Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Hawaii has become the first state where housing costs have outpaced local incomes so thoroughly that no city, county, or metro area offers an affordable option for a typical working household, whether renting or buying. A University of Hawaii housing affordability report found that conditions are “as bad as it’s ever been,” and federal data…
After more than a decade of relentless price gains that pushed homeownership out of reach for millions, buyers in certain U.S. housing markets are finally gaining ground. The shift is measurable: sellers now outnumber buyers by the widest margin on record, discounts off asking prices have hit levels not seen since 2012, and existing-home sales…
Life insurance is one of those financial products that many people assume they can put off until later, but for certain groups, waiting carries real risk. The question is not whether everyone needs a policy but rather which people face the most serious consequences without one. Three categories stand out when you look at the…
The U.S. car market is entering 2026 under growing strain, and luxury SUVs sit squarely in the crosshairs of a pricing correction that could reshape what buyers pay for premium vehicles. With new-vehicle sales projected to decline, wholesale values softening, and affordability pressures mounting, the conditions are aligning for significant depreciation in a segment that…
Mortgage delinquencies are rising in pockets across the United States, and the borrowers falling behind are disproportionately those with the least financial cushion. While national averages still look manageable, county-level and metro-level data tells a different story, one that federal tracking tools have been recording for months without generating the alarm the numbers probably deserve….
Several West Coast housing markets are flashing warning signs that could spell serious trouble for homeowners and investors over the next year. After years of relentless price gains fueled by pandemic-era demand and cheap money, official government data now shows quarterly price momentum stalling or reversing in key metropolitan areas along the Pacific coast. The…
Real estate professionals across the country say a growing mismatch between where homes are being permitted and where buyers need them is creating a distinct strain on the housing market. The concern centers on a geographic split: construction authorizations are concentrated in a handful of fast-growing regions while many high-demand coastal metros see comparatively less…
Buying a home with a small down payment has long been a goal for first-time buyers, and the federal agencies that set mortgage limits just made it easier for 2026. With the Federal Housing Finance Agency raising the baseline conforming loan limit to $832,750 and HUD updating FHA loan ceilings effective January 1, 2026, borrowers…
Buying a home with cash sounds like the ultimate power move. No monthly payments, no interest charges, no lender breathing down your neck. Yet a surprising number of high-net-worth households choose to carry mortgage debt even when they could write a check for the full purchase price. The reason is not financial carelessness. It is…
Peter Schiff built his reputation on a single, well-timed call: he warned that the U.S. housing market was a bubble before the 2008 financial crisis proved him right. Now Schiff is using the word “emergency” to describe current housing conditions, arguing that a combination of inflated prices, strained affordability, and loose monetary policy is setting…