycheck as 19 states implement new minimum wage increases. At the top of the pack, Washington is setting a new bar for hourly pay, underscoring how state level policy has become the main driver of wage floors in the absence…
After a year of hand-wringing over tariffs and shutdown threats, the center of gravity in the economic debate has shifted. Growth expectations for 2026 are now comfortably above 2%, and the more interesting question is not whether the United States will avoid recession, but how long it can sustain an expansion that keeps outrunning its…
Connecticut shoppers are discovering that the smallest coin in their wallets has suddenly become the biggest headache. A national penny shortage, colliding with new federal rules on coin production, has turned routine errands into tense negotiations over nickels and dimes, with some store aisles feeling, as one shopper put it, “like the Wild West.” What…
Donald Trump is selling a story of an economy on the brink of spectacular revival, insisting that growth will surge and inflation is already under control. An economist who publicly challenged that narrative has instead warned that if policy veers further toward political pressure and fiscal excess, a “collapse will follow,” sketching a far darker…
Gold and silver are not just rallying, they are screaming that something is wrong in the global financial system. Renowned gold advocate Peter Schiff argues that the surge in precious metals is a warning of a looming dollar crisis and a broader market shakeout, and he insists that this environment favors hard commodities over Bitcoin….
Bitcoin’s violent swings are once again colliding with a powerful rally in gold, reviving a bold question for investors: could a deep crypto selloff be the catalyst that finally sends bullion toward $10,000 an ounce and beyond. At the same time, income-focused investors are looking past the metal itself to dividend-paying miners that can turn…
Bitcoin has survived multiple crashes, regulatory crackdowns and a revolving cast of skeptics. Now one of the sector’s most outspoken analysts is not just predicting another downturn but outlining how, in his view, the entire system could unravel on a clear timeline. His warning lands just as other high profile critics, from Nobel laureates to…
Federal Reserve officials are lining up behind a clear message: with inflation easing and the labor market losing some steam, a rate cut at the January policy meeting is now a live option rather than a distant prospect. The shift reflects a growing sense inside the central bank that the balance of risks is tilting…
Amazon’s high-profile bet on luxury retail has curdled into a courtroom brawl, with the company now telling a bankruptcy judge that its roughly $475 million stake in Saks is effectively worth nothing. The collapse of Saks Global has not only vaporized paper gains, it has also turned a once-strategic partnership into a test case for…
President Donald Trump has turned a once-theoretical idea into an active pressure campaign, tying the future of Greenland to tariffs, security guarantees and his own legacy. As the White House leans on economic threats and cash offers, Texas Sen. John Cornyn is signaling that he sees room for negotiation, telling reporters there is “a deal…
Retirement Shield
The money news that hits your wallet
The free Retirement Shield newsletter covers the benefits, tax, and cost-of-living changes that affect what you keep, a couple of times a week.