Gilbert

For much of the postwar era, economic policy rested on a simple assumption: income was stable. Paychecks arrived on schedule. Jobs lasted. Benefits followed employment. Safety nets were designed around predictability. That assumption no longer holds. Today’s economy increasingly runs on irregular hours, variable pay, contract work, performance incentives,...

There was a time when bills were something households managed. Today, for many Americans, they feel more like something that manages them. Monthly obligations such as housing, insurance, utilities, healthcare, transportation, subscriptions  have become so constant and so inescapable that they no longer register as temporary expenses. They...

Where Americans live has always shaped their financial lives. But increasingly, geography isn’t just about cost of living or job opportunity it’s about exposure. From hurricanes along the Gulf Coast to wildfires in the West and floods in the Midwest, a growing share of U.S. households now live...

For generations, financial stability was defined by predictability. A steady paycheck. A fixed mortgage. Bills you could plan around. Once those pieces were in place, the thinking went, the rest would follow. Today, that definition no longer holds. Across income levels, American families are discovering that stability itself has...

For all the spreadsheets, budgeting apps, and long term planning Americans do, one line item continues to resist control: healthcare. It doesn’t behave like housing. It doesn’t track food or transportation. And unlike most recurring expenses, it can explode without warning. Even in an economy where inflation shows...

Financial anxiety is often discussed as a single, shared experience, a vague sense that money feels tighter than it should. In reality, it looks very different depending on where someone is in life. The pressures facing a 25 year old renter are not the same as those facing...

For much of the past decade, side hustles have been sold as a financial safety valve. When wages lag, the thinking goes, workers can simply earn more on the side. Drive a little, freelance a little, sell a little and the gap between income and expenses narrows. In...

For years, the housing conversation has revolved around one number: mortgage rates. When rates surged, affordability collapsed. When rates began to stabilize, many expected relief. Instead, a quieter pressure has taken hold, one that doesn’t show up neatly in headline inflation data but is reshaping the true cost...

A generational shift that reveals more about the economy than the insurance market. For decades, insurance was considered a mandatory part of adulthood health, auto, renters, homeowners, life. You hit your mid-twenties, found a job, signed up for benefits, and the rest was automatic. But in 2026, that...

Why Americans keep borrowing, even when they know the long term cost. If you want to understand the modern American economy, don’t start with the stock market. Start with the monthly payment. Car loans stretch to seven years. Phones financed like mortgages. “Buy now, pay later” buttons sitting...

For decades, switching service providers, whether for insurance, banking, internet, wireless service, or utilities, was treated as an annoyance rather than a financial plan. Most households picked a company, stayed put, and absorbed the occasional price hike as part of modern life. But in 2025 and 2026, the...

For years, climate change was treated as a national or global challenge, something for policymakers, insurance companies, and environmental agencies to solve. But in 2026, the financial consequences have moved directly into American homes. The cost of living is rising not only because of inflation or interest...