Sahil Bloom recently shared a jarring stat: “By the time your child turns 18, you’ve spent ~95% of the time you will ever spend with them in your lifetime,” based on research from the American Time Use Survey done by Our World in Data. At first glance, many parents feel a sting of, “Geez, am I being [or have I been] a poor steward of the limited time I’ve been given to spend time with my kids!?” But I don’t think this is a revelation rooted in guilt. Furthermore, as someone with two older kids (21 and 19) and one…

Disgraced former Congressman George Santos was sentenced on April 25th to the maximum sentence under the sentencing guidelines of 87 months after pleading guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Santos had originally been charged in May of 2023 with seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. Five months later, a superseding 23 count indictment was filed against him charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, two counts of…

As I’ve previously written, most households and individuals have been given a raw deal for the last 40 years. Most people haven’t been able to keep up with the costs of living, particularly higher education, healthcare, and housing. U.S. corporate profits after tax grew at a roughly equivalent rate as disposable personal income (personal income after taxes) up to the early 1980s. Growth Of Corporate Profits And Personal Income Below is a reminder graph constructed at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) site. The lines are indexed to show equivalent growth, even if the…

Retirement planning usually starts with a simple idea: save enough money to replace your income. But there’s one big problem. As you grow older, your income likely increases. For some professions, this may follow a predictable growth pattern of say 2 to 4% per year. For others, the pattern may be more sporadic, especially if one pursues higher education such as a Masters, Doctorate, MD, etc. When your income rises, many increase their lifestyle spending, with little thought of how sustainable this may be beyond your working years. Many Americans take on debt to support lifestyles beyond what their income…

A consumer rights advocacy organization issued a dire warning on Friday, urging student loan borrowers to immediately save or screenshot critical records that provide details on their payment history and student loan forgiveness progress. In the last month of the Biden administration, the Department of Education published tracking information for borrowers enrolled in income-driven repayment plans. IDR plans provide borrowers with monthly payments based on their income and family size, with the possibility of loan forgiveness after 20 or 25 years. Until this year, borrowers had no way of tracking their IDR progress, and there was no mechanism for them…

President Trump’s multiple threats to revoke the tax-exempt status of organizations that disagree with him have deeply troubling implications for the credibility of the federal revenue system and for democracy broadly. His highest profile threat was his request that the IRS revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status. But Harvard wasn’t the president’s only target. On April 17, he told reporters, “We’re looking at” a non-profit group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) that has filed several lawsuits against his Administration. And he separately warned that “Tax exempt status is a privilege, it’s really a privilege, and it’s been…

Student Loan Wage Garnishment Could Hit Women Hit Hardest The U.S. Department of Education has announced that it will resume student loan wage garnishment for borrowers in default, ending a years-long reprieve that began early in the pandemic. For the first time in five years, Americans who have fallen behind on their federal student loans could see part of their paychecks seized to repay that debt. While this move affects millions of borrowers, this is likely to hit women borrowers the hardest, argues 19th News, an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Women hold the majority of…

Tariffs have been around for centuries but only in the last year have most Americans had to think about they’ve impacted their finances. It seems that every week brings a new round of tariff news and it’s understandable that you might be weary of them. Fortunately, there are things you can do to try to tariff-proof your finances. These steps are, in generally, good for your finances whether high tariffs persist or if the President steps them back, so it benefits you to do them either way. Increase Your Savings In times of turmoil, whether it’s widespread economic worries like…

According to new research from Cash App Afterpay, more than half of Gen Z say credit cards feel outdated, anxiety-inducing, and incompatible with how they want to manage their money. Unlike previous generations who saw credit cards as a rite of passage or a symbol of financial freedom, Gen Z is redefining what financial empowerment looks like—and credit cards don’t make the cut. Why Credit Cards Clash With Gen Z’s Money Mindset “Credit cards give Gen Z the ‘ick’—not just because of high interest rates and confusing terms, but because they feel outdated and anxiety-inducing,” said Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, Cash App…

Pharmacy visits can often feel like an expensive necessity. Between prescriptions, over-the-counter medications, and health-related products, the costs can add up quickly — especially as tariffs on pharmaceutical imports begin to impact drug prices. “Tariffs on pharmaceuticals could increase the price of generic drugs by as much as 17.5%,” according to a report by the Brookings Institution, referring specifically to a proposed 25% tariff on drugs imported from India — a major supplier to the U.S.But even in a climate of rising costs and global trade uncertainty, there are practical ways to reduce your pharmacy bill. Here are expert-backed strategies…