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The repossession number everyone quotes is not a count

Oct 26, 2026

1.73 million is an estimate built from a formula. As a rate, it matches 2019. What grew is the loss on each repossession: $10,700 to $17,300 at Ford Credit.

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Who actually paid the tariff, and who got the refund

Oct 23, 2026

Tariffs brought in $194.9 billion in a year. Importers paid nearly 90% at the border, about a quarter reaches the shelf price, and the refund went to the company at the border.

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Unemployment is low. Car loans are failing anyway

Oct 21, 2026

5.49% of car debt is 90 days late, with unemployment near 4%. Only one quarter since 2003 was worse. Here is what breaks a car loan when it is not a layoff.

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The cheap Costco gallon is a receipt for the card you already paid for

Oct 19, 2026

50.6% of Costco's operating profit came from membership fees, not gas. The number that decides whether the card pays for itself is in your own year of fill-ups.

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The $40 trillion debt is a sliver of your mortgage rate

Oct 15, 2026

Interest on the debt passed defense spending. The Fed's own study says it explains only a sliver of your mortgage rate.

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Nobody got fired. Graduates still can't get in.

Oct 12, 2026

Recent grads have been unemployed above the average worker for 66 months in a row. Layoffs are below 2019.

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The Same Middle Class Costs $15,800 More in California

Oct 6, 2026

Nobody publishes the middle-class line for 2025. We built it from the federal definition and the prices the government measures in every state.

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The Car Is Paid Off. The Bills Are Not.

Oct 2, 2026

Car insurance rose 58% while the cost of living rose 17.2%. The biggest cost of owning a car never sends a bill.

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The Housing Crash Is a 17% Drop You Never Saw

Sep 30, 2026

The price on the listing barely moved. The payment on the same house went up by more than half.

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Your house lost value. Your tax bill didn't get the memo.

Sep 24, 2026

Home values fell 1.7% last year. The average property tax bill rose 3%. Same house, same year.

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The hidden math behind the American cost of living — explained weekly.

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