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The Money Overview

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Tyler Foster

Latest Articles by Tyler Foster

Cost of Living

Grocery prices actually slipped in July, with eggs, meat and lettuce leading the drop

For the first time in months, the grocery aisle offered a measure of relief instead of another increase. The index that tracks food bought to...

Cost of Living

Diesel just set a mid-August record, feeding into grocery and delivery bills

Diesel fuel rarely draws the attention that gasoline does, yet it has quietly climbed to its highest mid-August level on record, a milestone with consequences...

Cost of Living

Artificial intelligence is behind more than half of 2026’s layoffs, already 205,000 jobs

Reports tracking corporate layoff announcements now attribute job cuts affecting roughly 205,000 American workers in 2026 at least partly to artificial intelligence, with automation named...

Insurance & Protection

Home insurance now eats a record 9% of the typical homeowner’s monthly payment

Homeowners who have never filed a claim are still watching their premiums climb, and the cost has now reached a share of the monthly housing...

Cost of Living

Gas has hit $4.03 a gallon, the highest ever recorded this late in the year and up 30% from a year ago

The national average price of regular gasoline reached $4.03 a gallon on August 13, 2026, the highest level ever recorded this deep into a calendar...

Social Security & Medicare

Medicare’s 2027 Part B premium is now projected near $209.50, below last year’s forecast

Medicare’s standard Part B premium is projected to reach $209.50 a month in 2027, according to the most recent federal trustees report, an increase of...

Social Security & Medicare

Next year’s Social Security raise is now tracking near 3.6%, and many retirees say it still won’t cover their bills

Social Security’s 2027 cost-of-living adjustment is now tracking near 3.6%, according to the latest monthly estimate from The Senior Citizens League, released August 12 after...

Buying & Selling

Homeowners can exclude up to $250,000 of home-sale profit, or $500,000 for couples

A homeowner who sells a primary residence can generally shield up to $250,000 of profit from federal capital-gains tax, and a married couple filing jointly...

Social Security & Medicare

In 2026, home equity above $752,000 can cost a senior their Medicaid nursing-home coverage

A house that a family has always treated as a protected asset can become the very thing that blocks Medicaid coverage for a nursing home....

Stocks & Wall Street

Warren Buffett’s favorite market gauge is sitting far above the level he once called a warning sign

A valuation yardstick that Warren Buffett once singled out as one of the best single measures of where the stock market stands is flashing an...

Fraud & Scams

Another data-breach settlement pays a no-proof $80, or up to $5,500 for losses, before September 5

A data-breach settlement involving the health-benefits administrator Lucent Health Solutions is paying eligible people a flat $80 with no paperwork, or reimbursing documented losses of...

Fraud & Scams

A China-based ring stole $2.2 million from 28 older victims across 17 states using fake Apple Pay alerts

Federal prosecutors say a fraud operation run partly out of China drained about $2.2 million from at least 28 older Americans, using a fake warning...

Cost of Living

Home insurance is climbing a fifth straight year toward about $3,057

Home insurance is on track for a fifth consecutive year of increases, with the average annual premium projected to reach about $3,057. For homeowners on...

Cost of Living

The average new-car payment has hit a record $777 a month

The average monthly payment on a new car has climbed to a record $777, a figure that turns a routine purchase into a major line...

Cost of Living

Inflation cooled to 3.4% in July, yet electricity still costs 4.2% more than a year ago

Consumer prices rose 3.4% over the year through July, a slight cooling from the prior month and a sign that the worst of the recent...

Corporate Shakeups

The parent of QVC and HSN filed for bankruptcy to restructure $6.6 billion in debt

QVC Group, the parent company of QVC and HSN, entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy this year carrying roughly $6.6 billion in funded debt and a plan...

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