On this episode of Your Cheddar hosts Kristen Scholer and Tim Stenovec break down some of the biggest stories in the world of personal finance.
Have you ever heard of the phrase "money can't buy happiness?" Well, that may not be true. According to a recent report by Purdue University, there is actually an optimal amount of money to be happy in life and it's $95,000 a year. The study also found that people who make $60,000-$75,000 a year are a little less happy, but have "emotional well-being."
Plus, U.S. households are carrying record levels of debt. According to the Federal Reserve, outstanding household debt rose by $193 billion to more than $13 trillion last year. Student loans are mostly driving that debt. However, the Reserve says Americans are mostly keeping up with their payments, which is always a good thing!
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
Climate change doesn’t just mean more extreme weather – it also leads to billions of dollars in lost productivity, tourism, and stresses infrastructure.
