Credit card delinquencies have reached their highest level since the financial crisis, with $1.25 trillion in total balances and average rates at 21%, and we explain how compound interest can work against borrowers. Americans are saving more for retirement than ever before, but the gap between who has access to a plan and who does not reveals a significant divide. The World Cup kicks off next week across eleven U.S. cities with projections of $17.2 billion in economic activity, and we look at whether those numbers hold up to scrutiny. And a policy proposal that could change what types of investments are available inside retirement plans has drawn nearly 45,000 public comments, centered on a concept worth understanding: fiduciary duty.
The $1.25 Trillion Credit Card Problem, Retirement Savings Hit a Record, the World Cup Economy, and a Policy Debate About Your Retirement Plan
Sources referenced in this episode:
- WSJ (Credit Card Debt) — https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/credit/us-credit-card-debt-af5c7c77
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Consumer Credit Panel) — https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc
- Federal Reserve (G.19 Credit Card Rate Survey) — https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/
- Barron’s (Retirement Savings) — https://www.barrons.com/articles/retirement-savings-rate-fidelity-e711bf75?refsec=retirement&mod=topics_retirement
- Fidelity Investments (Q1 2026 Retirement Analysis) — https://newsroom.fidelity.com/pressreleases/fidelity-q1-2026-retirement-analysis–401-k–and-403-b-savings-rates-reach-record-levels–despite-u/s/f8f4ee41-ab58-4f14-9adb-dcb4feb3f2c7
- CBS News (World Cup Tourism) — https://www.cbsnews.com/news/world-cup-fifa-2026-tourism-us
- FIFA/WTO (Economic Impact Study) — https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/152f754a8e1b3727/original/FIFA-World-Cup-2026-Socioeconomic-impact-analysis.pdf
- Euronews (World Cup Analysis) — https://www.euronews.com/business/2026/06/02/the-2026-world-cup-billions-promised-but-will-the-economic-boom-arrive
- Barron’s (401(k) Alternatives Proposal) — https://www.barrons.com/advisor/articles/public-comments-alts-401k-rule-proposal-67b7fedf?refsec=economy-and-policy&mod=topics_economy-and-policy
- U.S. Department of Labor (Proposed Rule) — https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ebsa/ebsa20260330
New episodes weekly.