Your Money

Airport employees, Uber and Lyft drivers, and other workers protest for a $15 minimum wage at Los Angeles International Airport in October. Increases in minimum wages contributed to bigger pay gains for lower-income workers.

Economy

Minimum Wage Hikes Fuel Higher Pay Growth For Those At The Bottom

8:37am January 09, 2020

by Scott Horsley

Wages rose faster for low-income workers than for any other group in 2019. The gains are partly explained by the tight labor market. But increases in minimum wages also contributed to the gains.

Queue Listen Now

Economy

Life Kit: How To Make Budgeting A Successful New Year's Resolution

5:13pm January 05, 2020

by Chris Arnold

NPR's Life Kit podcast tackles budgeting and how it might even be an enjoyable New Year's resolution.

The S&P 500 has seen a nearly fivefold increase since the depths of the Great Recession. It has gone up nearly 30% this year alone.

Economy

A Decade After A Fearful Market Hit Bottom, Stock Bulls Continue Historic Run

6:08am December 30, 2019

by Jim Zarroli

The S&P 500 has seen a nearly fivefold increase since the depths of the Great Recession. But some analysts say the bull market may have gone on too long, encouraging investors to take more risks.

An image of Ow Luen from his file, originally held at the USCIS, now available at the National Archives.

Tracing Your Family's Roots May Soon Get A Lot More Expensive

12:51pm December 29, 2019

by David Greene

Access to some genealogical records kept by the U.S. government may get a lot more expensive, especially for those seeking family records for immigrants from the late 1800s to mid-1900s.

Queue Listen Now

Economy

The Ultimate Procrastinator's Guide To Gifts

5:26am December 25, 2019

by Alina Selyukh

It happens. Sometimes, you buy holiday gifts weeks in advance — sometimes it's Christmas morning, extended family arrive and you have nothing to give them. Cue a guide to the truly last-minute gift.

Queue Listen Now

Families affected by preexisting medical conditions attend a Capitol Hill news conference in 2018 in support of the Affordable Care Act. Prior to the ACA, insurers could refuse to cover people who had even mild preexisting conditions — or charge them mu

What Else Disappears If The ACA Is Overturned?

5:00am December 16, 2019

by Julie Rovner

Though it has been on the books for nearly a decade, the Affordable Care Act faces a big court challenge right now that could overturn it. Here's what happens if the federal health law goes away.

Mike Calhoun talks about how student loans are forcing younger Americans to delay homeownership at a housing conference in September.

Student Loans A Lot Like The Subprime Mortgage Debacle, Watchdog Says

4:39pm December 09, 2019

by Chris Arnold

Mike Calhoun rang the alarm bell early on about the subprime mortgage debacle — before reckless lending drove the economy into recession. These days, he's sounding the alarm about student loans.

Queue Listen Now

Drew Lehman of Lansdale, Pa., became unable to work after a traumatic car accident. He's one of hundreds of thousands of borrowers who qualify to have their student loans erased because of significant, permanent disabilities.

Lawmakers Call For Investigation After NPR Report On Troubled Student Loan Program

4:33pm December 05, 2019

NPR found the vast majority of student loan borrowers with disabilities aren't getting the debt relief they're owed. Now, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is asking for an investigation.

Drew Lehman and his wife, Laura, sit on the family's big leather couch. Lehman says it's the most comfortable place for him.

Student Loan Borrowers With Disabilities Aren't Getting Help They Were Promised

10:53am December 04, 2019

Hundreds of thousands of borrowers are eligible to have their student loans erased because a disability keeps them from working. NPR found many will likely never get the debt relief they're owed.

Queue Listen Now

Brokerage giant Charles Schwab said Monday it will acquire competitor TD Ameritrade in an all-stock transaction valued at $26 billion. A Schwab office in Oakland, Calif., is seen here.

Charles Schwab To Buy TD Ameritrade, Creating Brokerage Behemoth

2:35pm November 25, 2019

by Laurel Wamsley

Changes are rippling through the financial services market as trade fees drop to zero. The merger will likely attract antitrust scrutiny, as the combined firms will hold $5 trillion in client assets.