Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Costco is reshaping one of the most sensitive parts of the warehouse experience: the moment you pay. Self-checkout, once a relatively anonymous way to scan a cart, is now a frontline for membership enforcement, with staff posted nearby and ID checks that shut out non-members. The retailer is betting that tighter controls, backed by new…
President Donald Trump has signed a sweeping overhaul of federal student loans that tightens borrowing, reshapes repayment, and restarts some of the harshest collection tools on people already in trouble. Yet even as the policy screws turn, a little‑noticed shift in how courts treat education debt in bankruptcy is quietly giving a subset of borrowers…
Artificial intelligence is quietly taking over the box office. From the moment fans search for a show to the second they tap a wristband at the gate, algorithms are deciding what they see, what they pay and how fast they get inside. The result is a live events economy where concerts and games feel more…
Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $33 million to resolve a class action lawsuit accusing the bank of helping shady “free trial” marketers lock customers into recurring subscription charges. The deal could send cash payments to people across the United States who were enrolled in billing plans they never clearly agreed to. Understanding who qualifies,…
Parents who have spent a lifetime saving often want a simple way to help a daughter pay bills, avoid court delays, and eventually inherit what is left. The most common shortcut is to either add her as a joint owner on every account or name her as the beneficiary everywhere. I want to unpack how…
The penny, long treated as pocket change clutter, is suddenly dictating how Americans pay for burgers and fries. As production of the one-cent coin winds down and shortages ripple through cash registers, McDonald’s is quietly rewriting the rules of cash payments, shifting to rounded totals and new pricing habits that could outlast the coin itself….
Hundreds of thousands of federal student loan borrowers thought a new income driven plan would finally make their payments manageable, only to be told they do not qualify. Instead of lower bills and a clear path to forgiveness, they are being pushed into more expensive options or left in limbo while legal and political fights…
The penny shortage has moved from abstract policy debate to the fast-food counter, where McDonald’s is quietly rewriting how cash is handled. Instead of digging for one-cent coins that are no longer being made, the chain is shifting to rounded totals that bring every bill to the nearest nickel. The change keeps prices the same…
Millions of federal student loan borrowers are about to discover that the safety nets they counted on are being rewired in ways that could sharply limit who ever sees their balances erased. The Trump administration is not only moving to end a major forgiveness plan, it is also tightening access to income driven repayment and…
Public service workers who have spent years counting on federal loan forgiveness are heading into the new year with a critical escape hatch at risk. A sweeping policy shift from President Donald Trump’s administration could sharply narrow who qualifies for relief, leaving some borrowers just months to protect their progress. The stakes are especially high…