Economy

A Social Security trust fund is expected to run short of cash by 2033, according to new estimates, which would potentially reduce benefits to millions of Americans who depend on the program.

Social Security is now expected to run short of cash by 2033

4:22pm March 31, 2023

by Scott Horsley

Policymakers will need to patch the Social Security program by 2033 to avoid draconian cuts in benefits, a year earlier than had been predicted. A trust fund for Medicare will run out of cash by 2031.

Internal Revenue Service taxes forms are seen on Feb. 13, 2019.

These are the states with the highest and lowest tax burdens, a report says

4:52am March 30, 2023

by Ayana Archie

A new report by WalletHub measured how much people pay in property, income and sales tax in proportion to the amount of money they make.

New NPR poll examines top issues for Americans

5:31pm March 29, 2023

by Domenico Montanaro

The economy still takes the top spot as the most pressing concern, but preserving democracy continues to rank high in NPR's polling, an aberration in American history.

Queue Listen Now

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael S. Barr appears before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C., on March 28, 2023. The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has sparked scrutiny from lawmakers who want to know what went wrong and whether regulators did enough to oversee the lender.

5 things we learned from the Senate hearing on the Silicon Valley Bank collapse

4:20pm March 28, 2023

by Scott Horsley

A top federal regulator called the failure of Silicon Valley Bank a "textbook case of bank mismanagement" during a Senate hearing about what led to its spectacular collapse

A security guard looks out a door as customers line up at Silicon Valley Bank headquarters in Santa Clara, California on March 13, 2023.

Economy

SVB collapse could have ripple effects on minority-owned banks

2:29pm March 28, 2023

Four minority founders reflect on the health of minority-owned banks in the U.S. following the sudden collapse of SVB.

In North Carolina, Biden to compare economic plan with GOP's

9:56am March 28, 2023

by Associated Press

President Joe Biden will visit an expanding North Carolina semiconductor manufacturer on Tuesday as he launches an extended effort to spotlight the impact legislation passed earlier in his administ

Why Nepo Babies Are Bad For Business (Sorry, 'Succession')

6:30am March 28, 2023

by Greg Rosalsky

What the HBO show 'Succession' can teach us about family companies

A reparations rally outside City Hall in San Francisco this month, as supervisors take up a draft reparations proposal. The growing number of local actions has renewed hopes and questions about a national policy.

Cities may be debating reparations, but here's why most Americans oppose the idea

5:00am March 27, 2023

by Jennifer Ludden

Compensation for descendants of enslaved people is broadly controversial, and especially so among whites and Republicans. Researchers say one reason may be misperceptions about the racial wealth gap.

Economy
Arts

Life Kit: Taking a financial leap

5:00pm March 26, 2023

by Marielle Segarra

Thinking about quitting your job or maybe starting a business? NPR's Life Kit has tips on getting your finances in order before making a big leap.

ProPublica finds questionable timing of executives' trades on competitors' stocks

4:37pm March 24, 2023

Never-before-seen IRS records show that CEOs are sometimes making multimillion-dollar bets on the stocks of direct competitors and partners — and doing so with exquisite timing.