Changing jobs for more pay isn’t as easy in today’s economy. Many companies are looking for places to cut costs and workers are increasingly at risk of being laid off. The number of hours Americans work each week has slumped to levels lower than before the pandemic.

As of the latest available data (reported April 13, 2026), total U.S. credit card debt stands at a record $1.277 trillion.

4 in 10 Americans are sitting on less than $500 in cash savings, per LendingTree.

The share of car buyers in the first quarter who signed a loan for 84 months or longer reached about 23%, up from 10% a decade ago, Edmunds data shows.

The average amount financed for new cars also reached a record high, climbing to $43,899 in the first quarter, up from $41,473 a year earlier, Edmunds data shows.

Economists placed the probability of a recession in the next 12 months at 33%, up from 27% in the January survey. However, they acknowledged that persistently high oil prices could push that likelihood above 50%.

One in seven people who signed up for Affordable Care Act plans this year failed to pay after premium costs rose sharply, according to an analysis that provides the first comprehensive look at the impact of expiring federal subsidies

The Internal Revenue Service has been paying out refunds at a steady clip, with the total number of refunds up 3.1% through April 3 versus the same period last year.

For, as Madison said, “if men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.” But men are not angels.

Approximately 38% of Americans do not invest in stocks (directly or indirectly).

The addiction to free things is harder to break than drugs

THIS! Dividends isn’t always a good thing. The company is giving you back money since they don’t think they can use it to make more money. Plus ordinary dividends aren’t taxed at your federal tax rate too.

Snap is laying off 16% of its staff. Block lopped off 40% of its workforce. Oracle , meanwhile, is shedding thousands of employees, after Amazon cut about 30,000 in a matter of months. Welcome to the era of the mega-layoff.

“Most companies, if not all, could cut 30% to 50% of their workforce at any time and see no material difference in performance,” said Mo Koyfman, founder of the venture-capital firm Shine Capital and a former executive at the media company IAC

Taxing the rich is not a viable economic plan.

The net worth of many of the wealthiest tech titans, from Musk to Zuckerberg, is tied up in shares of the companies they run. Altman’s finances are opaque, making it difficult to know how his investments might influence decisions he makes at OpenAI.

Shoppers in households earning $150,000 or more spent 2% less at grocery stores Q1 compared with a year earlier and 15% more at consignment stores. At the same time, the group spent more at luxury jewelry stores and movie theaters.

Consumer prices are about 25% above where they were five years ago, and affordability is a top concern for people of all income levels. Even though the rate of inflation is far below its 2022 peak, prices aren’t going down.

Was your 2025 refund larger than expected because of the new SALT deduction? If so, revisit your withholding or estimated quarterly taxes. This can avoid another interest-free loan to Uncle Sam or interest charges on underpayments that are currently 6%

Very few people have a high risk tolerance: slightly more people described themselves as “a financial risk-taker” in December 2008 than three months earlier, even as they had already reined in the risks they were willing to take