What you need to know

Julpo | E+ | Getty Images When it comes time to make a purchase, which credit card you use could soon determine how much you pay. A new settlement announced this week would end a longstanding dispute between businesses and Visa and Mastercard over credit card “swipe” fee practices. Swipe fees are charged to retailers,…

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Trump official, credit agencies hurt borrowers’ scores

Wayne Johnson at the Gables of Wolf Creek, the retirement community he owns in Macon, Georgia Annie Nova | CNBC A Republican who oversaw the country’s $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio during President Donald Trump‘s first term has funded a class action effort against the administration over its current borrower policies. The proposed class…

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Government shutdown puts some nonprofits in jeopardy

The Disability Awareness Council in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, assists individuals with disabilities in the community, offering aid ranging from transportation to housing advocacy. But for now, many services are on hold. “Because of the shutdown and cuts, core disability services that people rely on every week are either paused, reduced or running with unpaid…

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Inflation breakdown for September 2025, in one chart

Inflation edged higher in September amid a jump in gasoline prices and other essentials such as electricity, while President Donald Trump’s tariffs put pressure on prices for physical goods such as clothing and furniture, economists said. The consumer price index, a key inflation barometer, rose 3% in September from a year earlier, the Bureau of Labor Statistics…

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What student loan borrowers can and can’t do

The Dome of the U.S. Capitol Building is visible in reflection on October 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty Images As the government shutdown stretches on, it’s not easy for borrowers to gauge what’s happening with their student loan debt. The U.S. Department of Education has been sending…

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