Money & Finance

Money is less about arithmetic than about belief. It tells stories of security, freedom, and failure, shaping how people measure worth and imagine possibility. Personal finance becomes a mirror of culture, where saving is cast as virtue, debt as shame, and spending as identity. Beneath the advice columns and budget apps, money reflects power, psychology, and trust. It is both deeply personal and entirely collective, a system of value that only works because everyone agrees to pretend it does.

An illustration of a fast-food franchise owner looking stressed while examining finances in a kitchen setting.

The Five Dollar Desperation Play

I watched a man count out change for a McDouble last week. Quarters, dimes, and nickels spread across the counter as the line behind him shifted from foot to foot. The cashier waited, steady as a rock. Twenty years ago, that same guy would have flashed a twenty and told

An illustration of a chess board with a large rook piece dominating smaller pawn pieces, symbolizing the bank's strategic advantage over fintechs.

JPMorgan’s Quiet Checkmate on Fintech Data

Power rarely announces itself. It slips in quietly, rewrites the rules, and sends you a fresh bill. That's what JPMorgan Chase did in its long clash with fintech firms over access to customer data. CNBC reports that the bank has now struck deals that ensure it gets paid