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As the months ahead take shape, many people are looking for ways to improve their cash flow, exploring options that range from checking their eligibility for a health savings account (HSA) to buying and selling through the growing recommerce market. While mortgage interest rates have fallen, creating new opportunities for home purchases and refinancing, some buyers are still choosing to wait for property prices to cool.
Home Financing
Mortgage Interest Rates Drop to 2023 Levels
Rates fell 22 basis points after Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (two government-sponsored enterprises, or GSEs) were instructed to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds. The rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped to numbers not seen since early 2023.
This type of purchase of mortgage-backed bonds and securities by GSEs like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac usually results in lower interest rates. The Federal Reserve has also made large purchases of mortgage-backed securities to help lower rates, such as the $580 billion purchase made during the first months of the Covid pandemic.
Analysts are currently busy predicting where mortgage rates could end up; most put the drop somewhere between 25 and 50 basis points, some even lower. However, this may not be enough to encourage more real estate transactions. Home prices are close to 50% higher than they were pre-pandemic, and inflation continues to challenge consumers.
Source: cnbc.com
Insurance
More Americans Qualify to Save With HSA Accounts
Beginning this year, more Americans will become eligible to open and contribute to health savings accounts (HSAs). This new eligibility is due to provisions within H.R. 1 (the Big Beautiful Bill Act).
HSAs are tax-advantaged savings accounts that enable people to set aside money for medical expenses. Contributions are tax-deductible, the money grows tax-free and withdrawals for qualified health care costs aren't taxed.
Before this year, HSAs were only available to people enrolled in high-deductible health plans, or HDHPs. These plans feature a deductible amount of at least $1,700 for individuals or $3,400 for families.
Currently, 3 to 4 million Americans may now be eligible for an HSA, including:
Holders of bronze and catastrophic health plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace. These plans generally have high deductibles, but their limited coverage of non-preventive care before these deductibles were met kept them from qualifying for an HSA.
Direct primary care subscribers. These subscription-based programs enable patients to pay a flat monthly fee to their doctor for primary care services like office visits and wellness exams. Previously, DPC arrangements were considered "other coverage" by the IRS, which prevented HSA holders from using their accounts to pay for them.
Users of telehealth services. HDHP holders can now permanently cover telehealth services before a deductible is met while still maintaining their HSA eligibility. Before this year, accessing telehealth before meeting the minimum deductible could disqualify someone from contributing to an HSA.
Source: money.com
In the News
The Evolution of the Circular Economy
Reselling pre-owned goods online has expanded since eBay went live in 1995, creating a global resale market for everything from DVDs to designer handbags. Its growing share of the retail market has led economists to describe it as the circular economy.
More consumers are discovering sources of income within their closets, toy bins, and storage units. Others demand sustainable solutions while others are looking for bargains. Younger generations are particularly interested in recommerce, with 59% of Gen Zers (aged 14 to 28) and 56% of Millennials (aged 29 to 45) planning to spend more on pre-loved goods this year. Fashion resales are especially popular with these age groups as they're currently uploading some 400,000 items to e-commerce site Depop every day.
Here are more examples of the circular economy in action.
Customers of the outdoor gear company Patagonia can participate in the Worn Wear program by bringing usable clothing and gear to their stores. They'll receive an in-store credit for 25% of the MSRP of qualifying items.
LEGO's Brick Take Back pilot—offering e-gift credit in exchange for old bricks— made headlines as an example of turning clutter into value (while saving more bare feet from stray LEGOs.)
IKEA's Buy Back & Resell initiative is tapping into consumers' desires to both give used goods a second life and get a real return on previous buys.
Luxury items are popular items within the circular economy. Fans of couture and prestige items often choose new purchases for more than their initial appeal— they've also researched their resale value as well.
Designer handbags are especially popular, as some earn their initial owners a profit within the resale market. Luxury reseller Fashionphile reports that one top-selling bag, the Louis Vuitton Speedy is selling for anywhere from $615 to $12,875, depending on each item's age, style and condition. This is often considerably higher than its initial price of $1,940 for a basic Speedy.
Source: empower.com
Credit and Consumer Finance
Check Your Financial Statements for Holiday Fraud
Scammers don't celebrate the holidays by spending time with their families; instead, they're attempting to take advantage of a busy shopping month.
Last year's were busier than ever, according to credit card issuer Visa, as they reported blocking 85% more potentially fraudulent transactions worldwide from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday (five days!) in 2025 than the same period a year ago.
Now that the December holiday season's over, it's time to make sure that you or a family member weren't victims of credit card fraud.
Review all credit card purchases, including the smaller ones. Fraudsters often use low-dollar purchases at fast food and similar retailers to confirm that the card is active. They may then sell the card number to another scammer or attempt a large purchase.
Fake online storefronts that pretend to be well-known retailers can fool even scam-savvy surfers. One way to identify these is to see if the web address (URL) changes if you click on a product. In addition, clearance pricing that seems to be good to be true...usually is.
Shipping-related scams are sometimes tied to a fake storefront, delivering fake tracking numbers and delivery schedules to buyers. These create a time lag between order placement and delivery, which buys them more time to scam.
You'll also want to search for unwanted subscription charges, as you or a family member may have bought something online that sneakily signed them up. Discounted trials of a service may convert into recurring monthly charges.
Source: empower.com
Did You Know?
How Scammers Target Teens on Social Media
If you have kids at home, chances are they're online almost every day — gaming, chatting, or scrolling through social media. However, this may put them at risk. In 2023 alone, more than 18,000 scams targeting people under age 20 were reported in the U.S., leading to over $40.7 million in losses.
Cybercriminals often choose teenagers as targets for fake giveaways, phishing links, and even emotional manipulation. Here are some to discuss with your children.
Gaming giveaways. Scammers have invaded popular games like Roblox and Fortnite, posting offers like "free V-Bucks" or "free Robux". These lead to fake websites that ask for a login, giving scammers opportunities to take over their gaming or bank accounts, or steal their credentials.
Social media impersonators. Scammers will pretend to be friends, classmates or influencers, tricking kids into sharing their personal details or clicking malicious links. They can be extremely convincing as they use stolen photos and AI-generated images. Any messages that appear to be from friends should be verified by texting or calling them first.
"Bad actor" scams. This is a devastating, cruel scam, and 20% of teens have been approached by these scammers. Predators pose as peers, manipulating teens into sharing private photos, then threatening to release them unless they pay money or send more images.
Friendship and romance connections. These are particularly risky as they're cultivated slowly. They build emotional connections with children and teens, often through gaming or social media. Once trust is formed, they may ask for anything from money to personal information, or even inappropriate photos.
In addition to discussing these scams during a family meeting, you may also want to consider installing parental controls and/or threat detecting software on your children's phones, laptops and other digital devices.
Source: webroot.com
