Author: troyashbacher

As the holidays approach and prices for everyday essentials remain high, discussions about new government stimulus payments have once again captured public attention.Online searches for “stimulus checks” are climbing, and speculation about government payments has intensified after President Donald Trump revived one of his attention-grabbing ideas: sending some U.S. taxpayers $2,000 “tariff dividend” checks.Trump claims his tariffs on imported goods have generated enough money to fund the plan and to pay down some of the deficit. However, since tariffs are taxes, U.S. consumers are bearing much of the burden of the administration’s trade policy, and some fiscal experts say the…

“Tax Fairness” is commonly used in European policy circles to justify higher taxes. Despite being subjective, the meaning of “taxA tax is a mandatory payment or charge collected by local, state, and national governments from individuals or businesses to cover the costs of general government services, goods, and activities. fairness” has expanded from being shorthand for combating tax fraud and avoidance to promoting a certain vision of redistributive tax policy. The call for higher taxes is often justified by the need for more public goods, such as hospitals, schools, and roads; however, these are precisely the in-kind benefits that are…

(Image credit: Getty Images)If your eyebrows furrow when your energy bill arrives, you’re not alone. The average household energy bill jumped by 5.5% from last year, with some areas seeing double-digit spikes.Why are prices rising so much? There are many reasons. The arms race surrounding the development of generative AI projects is expected to increase the production of energy-consuming data centers by 50% by 2027. That number could grow to 165% by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs.Furthermore, we’re encountering increased fuel costs, and energy companies are requesting rate hikes to maintain their aging infrastructure. Combined, it’s a recipe that will…

With doubts building among some investors over the staying power of tech stocks, here’s one sector idea that is starting to come into its own.

This survey asks employers about the cost of single coverage and coverage for a family of four for up to two of their largest plans. Health Insurance Premiums In 2025, the average premiums for covered workers in California are $10,033 for single coverage and $28,397 for family coverage. Premiums for covered workers in California are higher than for covered workers nationally for both single coverage ($10,033 vs. $9,325) and family coverage ($28,397 vs. $26,993). Plan Type: Premiums vary by plan type. The average annual family premium for covered workers in HMOs is lower than the overall average ($26,562 vs. $28,397). Average premiums for…

The Hilton Honors loyalty program just announced some major changes that take effect in January 2026. The updates, which include a new elite status tier and easier qualification for certain existing tiers, are generally positive. Still, there are some potential downsides worth noting.Here’s an overview of the updates and what they mean for Hilton guests.A new, higher elite status tier: Hilton Diamond ReserveSoon, Diamond will no longer be the highest tier of Hilton elite status. In January 2026, that title will go to the new Diamond Reserve tier. To qualify, members will need to stay 80 nights and spend $18,000…

Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO and Co-Founder of Swedish fintech Klarna, gives a thumbs up during the company’s IPO at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City, U.S., Sept. 10, 2025.Brendan McDermid | ReutersKlarna topped Wall Street third-quarter revenue expectations in its first earnings report after debuting on the New York Stock Exchange in September.Here’s how the company performed compared to LSEG estimatesRevenues: $903 million vs. $882 million expectedRevenues grew 26% from $706 million in the year-ago period. The company reported a net loss of $95 million, a drop from a year ago when it had net income of $12…

Onur Erzan and Noel Archard detail how AllianceBernstein has ramped up to $9 billion in ETF assets in three years with 19 active funds.

Stock futures pointed lower Tuesday after the three major indexes sold off to begin the week.  Futures associated with the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average, benchmark S&P 500, and tech-heavy Nasdaq were down 0.5%, 0.4%, and 0.4%, respectively, a day after the indexes all declined roughly 1% as worries about AI-tied stock valuations continued. AI darling Nvidia (NVDA), the world’s most valuable company, stock closed down nearly 2% yesterday as investors eagerly await its quarterly earnings report after the bell Wednesday. Nvidia shares were down a further 1% in premarket trading, while those of fellow AI favorite Oracle (ORCL) were down about 1.5% after a…

The nightmare scenario for many people growing older on their own — a medical crisis in the middle of the night — happened to Jackson Rainer over the summer. Nagging stomach pain turned so excruciating that he couldn’t wait for an ambulance to get to his high-rise apartment in Atlanta. So he drove himself to the hospital and was immediately admitted. Three days later, his colon ruptured, necessitating surgery to remove his large intestine.Rainer, 70, faces months of recovery and adjustment to a new diet and lifestyle. Yet the semiretired clinical psychologist, whose wife of 38 years died in 2016,…