News

    The Balance analyzes developments in the economy and consumer financial markets, breaking down how these changes affect your money and your life. This is your destination for clear, concise, and actionable information about current events in finance.
    Beyond the Headlines
    Bad Credit Could Cost a Decade of Work, Data Shows
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    More ITT Tech Students Get Loans Wiped Out
    young soldier using a laptop in the dorms of a military academy
    Student Loan Interest Waived for 47,000 Service Members
    Man in wheelchair reading book with woman
    Disabled Borrowers Get $5.8B in Student Loan Relief
    Woman worrying over paper at table
    5% of Households Still Unbanked Despite Outreach
    A smiling woman holding a credit card uses a laptop.
    Average FICO Score Rises Again, Helped by Pandemic
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    Will Biden’s Next Move on Student Loans Be Forgiveness?
    Group of young people using a laptop to research student loans.
    Pause on Student Loan Payments Extended to 2022
    Beyond the Headlines
    Why It Might Be A Good Idea to Give Teens Credit Cards
    Pensive man with laptop sitting on steps checking documents
    Student Loan System Faces Two ‘Really Big’ Transitions
    Smiling Woman Holds Electric Plug to Charge Her Car at Filling Station
    As Gas Prices Rise, So Does Interest in Electric Cars
    Confused frustrated man reading letter in cafe, receiving bad news.
    Fewer Families Apply for College Aid, Survey Shows
    Beyond the Headlines illustration
    Yes, Mortgage Rates Are Low, But You May Still Be Paying Too Much
    Quote of the Week
    With Child Tax Credit, Teacher ‘Might Quit’ Side Job
    Man Sitting at Desk Scratching Head
    Servicers Unsure As End of Student Loan Pause Looms
    Three young women gather around a laptop
    Ed Department To Vet Fewer Student Aid Applications
    Wells Fargo Sign
    What's Going On With Wells Fargo’s Personal Credit Lines?
    Nurse checking blood glucose of patient in wheelchair
    Walmart Offers More Affordable Private-Label Insulin
    An affectionate young couple going through paperwork while doing their budget at home.
    Personal Finance Perspectives
    AAPI Perspectives: Marguerita Cheng illo
    AAPI Perspectives
    Beyond the Headlines custom illustration
    Does Extra Unemployment Tempt People to Stay Home? Sometimes
    AAPI Perspectives: Alessandro Roco illo
    AAPI Perspectives: Alessandro Roco on Breaking Beverage Barriers
    Beyond the Headlines
    There’s No Better Time to Test Your ‘Federal Budget Personality’
    AAPI Perspectives: Lin Chen illo
    AAPI Perspectives: Lin Chen on Facing Fear and Defining Moments
    AAPI Perspectives: Marguerita Cheng illo
    AAPI Perspectives: Marguerita Cheng on Early Lessons and Lifelong Learning
    Kevin Ha 'Financial Panther'
    Perspectives: The Financial Panther Talks Side Hustles and Safety Nets
    Young people reading in the outdoors library
    Senators: Students in Loan Default Should Get New Start
    rich & REGULAR headshot
    Perspectives: rich & REGULAR on Index Funds and the Meaning of FIRE
    Perspectives: Erin Lowry "Broke Millennial"
    Perspectives: The ‘Broke Millennial’ on Investing and Financial Conversations
    Perspectives - Tiffany Aliche "The Budgetnista
    The ‘Budgetnista’ Talks Budgeting Now and ‘Paying the Pot’
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    Group Aims to Cut Racial Wealth Inequality
    Exhausted businessman sitting at desk in office at night
    Survey: Half of Americans Don’t Have $250 to Spare
    A Walgreens store is seen on April 02, 2019 in Miami, Florida.
    Another Item You Can Find at Walgreens: A Bank Account
    Woman lying down on her couch ordering food on her phone
    PayPal Now Lets You Pay with Crypto
    Woman paying with smartphone in a restaurant.
    Square's New Bank to Boost Small Business Loans
    man using cell phone
    Free Weekly Credit Reports Available for Another Year
    Trouble at computer - stock photo
    Credit Bureaus in the Crosshairs of Consumer Complaints
    Top 5 Comfort Purchases During the Pandemic
    Survey: Food Is the No. 1 Pandemic Comfort Splurge
    Beyond the Headlines
    Lehman Sisters, a Bankers’ Hippocratic Oath, and Shrugging Off Housing Bubble Woes
    A Simple customer calls an online bank to inquire about opening an acocunt.
    Simple Banking Is Closing. Here's What Will Happen to Your Account.
    U.S. President Joe Biden signs an executive order during an event in the State Dining Room of the White House January 21, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden delivered remarks on his administration’s COVID-19 response, and signed executive orders and other presidential actions.
    Federal Agencies Issue Extension on Housing, Student Debt Relief
    Woman shopping online with her credit card.
    Visa and Plaid Terminate Merger Agreement
    NORTH BERGEN, NJ - AUGUST 23: People past walk by a Walmart store on August 23, 2020 in North Bergen, New Jersey. Walmart saw its profits jump in latest quarter as e-commerce sales surged during the coronavirus pandemic
    Walmart to Start Fintech With Ribbit
    Mixed race nurse using laptop
    Report Finds Borrowers Denied Student Loan Forgiveness
    holiday shopping wasting money
    Survey: A Third of Holiday Shoppers Are Cutting Back Their Spending
    Antitrust lawsuits protect consumers and competition
    Antitrust Suit Filed to Block Visa Acquisition of Plaid
    Young woman in a bright room uses her mobile phone to deposit a check.
    How the 2020 Coronavirus Relief (CARES Act) Affects You
    Woman posing near empty mailbox
    Are You Eligible for a 2020 Stimulus Check?
    Woman in Car with Little Boy
    Drivers Deserve Refunds From Auto Insurers, Study Says
    New Trucks
    Car and Truck Sales Help Drive Consumer Spending
    Eviction
    New CDC Document Lets Eviction Proceedings Move Forward
    Graduate students standing in a row, outdoors - stock photo
    Student Borrowers Often Get Help Paying Debt, Study Shows
    Graduating Woman in Black Cap and Gown and Blue Sash Covers Her Face While Friends Surround Her Outside
    Who Are the New Federal Student Loan Servicers?
    Woman digging through her purse
    Budgeting Tips to Fix Financial Problems When Money Is Tight
    Sitting At A Desk And Working With Her Laptop Computer In The Office
    FICO Credit Scoring Changes Will Hit Debt-Revolvers Hard—Eventually
    woman with curly hair sits outside at dusk, looking down at her phone thoughtfully
    How to Donate Securely to Charities & Individuals Committed to Anti-Racism
    Image shows a woman social distancing in her home, wearing a facemask on her ipad.
    What to Do If You’re Struggling With Monthly Payments During the Coronavirus
    Small business closed for COVID-19 lockdown
    Is the PPP Helping Small Businesses as Intended?
    illustration of a woman wearing a suit, sitting at her desk, on the phone and on a laptop
    How to Use Your Stimulus Check and More COVID-19 FAQs
    Frustrated woman checking credit score on computer
    How Coronavirus Fallout Can Affect Your Credit Score