• Bryan Kuderna: Picking the Right Investment…Account
  
  The majority of financial commentary revolves around which investments to pick. After all, calling the hot stock of the year or debating crypto versus green energy makes for great conversation at a cocktail party.
• Lauren Fix, The Car Coach: Why Gas Prices Are Spiking Again | EXPLAINED
  
  Prices at the gas pump are rising yet again, today's national average gas price is $4.59. As we head into the summer months, the demand jumps - and prices are going to continue to jump up as well.
• Gas Prices Could Soon Top $6 a Gallon
  
  The nationwide average of gas prices could jump to more than $6 a gallon by the end of summer, JP Morgan analysts warned Wednesday. The guidance comes as gas prices hit a record high of $4.59 Friday, breaking Thursday's record of $4.58.
• Fidelity 401(k) Savers Defer 14%, Grow 5-Year Balances to $257k
  
  Fidelity 401(k) retirement accounts saw record deferral rates of 14% in the first quarter of 2022, with an average 401(k) balance of $121,700, a report released Thursday reveals.
• Average Long-Term Mortgage Rates Edge Down to 5.25%
  
  Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates retreated modestly this week, but interest on the key 30-year loan remains at decade-high levels.
• Trevor Gerszt: 3 Reasons the Debt Bubble Bursting Could Wipe Out Your Wealth
  
  With all the headlines talking about how high inflation is, there's a crisis brewing under the surface that is going largely unnoticed: the debt bubble. This debt bubble is perhaps the largest in history, one that is growing every day.
• 'Twitter Philanthropy' Reveals Chasms in Social Safety Net
  
  Single father Billy Price was already struggling to make ends meet before someone broke into his Michigan storage unit, stole his identity and ruined his credit.
• Chris Orestis, Retirement Genius: Protect Your Money in This Wild Stock Market
  
  With inflation still at a 40-year all-time high of 8.3% and the stock market going haywire, Chris Orestis, Retirement Genius, speaks with Newsmax Finance on what retirees need to do now to ride out the storm.
• IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index Declines to 41.2
  
  The IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index has declined further into the pessimistic zone, declining by 4.3 points, or 9.5%, from 45.5 in April to 41.2 in May.
• Nuzzo: DeSantis to Fight Litigation Driving Homeowners Insurance Crisis
  
  As the state continues to welcome residents from high-tax big-government states like New York and Illinois, the prosperity the state has enjoyed is at risk. Homeowners are seeing double (and sometimes triple) digit premium increases in their insurance rates.
• Americans Bet $125B on Sports in 4 Years Since Legalization
  
  Americans have bet more than $125 billion on sports with legal gambling outlets in the four years since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for all 50 states to offer it.
• Michael Busler: Inflation Pauses - But Will Get Even Hotter This Summer
  
  The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the inflation report for the month of April on its Consumer Price Index (CPI), showing it increased by 0.3%. That means the inflation rate for the prior 12 months dropped from 8.5% to 8.3%. Unfortunately, this pause is temporary.The...
• Peter Reagan: Why Conventional Investing Wisdom Is Toxic Today
  
  When the stock market tanks, traditional wisdom says seek shelter in bonds. That's because bonds are generally considered a conservative investment. Research demonstrates that's smart 96% of the time - but not today.
• Travel Firms Spending Heavily to Lure Vacationers
  
  U.S. travel booking firms are spending heavily on marketing to get more people to book flights and accommodation on their apps and websites as they look to make the most of a post-pandemic boom in tourism during the upcoming summer season.
• US Household Strength May Prolong Fed's Inflation Fight
  
  The financial strength built up in U.S. households limited the damage from the coronavirus pandemic but may now be aggravating - and prolonging - the Federal Reserve's inflation fight as the central bank waits for people to run out of spending power.
• Lauren Fix, The Car Coach: 10 Car Dealer Tricks to Avoid
  
  Car dealers are in business to make money, and most of them are honest. Sadly, some "play the game" and know the tricks that can be a trap. Having "car smarts" is important to be prepared for potential situations where you meet a more aggressive salesperson.
• Funeral Costs for COVID Deaths Paid by Government
  
  The costs of a funeral for people who died from COVID can be reimbursed by the government, but many people don't take advantage of it.
• Gallup Poll: Americans Increasingly Worried About Finances
  
  Americans have grown increasingly worried about their finances over the past year, according to a new poll from Gallup released on Monday.
• Bob Ciura: 3 High-Dividend Business Development Cos. Yielding Over 6%
  
  Investors may not be familiar with Business Development Companies, but this particular group of stocks could be appealing for income seekers. Business Development Companies, or BDCs for short, are a sub-set of the market that typically offer very high dividend yields.
• Pay, Nest Egg Among Americans' Biggest Financial Regrets
  
  In the past two years of the recession, COVID and 8.5% inflation, Americans have faced unprecedented personal economic challenges. Sixty-seven percent of Americans "often" or "sometimes" regret decision relating to money, the ConsumerAffairs survey found.
• US Bond Funds Record Outflows for 17th Week in a Row
  
  U.S. investors remained net sellers of bond funds in the week to May 4 as the economy's rising inflationary challenges fanned caution ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting this week.
• Trevor Gerszt: Gold Demand Rises 34% in First Quarter
  
  In an encouraging sign that rising gold prices haven't dented gold demand, total demand for gold rose 34% in the first quarter of 2022 to 1,234 tons, the highest level since the fourth quarter of 2018.
• Peter Reagan: How to Build a Crash-Proof Retirement Plan
  
  Cash-strapped Americans are increasingly turning their retirement savings into piggy banks to make ends meet. That’s almost always a terrible idea, and can wreck your retirement plans – unless you do this…
• Summer Travelers Can Expect Long Lines, Higher Prices as COVID Wanes
  
  With more U.S. travelers expected to take to the skies and the roads this summer as COVID restrictions ease, unbridled demand will strain capacity in the leisure and travel industry and push prices even higher.
• How Higher Fed Rates Stand to Affect Americans' Finances
  
  Record-low mortgages below 3%, reached last year, are long gone. Credit card rates will likely rise. So will the cost of an auto loan. Savers may finally receive a yield high enough to top inflation.

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