Your Money NPR coverage of personal finance, money, investing, taxes, retirement, mortgages and housing markets, wealth management, and stock market news. Download NPR podcasts and RSS feeds.

Your Money

Social Security's finances have improved slightly in the last year. But benefits are still facing an automatic cut in less than a decade unless Congress takes steps to prop up the program. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

BYD electric cars wait to be loaded onto a ship at a port in Yantai, China, on April 18. China has rapidly become a major auto exporter, but tariffs have kept cheap Chinese EVs out of the U.S. market — so far. STR/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
STR/AFP via Getty Images

China makes cheap electric vehicles. Why can't American shoppers buy them?

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1248065838/1249130966" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Iowa recently became the fourth Republican-led state to ban spending public money on basic income programs that do not have a work requirement. olando_o/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
olando_o/Getty Images

After a boom in cash aid to tackle poverty, some states are now banning it

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1248663386/1248863483" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Rhaina Cohen and her husband live in a row house with another couple and their two children in Washington, D.C. Cohen says they wanted to share a home with people who they were excited to live with — and who they could depend on. From left to right: Cohen, her husband, her housemate's child and her housemate. Rhaina Cohen hide caption

toggle caption
Rhaina Cohen

The medical device maker Philips has agreed to a $1.1 billion settlement to address claims brought by thousands of people with sleep apnea who say they were injured by the company's CPAP machines. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images

Some baby boomers would like to downsize from their large homes, but say it doesn't make financial sense. Single-family homes in Dumfries, Va., are seen here last year. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Many baby boomers own homes that are too big. Can they be enticed to sell them?

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1244171720/1246083039" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Kitboga, a popular "scam baiter" who hides behind characters to waste the time of scammers, has a combined Twitch and YouTube following of more than million subscribers. His aviator sunglasses — a signature look — recall a comically disguised CIA agent. Kitboga on Twitch/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Kitboga on Twitch/Screenshot by NPR

COVINGTON, KY - APRIL 8: Kathleen Malone works on tax returns at the Cincinnati Internal Revenue Service Center April 8, 2005 in Covington, Kentucky. The tax filing deadline is a week away. Mike Simons/Getty hide caption

toggle caption
Mike Simons/Getty

TikTok is filled with tax advice. Is any of it worth listening to?

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958760/1244490476" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

The U.S. market for domestic mail delivery is by far the largest in the world, and a recent report found its prices are very low compared to other developed countries. The U.S. Postal Service said this week that it wants to raise rates in July. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Forever Stamp is forever rising in price. How does the U.S. cost compare globally?

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1244273973/1244583212" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona participates in an event at Dartmouth College in January. Steven Senne/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Steven Senne/AP

Biden seeks student debt relief for millions

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1243071907/1243347245" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

The Apple Pay app on an iPhone in New York. Consumers tend to spend about 10% more when they adopt mobile contactless payment methods, a researcher says. Jenny Kane/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Jenny Kane/AP

Using your phone to pay is convenient, but it can also mean you spend more

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1241841908/1243294365" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

A sold sign stands outside a home in Wyndmoor, Pa., on June 22, 2022. Two recent studies suggest that prospective homeowners will have to earn more than $100,000 annually to afford a typical home in much of the U.S. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Matt Rourke/AP

Israeli soldiers are seen near the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel, Monday, March 4, 2024. Ohad Zwigenberg/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Ohad Zwigenberg/AP

How much of your tax dollars are going to Israel and Ukraine

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1197958571/1241644605" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Visa and MasterCard announced, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, a settlement with U.S. merchants related to swipe fees, a development that could potentially save consumers tens of billions of dollars. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Mark Lennihan/AP
Reina Takahashi for NPR

What is the new etiquette for tipping?

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1196978930/1241773187" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

The IRS is warning taxpayers that they may be leaving more than $1 billion on the table. The federal tax collector said Monday, March 25, 2024, that roughly 940,000 people in the U.S. have until May 17 to submit tax returns for unclaimed refunds for tax year 2020. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Mark Lennihan/AP

The cereal aisle at a store in San Rafael, California. Manufacturers have been using "shrinkflation" techniques for years, but in the midst of inflation and higher food prices, the practice is being scrutinized and politicians are calling it out. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

You're Not Imagining It; Shrinkflation Is Real

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1198910739/1238422481" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript