Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Lawmakers are advancing a new wave of “cash laws” that could quietly reshape everyday shopping, from the corner grocery to big-box chains and self-checkout lanes. Instead of letting retailers decide whether to accept notes and coins, these proposals would require businesses to keep taking physical money, changing how millions of people pay at the till….
The Trump administration is preparing to charge international visitors sharply higher prices to enter America’s most famous national parks, with new fees that can add up to $170 more per trip for some foreign tourists. While U.S. citizens and permanent residents will continue to enjoy relatively low-cost access, non-residents will face a new layer of…
Credit card companies do not need interest to profit from you. Even if you pay your balance in full every month, a web of fees and behind-the-scenes charges can quietly generate revenue from your everyday spending. I walk through seven of the biggest non-interest moneymakers so you can spot where issuers are getting paid and…
Short clips on TikTok have turned a familiar anxiety about modern cars into a viral flashpoint, accusing Toyota of “paywalling” basic features that used to be standard. The videos tap into a broader fear that new vehicles are becoming rolling app stores, where drivers pay subscriptions not just for navigation or music but for core…
Shoppers who rely on Walmart and Costco for low prices could soon feel a new kind of squeeze, as lawmakers target how big retailers treat the workers who stock shelves and ring up orders. A proposed federal law would not ban warehouse clubs or discount chains from offering bargains, but it could reshape the labor…
Lawmakers are weighing a new cash-acceptance rule that could reshape how big-box chains handle payments, potentially forcing large retailers that leaned into card-only self-checkout to make room for bills and coins again. For shoppers who have watched cash lanes disappear at Walmart and Costco, the proposal raises a simple but high-stakes question: will the law…
AT&T customers who rely on the company for home broadband are about to see their monthly costs rise, as the telecom giant prepares to tack new fees onto existing internet plans. The move signals that one of the country’s largest providers is leaning harder on price increases and surcharges at a moment when many households…
Retailers are quietly rewriting the rules of shopping as affluent customers learn how to dodge fees, return limits, and other friction that less wealthy shoppers increasingly shoulder. The result is a two-tier system in which high spenders are courted with perks and exceptions while everyone else pays more, waits longer, and navigates stricter policies. I…
Streaming services have become an integral part of our entertainment landscape, but the costs associated with them are often more than meets the eye. As consumers, we are increasingly finding that the advertised prices are just the tip of the iceberg. Hidden fees and unexpected charges are making these services more expensive than ever. This…
Electric vehicle (EV) owners in the UK and the US are on the brink of a significant change as governments look to implement pay-per-mile road taxes. This shift aims to address funding shortfalls caused by declining gas tax revenues. In the UK, proposals are gaining momentum for a post-2025 implementation, while in the US, states…