Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Credit card balances in the United States hit a record $1.17 trillion in the third quarter of 2024, and delinquency rates have continued climbing since then. Against that backdrop, a growing number of borrowers are turning to personal loans as a way to consolidate revolving debt at a lower interest rate. The strategy can work,…
Several U.S. states are now charging electric vehicle owners per-mile fees to offset the gas tax revenue that EVs do not generate, and the trend is accelerating. Hawaii launched its road usage charge on July 1, 2025, Utah has a rate increase scheduled for January 2026, and states from Oregon to Virginia already collect similar…
Congress quietly stripped away one of the most visible ATM fee warnings over a decade ago, and most people still have no idea. Before 2012, federal law required cash machines to display a physical sticker or placard on the outside of the terminal alerting users to surcharges. That external notice is no longer required. Fee…
Banks with more than $1 billion in assets still collected $5.83 billion in overdraft and nonsufficient funds fees in 2023, even after a dramatic industry pullback that cut those charges by more than half compared to pre-pandemic levels. That decline has saved consumers an estimated $6 billion a year, yet three categories of “zombie” fees…
The Trump administration’s Education Department has identified thousands of additional borrowers who may qualify for student loan discharge, according to a recent court filing in ongoing federal litigation. The updated eligibility figures, submitted as part of a sequence of status reports in the case brought by the American Federation of Teachers, suggest that years of…
Companies across the consumer goods sector are raising prices after holding the line through the holiday shopping season, and the latest inflation data suggests the effects are already showing up in official measurements. The January 2026 Consumer Price Index report confirmed that price growth accelerated from where it stood at the close of 2024, adding…
Costco is enforcing stricter entrance protocols that require members to scan a membership card before stepping onto the warehouse floor at warehouses rolling out the new system. The change signals a broader effort by the retailer to crack down on nonmembers who have long found ways to slip through the doors, and it carries real…
Parents who borrowed for their children’s education are staring at a brief, high‑stakes window to lock in cheaper student loan payments and long‑term forgiveness. Policy changes are closing off a popular workaround that let Parent PLUS borrowers reach income‑driven plans that were never designed for them. Those who move quickly can still reshape their debt…
Eighteen states have won federal approval to ban certain foods and drinks from SNAP purchases, and the new restrictions took effect January 1, 2026. The shift has left millions of benefit recipients sorting through inconsistent state-by-state rules while grocery stores, particularly small independent retailers, scramble to reprogram checkout systems with little centralized guidance. The result…
Debit card fraud pulled from unsuspecting consumers at ATMs, gas pumps, and checkout terminals continues to grow, with reported losses from fraud reaching $12.5 billion in 2024. Criminals have refined their methods well beyond simple card theft, deploying physical skimming hardware and digital impersonation schemes that can drain a checking account in minutes. I have…