A Target store in Queens, New York. Lindsey Nicholson | UCG | Universal Images Group | Getty Images The back-to-school shopping season is in full swing, with the hefty bills to prove it. Nearly one-third — 31% — of back-to-school shoppers said that buying supplies for the new year will put them into debt, according to a … Read more
The Federal Reserve could start lowering interest rates as soon as next month, based on the latest inflation data. “We think that the time is approaching,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a press conference after the last Federal Open Market Committee meeting in July. For Americans struggling to keep up with sky-high interest charges, a likely September rate cut may bring some … Read more
Kumikomini | Istock | Getty Images In 2004, Sabrina Finch returned to school to become a nurse. Her mother, Rebecca, was excited for Sabrina, then in her early 30s, to finally have a career. She’d watched for years as Sabrina struggled to get by working low-wage jobs, including in fast-food restaurants and factories. As a … Read more
Activists demonstrate in support of a $15-per-hour minimum wage and tips for restaurant workers in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 8, 2022. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images The federal minimum wage recently marked a new anniversary. But for affected workers, that may not be something to celebrate. The federal minimum wage has now been … Read more
By most accounts, the rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA, was disastrous from the start. Even now, some college students don’t know the status of their aid awards for the fall. “The Department’s poor planning has led to a stunning failure: Some college students might not have … Read more
Visitors walk during a long-duration heat wave impacting much of California on July 9 in Death Valley National Park, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty Images Amid surging summer heat, the earth reached a new hottest day on record on July 22. That day, the global average temperature was almost 63 degrees … Read more
By most measures, the U.S. economy is doing well. And yet, many people would argue otherwise. Roughly 3 in 5 Americans believe that the U.S. is currently in a recession, according to a new survey of 2,000 adults by Affirm. Of those respondents, most said a recession started roughly 15 months ago, in March of … Read more
Nadya Lukic | E+ | Getty Images Most Americans may not even remember the last time they wrote a check. Only 15% of adults said they wrote a few checks a month in 2023, according to a recent report by GoBankingRates. At the time of the late November survey, 46% of the more than 1,000 … Read more
The share of people with medical debt in collections that shows up in their credit reports has fallen in the past decade. Yet unpaid balances due to health-care costs continue to burden individuals and families. In 2013, 19.5% of Americans had medical debt in collections, while 10 years later, in 2023, that share fell to … Read more
Urbazon | E+ | Getty Images About 1,900 residents in Texas’ Harris County were set to start receiving $500 monthly payments starting this spring. The money — provided through a new 18-month guaranteed income pilot, Uplift Harris, a Harris County Public Health initiative — was aimed at county residents of 10 ZIP codes who are … Read more
