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The Money Overview

Personal Finance

Day-to-day money decisions for individuals and households. Practical guidance on budgeting, saving, spending, credit, debt management, and financial planning.

Latest in Personal Finance

Insurance & Protection

Insurers aren’t just raising home premiums anymore — they’re dropping policies outright, and the cancellations are spreading from California to Texas, Arizona, and Idaho

Somewhere in a suburb outside Austin, a homeowner who has never filed a claim and never missed a payment pulls a letter from the mailbox....

Smart Spending

The health FSA limit rises to $3,300 this year — but whatever you don’t spend by December usually vanishes, handing your own money back to your employer

A worker who set aside the full $3,300 in a health flexible spending account for 2025 and spent only $2,400 on medical bills lost $900...

Smart Spending

A new batch of class-action settlements pays out before July — Krispy Kreme is sending up to $3,500 and Trader Joe’s about $100, most with no proof required

Krispy Kreme customers who placed online orders and Trader Joe’s shoppers who bought certain grocery products may be in line for cash payouts this summer,...

Smart Spending

Summer airfares are running 21% above last year — but analysts say the cheapest move is to wait and book August, when fares finally drop

Summer airfares are running 21% above last year – but analysts say the cheapest move is to wait and book August, when fares finally drop...

Smart Spending

Every major streaming service except Amazon raised prices in 2026 — Netflix’s top plan now runs $26.99 a month, and the typical household is juggling four subscriptions at once

Every major streaming service except Amazon raised prices in 2026 — Netflix’s top plan now runs $26.99 a month, and the typical household is juggling...

Insurance & Protection

Health insurance just got brutal for millions who buy their own coverage — the average ACA premium more than doubled this year, from $888 to $1,904, after subsidies expired

Open your health insurance bill for 2026, and the number staring back might make you do a double take. For a 55-year-old self-employed consultant earning...

Credit & Debt

Your “pay in 4” purchases now show up on your credit score — FICO started counting buy-now-pay-later loans, and more than half of Americans have used them

That $120 pair of sneakers you split into four payments at checkout? It may already be sitting on your credit report. FICO has started incorporating...

Credit & Debt

Carrying the average $6,600 card balance now costs $1,462 a year in interest alone — and rates aren’t expected to dip below 19% before 2026 ends

Open your latest credit card statement, find the line that says “interest charged,” and multiply it by 12. If you carry a balance anywhere near...

Insurance & Protection

Home insurance is rising for the 5th straight year — California faces a 16% jump, Nebraska 13%, and the average premium is closing on $3,100

Five years in a row, the number on the renewal notice has gone up. The national average home insurance premium is projected to reach roughly...

Credit & Debt

55% of cardholders say they’re carrying balances just to cover essentials — credit card debt hit $1.33 trillion at a 21.52% average APR

A family of four in Phoenix charges $400 in groceries to a Visa card, not because they overspent on steak, but because the paycheck ran...

Credit & Debt

Credit card balances fell $25 billion last quarter — but 90-day delinquencies hit 13.1%, a 15-year high, because people aren’t borrowing less by choice

A $25 billion drop in credit card debt sounds like Americans are finally getting ahead. That’s the top-line figure from the Federal Reserve’s G.19 consumer...

Budgeting & Saving

Zero rate cuts are priced in for 2026 — and the best high-yield savings account still pays 4.10% APY because of it

The Federal Reserve has not touched its benchmark interest rate once in 2026. Through every scheduled meeting this year, the Federal Open Market Committee has...

Insurance & Protection

Florida homeowners pay $10,240 a year for insurance — 189% above the national average — but Citizens just approved an 8.7% rate cut starting this spring

When Maria Gonzalez opened her Citizens Property Insurance renewal notice at her Hialeah home last spring, she braced for another increase. Instead, her annual premium...

Credit & Debt

Credit card debt crossed $1.33 trillion — and 42% of Americans say they expect to carry that balance until they die

Forty-two percent of Americans carrying credit card balances say they expect to stay in debt for the rest of their lives or for years to...

Smart Spending

Americans spent a record $38 billion on Mother’s Day — Gen Z averaged $922 per mom while boomers spent $168

A 22-year-old in Austin buys his mother a gold bracelet, a spa certificate, and a brunch reservation that runs $150 before tip. A 68-year-old retiree...

Smart Spending

Americans will spend a record $38 billion on Mother’s Day — Gen Z is averaging $922 per person while boomers spend $168

A 22-year-old buying her mom a spa weekend and a 70-year-old picking out a card and a bouquet are both celebrating Mother’s Day. They are...

Credit & Debt

42% of Americans say they’ll carry credit card debt until they die — the average balance hit $6,580 at an APR above 22%

Imagine writing a check for $6,580, lighting a match, and watching $10,000 more burn on top of it. That is roughly what happens when a...

Insurance & Protection

Florida homeowners pay $10,240 a year for insurance — 189% above the national average — but the state insurer just approved an 8.7% cut starting in June

When Maria Gonzalez opened her homeowners insurance renewal last spring in Hialeah, the number barely registered as a surprise anymore: $11,400 for a three-bedroom concrete-block...

Budgeting & Saving

57% of Gen Zers now juggle side hustles on top of their day jobs — economists call it “income stacking,” and it’s the fastest-growing work pattern in America

By the time Mariana closes her laptop at 5 p.m. each weekday, her second shift is already queued up. The 24-year-old marketing coordinator in Austin...

Credit & Debt

42% of Americans say they’ll have credit card debt until they die — total card balances just crossed $1.33 trillion at an average APR of 22.3%

Forty-two percent of Americans who carry a credit card balance believe they will be in credit card debt for the rest of their lives. That...

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