Economy and Your Money explains how big-picture economic decisions translate into everyday impacts on your paycheck, bills, savings, and prices. From how the Federal Reserve sets interest rates (How the Federal Reserve Sets Interest Rates) and the differences between fiscal and monetary policy (Fiscal vs. Monetary Policy: What’s the Difference?) to why Americans can feel terrible about an economy that looks strong on paper (Why Americans Feel Terrible About an Economy That Looks Pretty Good), this category connects government policy and politics directly to your wallet.
Work, Wages, and Unions
Your job, benefits, and protections are shaped by labor law and union power. Learn what unions do and how collective bargaining affects wages and working conditions (What Unions Do and How Collective Bargaining Works), how American unions have changed since the 1930s (How American Unions Have Changed Since the 1930s), and why business often pushes back against union organizing (Why Business Tends to Dislike Unions—and How Labor Is Responding). Explore why unions are struggling despite record public support (Why Unions Are Struggling Despite Record Public Support).
Consumer protection in the United States ensures everyday people are treated fairly when shopping, borrowing,…
Estate planning organizes your assets, legal arrangements, and designates who receives your property or makes…
Housing remains one of Americans' top economic concerns, with government policies and market conditions directly…
Insurance is one way government and private programs help protect households from big, unexpected costs,…
Investing and retirement policy in the United States is shaped by tax law, federal agencies,…
Personal finance is about making smart decisions with your money—managing income, expenses, savings, and investments…
Retirement and aging in the United States involve a network of federal programs that support…
America’s social safety net is the network of government programs that helps people afford basic…
Starting and running a business in the United States means navigating federal, state, and local…
Federal student loans help millions pay for college, but recent reconciliation legislation in July 2025…
Taxes fund government services at the federal, state, and local levels, including schools, roads, public…
The broader economy is where government decisions about taxes, spending, interest rates, and trade show…
Work and workplace issues sit at the heart of how the U.S. government protects workers,…
Here is a fact about the U.S.-Canada trade relationship that tends to surprise people: Canada, a country of forty million…
President Trump called them "tax-free investment accounts for every American child" during his State of the Union address, and that…
Hawley and Merkley agree on almost nothing. In late February 2026, they agreed on this: Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri…
When a federally insured credit union fails, the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund pays out insured deposits, and in…
Four days after the Supreme Court struck down the administration's emergency tariffs, a new 15% surcharge on most U.S. Imports…
Within hours of the Supreme Court striking down Trump's IEEPA tariffs on February 20, 2026, the administration had already chosen…
The Supreme Court has spent approximately 100 days deliberating over whether President Trump's tariffs violated federal law—a timeline measured from…
If the Supreme Court rules these levies were illegal—a ruling that could arrive any day now—every dollar may need to…