Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Parents now face a new fork in the road when investing for children: a freshly created “Trump account” that can come with federal seed money, or the familiar 529 plan that has long dominated college savings. The choice is not simply political branding, it is a question of taxes, flexibility and how much control a…
With tax rules shifting and inflation still squeezing household budgets, the smartest way to protect your money for 2025 is to act before the calendar flips. A few targeted moves in the final weeks of the year can shrink your taxable income, unlock deductions you would otherwise miss, and position you for a smoother filing…
Parents are being promised a $1,000 boost for each eligible child through new “Trump accounts,” but the offer comes wrapped in complex tax rules and long-term strings. The accounts are designed to give kids a head start in adulthood, yet the fine print on eligibility, withdrawals, and future tax bills will determine whether that early…
Michael and Susan Dell are making one of the largest private bets yet on President Trump’s signature children’s savings initiative, committing a $6.25 billion gift that is designed to seed tens of millions of new investment accounts. Their plan is to help fund 25 million so‑called “Trump Accounts,” turning a partisan policy fight into a…
Federal income tax on Social Security benefits is one of those rules that quietly reshapes retirement budgets, yet many people only discover how it works when a surprise bill lands in April. The core rule is simple but unforgiving: depending on your total income, up to a large share of your monthly checks can be…
Florida’s push to eliminate property taxes is being sold as a simple way to make housing more affordable, but the math points to a far messier outcome. If the plan moves ahead, home prices are likely to jump, financing could get trickier, and the very tax shift meant to help residents might leave the market…
Minimum wage floors are shifting again as a new round of state-level hikes takes effect in December, reshaping paychecks for workers from the Las Vegas Strip to small-town diners. The changes highlight how fragmented the wage map has become, with some states tying raises to inflation while others hold the line at the federal minimum….
I bonds come with a quirky tax profile that can either quietly boost your after-tax return or create surprises at filing time. To make the most of their inflation protection and tax perks, I walk through how I bonds are taxed in eight common real-life situations, from college planning to inheritance, so you can match…
President Donald Trump’s promise of annual $2,000 “tariff dividend” checks has quickly shifted from a campaign-style applause line to a concrete question for taxpayers: how would a new cash benefit interact with the existing tax code in 2026. The answer depends on how the program is structured, who qualifies, and whether the payments are treated…
Swiss voters have decisively rejected a sweeping attempt to impose a 50% inheritance tax on the country’s wealthiest residents, shutting down one of Europe’s most ambitious experiments in taxing extreme fortunes. The result keeps the country’s long standing low tax model intact and sends a pointed message about how far even a rich democracy is…