Author: Brian Lund
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Pay after inflation fell 3.1 percent in the spring even as hourly wages rose
A 2.7 percent raise sounds like real progress until the same government report that measured it also measures what that raise could actually buy. For the second quarter of 2026, the two numbers point in opposite directions, and the gap between them is the story. The Gap Between the Raise You See and the Raise…
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A parent borrowing for college this year is locked into 9.07 percent for life
Federal Student Aid set new interest rates for the 2026-27 academic year in a June 4 announcement, and the numbers are steep across every loan category. A parent who takes out a Direct PLUS Loan to help cover a child’s tuition this fall will pay 9.07 percent for as long as that loan exists —…
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Uninsured deposits grew $317.4 billion last quarter, outpacing the money the FDIC covers
Money is flowing back into U.S. banks for an eighth straight quarter, and on paper that looks like a vote of confidence in the banking system. Look closer at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s Quarterly Banking Profile for the second quarter of 2026, released August 25, and the growth tells a narrower story: nearly all…
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The FDIC says the average one-year CD pays 1.71 percent, far under the 5.65 percent ceiling
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation refreshed its monthly rate benchmark on August 17, and the gap it revealed is a familiar one for anyone who hasn’t shopped around lately. The national average one-year certificate of deposit currently pays 1.71 percent, while the regulatory ceiling for that same product sits at 5.65 percent — more than…
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Home prices rose just 1.5 percent in June, a 13th straight month of losing to inflation
The government’s inflation gauge and the country’s most closely watched home-price index moved in opposite directions again in June, and the gap between them has now persisted for more than a year. S&P Dow Jones Indices reported on August 25 that its national home price index rose 1.5 percent from a year earlier in June,…
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Peacock’s price increase reaches current subscribers September 17, adding $24 a year to Premium
Peacock’s higher prices took effect for new sign-ups back on August 18, but current subscribers have had a few extra weeks of old pricing built in. That grace period ends soon: anyone who subscribed before August 18 starts paying the new rate on their next billing date on or after September 17, and for a…
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Nearly 1.6 million dozen eggs sold under Kroger and Simple Truth labels face a salmonella recall
A recall covering roughly 1.6 million dozen eggs remains in effect at the FDA’s highest risk level, and cartons tied to it could still be sitting in refrigerators across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico and Mississippi. The eggs, sold under the Kroger and Simple Truth store brands along with several smaller regional labels, carry…
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John Deere will pay $99 million to owners who paid for equipment repairs since 2018
Farmers who needed a Deere-brand tractor or combine repaired have spent years complaining that only an authorized dealer could do the job, even for routine work a local independent shop was equipped to handle. A federal antitrust lawsuit turned that complaint into a $99 million cash settlement, plus interest, covering anyone who paid for repair…
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The FBI warns of a phishing trick that survives a password change
A federal cybersecurity warning issued this week describes a scam that keeps working even after a victim does the one thing security advice always recommends: changing the password. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center says cyber actors have been quietly gaining lasting access to people’s email and messaging accounts by tricking them into approving a…
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The FTC is mailing 9,522 more refund checks from a bogus debt-relief operation
A batch of federal refund checks is landing in mailboxes for people who paid a company called Helping America Group to fix their debt, only to end up worse off. The Federal Trade Commission says it recovered more money from the operation’s defendants and is now sending out a third distribution on top of two…
