Holiday credit card bills hit differently for many this year. With record-high credit card interest rates and compounding interest charges, holiday shopping expenses often snowball into overwhelming balances. When you account for gifts, gatherings and family travel, December’s routine credit card use can lead to a costly financial hangover.

The good news is you can get relief from that kind of debt before it spirals. We spoke with financial advisors and credit counseling experts about the most effective ways to…

• This holiday season, 36% of Americans took on debt, with average balances of $1,181, according to LendingTree.
• Less than half of the people who took on debt expected to do so.
• To pay down those balances as quickly as possible, these expert tips can help.

Many Americans are capping off the holidays with new debt balances.

This season, 36% of American consumers took on holiday debt, according to a new survey from LendingTree.

Those who racked up balances this season took on an average of $1,181 in debt, up from $1,028 in 2023. However, that is still down from $1,549 in 2022, LendingTree found.

Less than half — 44% — of the people who took on debt expected to acquire those balances, a sign that this…

In the past two years, at least five Michigan counties have worked with a non-profit to help erase some residents’ medical debt.

The counties partner with the group Undue Medical Debt. They subsidize that group’s work in buying up medical debt at a fraction of the initial cost, forgiving it, and notifying residents that they’ve done so.

Wayne and Oakland counties recently announced they’re already wiped out about $36 million in medical debt for potentially tens of thousands of residents. Ingham, Kalamazoo, and Muskegon counties are also running similar programs with Undue Medical Debt, previously known as RIP Medical Debt.

Karley Abramson, a researcher with the Citizens’ Research Council…

Israel to persist until job is done, says Netanyahu after strikes at Houthi targets in Yemen | N18G


On December 26, 2024, Israel launched airstrikes targeting multiple facilities linked to the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen, including Sanaa International Airport, Red Sea ports, and power stations in Hodeidah, Hezyaz, and Ras Kanatib. Houthi media reported at least six casualties, with two killed at the airport and one at the ports. Destruction at the Hodeidah power station and Sanaa Airport was shown in video footage, verified by Reuters using satellite imagery. The Houthis, who have previously launched missile and drone attacks on Israel…

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The petition was filed by Metro Tyres Limited over dues of ₹1,85,25,373 towards goods supplied between August and December 2022.

Hero Electric contended that the petition is not maintainable due to a pre-existing dispute over the quality of the goods supplied after September 2022. According to Hero Electric, these quality issues, identified through customer feedback, justified withholding payment. Additionally, the company alleged discrepancies in account reconciliation and accused Metro Tyres of suppressing material facts and presenting incomplete or misleading documentation to the Tribunal.

In 2023, Alabama had the highest personal bankruptcy filing rate in the United States. In Alabama 346.72 inhabitants per 100,000 had filed for bankruptcy. In comparison, Alaska had the lowest bankruptcy filing rate, where 25.77 inhabitants per 100,000 filed for bankruptcy.

Filing for bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legal process that occurs when a person, business, or organization does not have enough money to pay for all of its debts. Personal bankruptcy happens for a multitude of reasons, with one of the biggest factors being medical debt. Corporate bankruptcy happens when businesses fail or because of financial distress. When a person cannot pay off their debts, a professional accountant is appointed as a…