Skip to main content

The Money Overview

Banking & Credit Cards

How banks, credit cards, and payment systems work. Covers products, rates, fees, regulations, and what consumers need to know to navigate the banking system.

Latest in Banking & Credit Cards

Loans & Lending

Subprime auto loan delinquencies just hit a 32-year record — and the average car payment climbed to $767 a month for a new vehicle

In October 2025, 6.65% of subprime auto borrowers tracked by Fitch Ratings were at least 60 days behind on their car payments. That is the...

Loans & Lending

The new student loan repayment plan launches in 53 days — and it’s the only income-driven option left after Trump killed SAVE, Grad PLUS, and every other IDR plan

If you owe federal student loans and haven’t been paying close attention, here is the short version: every income-driven repayment plan you’ve heard of is...

Fraud & Scams

Imposter scams stole $3.5 billion from Americans last year — and fake toll-road texts are the fastest-growing version in 2026

The text arrives between errands: a short notice claiming you owe $4.15 in unpaid tolls, with a link to settle up before late fees kick...

Fraud & Scams

The FTC says fake EZ-Pass and SunPass texts are the fastest-growing scam in America — government imposter reports jumped 40%

The text arrives without warning: “You owe $6.99 in unpaid tolls. Pay now to avoid additional fees.” It includes a link, a logo that looks...

Fraud & Scams

Imposter scams stole $3.5 billion from Americans last year — and the FTC says fake toll-road texts are the fastest-growing version in 2026

It starts with six dollars and twelve cents. That was the amount in the text message a Virginia commuter received in March, claiming she owed...

Fraud & Scams

The FBI says bank spoof callers are draining accounts in minutes — one Chase customer lost $40,000 after a call that showed Chase’s real number on caller ID

A Chase customer picks up the phone, sees Chase’s own number on the screen, and hears a voice warning that someone is moving money out...

Loans & Lending

Private student loan volume is expected to double after Trump killed Grad PLUS — and 40% of Americans wouldn’t even qualify for a private loan

The federal program that let graduate students borrow up to the full cost of their degrees is gone. Congress eliminated Grad PLUS lending through the...

Fraud & Scams

One in five Americans was hit by financial fraud last year — total losses reached $84 billion, and only $21 billion was recovered

About 50 million American adults lost money to financial fraud in 2024, according to the Federal Reserve’s annual Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED). That...

Bank Accounts & Fees

High-yield savings accounts still pay up to 4.10% APY — the Fed hasn’t cut rates once this year, and markets now expect zero cuts for all of 2026

The Federal Reserve has met three times in 2026. Three times, it left interest rates exactly where they were. And three times, the best online...

Fraud & Scams

Fidelity flagged a $15 billion fraud wave targeting Americans’ savings — scammers now send 100,000 texts a day, and AI voice clones need just 3 seconds of audio

The call came on a Tuesday afternoon. A retired teacher in Ohio heard what sounded exactly like her grandson’s voice, panicked, telling her he had...

Fraud & Scams

1 in 10 Americans has been targeted by an AI voice clone scam — and it only takes 3 seconds of audio for the software to copy your voice

A phone rings. The voice on the other end sounds exactly like your daughter, your boss, or a government official you trust. The panic in...

Fraud & Scams

Hackers asked an AI code editor to build a dashboard for their 345,000 stolen credit cards — the AI created a public directory instead, exposing the entire operation

A group of hackers reportedly used an AI-powered code editor to build a management dashboard for what secondary reports and cybersecurity forum discussions describe as...

Loans & Lending

Student loan borrowers have 59 days to pick a new repayment plan — RAP launches July 1 with a $10 minimum payment and a 30-year forgiveness timeline

Starting July 1, 2026, every new federal student loan will come with repayment rules that break sharply from the system borrowers have known for decades....

Loans & Lending

The new student loan repayment plan launches July 1 — it requires a $10 minimum payment, takes 30 years to forgive, and replaces every IDR plan you’ve heard of

On July 1, 2026, the federal government will stop offering borrowers a choice among income-driven repayment plans. No more PAYE. No more REPAYE. No more...

Loans & Lending

The new student loan repayment plan launches July 1 — it requires a $10 minimum payment, takes 30 years to forgive, and replaces every IDR plan you’ve heard of

On July 1, 2026, the federal government will flip a switch that reshapes how millions of Americans repay their student loans. Every income-driven repayment plan...

Fraud & Scams

Equifax warns synthetic identity fraud is slipping past lender checks

A Social Security number belonging to a six-year-old. A name pulled from thin air. A mailing address tied to a rented mailbox. Stitch those fragments...

Loans & Lending

Student loan collections tighten as federal repayment enforcement ramps up

About 5.3 million Americans with federal student loans are in default, and for the past year, the U.S. Department of Education has sent two sharply...

Fraud & Scams

Auto repair scams explode as tax refund drivers get slammed with surprise fees

A driver walks into a dealership expecting to pay the price on the window sticker. She leaves paying $2,000 more. That is not a hypothetical....

Fraud & Scams

Capital One’s $425M settlement: Who qualifies and what payouts may be

For years, millions of Capital One customers earned a fraction of a percent on their 360 Savings accounts while the bank marketed a nearly identical...

1 33 34 35 36 37 39
Plain-English help keeping more of your money in retirement. Get the free newsletter.

Free from Retirement Shield. Unsubscribe anytime. We never ask for money.