Inflation surges in December to highest rate since 1982

Prices paid by U.S. consumers jumped 7% in December from a year earlier, the highest inflation rate since 1982 and the latest evidence that rising costs for food, rent and other necessities are heightening the financial pressures on America's households.

Bank of America cuts overdraft fees

Bank of America is slashing the amount it charges customers when they spend more than they have in their accounts and plans to eliminate entirely its fees for bounced checks.

Families are using the child tax credit to pay off debt, Census Bureau finds

Eligible households have been using the monthly payment to supplement household spending and pay off debt, data shows. But the future of the child tax credit hangs in the balance as the Biden administration struggles to pass the Build Back Better bill, which would extend the benefit through 2022.

$29,000 for an average used car? Would-be buyers are aghast

The days when just about anyone with a steady income could wander onto an auto lot and snag a reliable late-model car or buy their kid’s first vehicle for a few thousand dollars have essentially vanished. “I’ve never seen anything remotely close to this — it’s craziness.”