Free Republic

The kids aren’t alright. It’s no surprise that Gen Z — the generation born between 1997 and 2012 — isn’t the best with their money. A poll from Newsweek revealed that adult Zoomers have around $94,000 in personal debt — thanks to never-ending credit card spending. And the proof is in the pudding — according to the 2025 TIAA Institute-GFLEC finance and retirement report, most of Gen Z is financially illiterate. The report showed that on average, Zoomers score only 38% correct on financial literacy tests. Because of this, in the U.S., 29 states now require a personal finance course...

At 66 years old, one Sherman Oaks, California-based mom thought she'd be enjoying an empty nest with her husband. Instead, she's sharing her home with an unexpected roommate: her 27-year-old daughter. Since their 27-year-old moved back home in early 2024, the mother, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her daughter's identity, says she and her husband are spending close to $5,000 a month covering all of her daughter's living expenses. This includes up to $1,500 on food, $700 on transportation and $400 on her pet cat, the mother says.

The Big Beautiful Bill is making waves, and it's bringing some important changes for retirees—especially when it comes to tax deductions. In this video, I'll break down exactly how this new legislation affects retirement savings, tax breaks, and the financial future of retirees by drawing out the various deductions in context with your income. If you're wondering how the Big Beautiful Bill could impact your taxes, pension plans, or deductions, this video is for you! How the New Tax Law Will Actually Affect Your Tax Bill ($6,000 Senior Deductions, Roth, IRA) | 17:31 The Retirement Nerds | 198K subscribers |...

While Canada may not be affected by Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariff deadline for July 9, the two countries still have to work out the details of their own agreement by July 21.

Financial markets are on edge, but White House officials say they anticipate “a lot of deals very quickly.”President Donald Trump on Monday threatened 25 percent tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea, the first of what he said would be a series of higher duties unveiled by the White House as it continues negotiating trade deals with dozens of countries. In a pair of letters posted on Truth Social, his social media site, Trump said the United States “has agreed to continue working with” each country despite large trade deficits. “Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal,” he...

President Trump said nations that support the group’s “Anti-American policies” would face an additional 10 percent tariff. He did not elaborate.President Trump threatened late Sunday to impose an additional tariff on countries that align themselves with the policies of BRICS nations, after the group expressed “serious concerns” over countries imposing unilateral tariffs.“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post. He did not elaborate, nor did he say what BRICS policies he was referring to.The BRICS...

President Trump’s threat to put new tariffs on countries embracing the policies of the Brics group has added fresh uncertainty to global trade and prompted pushback from Moscow and Beijing. Trump posted on social media that countries aligning themselves with “the Anti-American policies of Brics, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff.” -snip- Responding to Trump’s threats, a spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry stated on Monday its oft-repeated line that trade wars and tariff wars have no winners. Brics “does not target any country.” The Kremlin echoed those remarks, saying that Brics “has never been and will never be directed...

The United States will impose 25% blanket tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea starting Aug. 1, President Donald Trump revealed Monday. Trump, in a pair of Truth Social posts, shared screenshots of letters apparently sent to Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung dictating the new tariff rates. The two form letters appear to be the first of what Trump said could be as many as 15 letters sent between Monday and Wednesday, the deadline when his so-called reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries were scheduled to snap back to the higher levels he...

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on any country aligned with the BRICS group of nations, which includes Russia, delivering a potential economic blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The bloc—which also consists of Brazil, India, China, South Africa and five other emerging economies—held a summit over the weekend in which it condemned Trump's "indiscriminate" import tariffs and the Israeli-U. S. strikes on Iran. Trump posted on Truth Social late on Sunday that "any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10 percent Tariff," adding: "There will...

What a week he is having! Or month. Or first five and a half months of his presidency. The “he” of whom I speak, is, of course, President Donald J. Trump. Has any president ever had a couple of weeks like the past two for Trump? Has any president ever had such a torrid and impactful start to his term? The border is secure, something many thought impossible a relative blink of an eye ago. The stock market -- S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average alike -- is at an all-time high. Tariffs have brought in large sums of...

"There will be no exceptions to this policy," the US leader warnedWASHINGTON, July 7. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on countries supporting policies being pursued by the BRICS grouping. "Any country aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an additional 10% tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy," the US leader warned on his Truth Social media platform. In June, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who also serves as Russia’s BRICS Sherpa, told the TASS Analytical Center in an interview that the developments at BRICS...

With U.S. tariffs on steel, aluminum and light-duty vehicles continuing to batter the Canadian automobile industry, the CEOs of Canada's big three automakers are asking for a break. They met with Prime Minister Mark Carney this week to lobby for the elimination of the Liberal government's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate. Maintaining it, they say, will cripple their companies and put thousands of jobs at risk. Carney cancelled Canada's digital services tax last weekend to keep trade negotiations going with the U.S. Could the ZEV mandate also be removed to help an auto industry bleeding from the trade war? And what...

Fixed tariffs on Canadian vehicle exports to the United States would be the beginning of the end of auto assembly in Canada, one industry expert warns, as high-stakes Canada-U.S. trade talks lurch toward a July 21 deadline.

Hosts: Andru Edwards & Jon Rettinger | Guest: Mark Gurman Inside WWDC 2025 & Apple's Year-Long Siri Delay w/ Mark Gurman - Geared Up 208 | 1:02:40 Geared Up | 2.89K subscribers | 8,393 views | June 17, 2025

Can Elon Musk repair the Vatican's woeful fiscal state? I'll save my opinion on the selection of Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as our new pontiff for another column, although his anti-Trump social media posts, his slams of Catholic Vice President JD Vance, and his stance favoring illegal aliens flooding the US. At the same time, the Vatican is safely protected by the Swiss Guard, which does not fill me with hope. AdvertisementThe cardinals did not read an earlier column I wrote advocating for either Cardinals Raymond Burke or Robert Sarah for the top job. (Okay, my own kids don't read...

Do you consider yourself rich in this present age? Here in the U.S., there’s always someone wealthier than us, so it’s easy not to think of ourselves as rich. After all, you probably didn’t take a rocket to space - like Jeff Bezos. However, if you consider the U.S., it’s one of the wealthiest nations ever in the history of the earth. The truth is, most of us reading this blog post do qualify as rich in this present age... What are the rich to do besides just enjoy their wealth? Do good. Each one of us should be always...

Key Points AMD said on Wednesday that it will lay off 4% of its global staff. AMD had 26,000 employees at the end of last year, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. AMD is the second-biggest producer of graphics processing units, or GPUs, behind Nvidia. ============================================================= AMD said on Wednesday that it will lay off 4% of its global staff as the longtime computer chipmaker seeks to gain a stronger foothold in the growing artificial intelligence chip space dominated by Nvidia. ″As a part of aligning our resources with our largest growth opportunities, we are taking a...

I was never informed of this till I received an email from my accountant. A new Federal filing requirement for all incorporated and limited liability companies must be filed on or before December 31, 2024. Called the Business Ownership Information (BOI) report with the U.S. Department of the Treasury Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Disregarded entities are also required to file. Penalties for failure to file are $591 per day! You can also face an additional $10,000 criminal penalty and up to two years in prison. Please see the attached pdf. The link below is the site to register. https://www.fincen.gov/boi-faqs

by Jeff ChildersFailed assassin Ryan Routh was in federal court yesterday, in a hearing quite logically called the “first appearance.” Fox covered the story under the headline, “Trump assassination attempt suspect laughs, smiles during first court appearance in Florida.” Routh was apparently cracking jokes with his public defender, which sounds annoying but could just be his way of managing anxiety. Details were sparsely provided, but this most interesting paragraph leaped out: Right away, we see some problems. For Portlanders, Routh claimed an annual income of $36,000 — far below the poverty level. Which means there is a lot of mysterious...

The Illinois State Comptroller has cut fund payments to a small town after the town's embattled mayor refused to hand over finance reports. Susana Mendoza said that she would be immediately suspending 'offset' fund payments to Dolton after the village failed to hand over financial reports. The money is on pace to total $135,000, according to The Chicago Tribune, and is she threatening to fine them a total of $78,600 if they don't hand over the reports. Mayor Tiffany Henyard has been clinging onto power despite criticism over her management of Dolton and her alleged lavish spending. Mendoza said that...