Your Money: Checking In on Loved Ones During the Holidays
How do you check in on your loved ones to make sure they aren’t making any financial mistakes?
Your Money
December 29, 2025
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By Mike Dang

Hi everyone, hope your holiday celebrations have been fun and peaceful so far this year.

I just returned to the office after visiting my parents for Christmas. My mother isn’t particularly tech savvy, so I always try to sit down with her during my visits, log into her various accounts and make sure she has her financial house in order. I also help her do things she puts off during the year, like renew her driver’s license.

Fortunately, there were no surprises this time around. One year, I discovered that my mother had signed up for a $300 monthly subscription for vitamins through a company I never heard of. A few quick Google searches later, I learned that the company was being investigated for fraud.

How do you check in on your loved ones to make sure they aren’t making any financial mistakes? If you have some wisdom to share, please let me know: mike.dang@nytimes.com

Below, you’ll find a selection of money-related news from across The New York Times. Have a wonderful New Year.

work Friend

My Job Is Making Me Sick

Plus, the long-lost art of the direct confrontation.

By Max Read

A silhouette of people in cap and gown at graduation.

Student Loan Borrowers in Default Could See Wages Garnished in Early 2026

Starting the week of Jan. 7, the Education Department will begin sending notices about paycheck deductions to about 1,000 of five million borrowers in default.

By Emmett Lindner

A close-up of Amy Howdyshell.

More Student Loan Borrowers Are Shedding Debts in Bankruptcy

A new study suggests that distressed borrowers using a simpler bankruptcy process are succeeding — and that more people like them should try.

By Tara Siegel Bernard

Wyatt Johnson, who has facial hair and is wearing a brown leather jacket, sits at a table with his hands clasped. There are Christmas decorations behind him.

Crypto for Christmas? Gen Z-ers Are Cautiously Open to the Idea.

Despite recent volatility in the crypto market, younger generations are still open to receiving digital currencies as gifts.

By Kailyn Rhone

A Delta Air Lines plane parked on a snowy tarmac. In the background, a plane is coming in for a landing.

Hundreds of Flights Canceled at New York Airports, Even With a Few Inches of Snow

To avoid the ripple effects of real-time adjustments to what was predicted to be up to nine inches of snow, the major airlines said they pre-emptively canceled flights.

By Emmett Lindner

Two people walk down a street holding shopping bags.

U.S. Economic Growth Surged in Third Quarter of 2025

Gross domestic product grew at a 4.3 percent annual rate, faster than the previous three months.

By Talmon Joseph Smith

A photo illustration of a vertical stack of $100 bills cinched with a rubber band and made to look like a person, with paper arms and legs, walking across a red tightrope.

The Economy Avoided a Recession in 2025, but Many Americans Are Reeling

A feared recession didn’t materialize, but unemployment rose, wage growth slowed and affordability challenges are mounting.

By Ben Casselman and Colby Smith

Rows of cars seen at a dealership.

Trump Has a New Auto Loan Tax Break. Here’s Who Could Benefit.

Many Americans can take advantage of President Trump’s deduction on auto loan interest, but the tax break will provide only modest savings.

By Adam Sella

Shoppers at makeup counters at a large department store, with Christmas decorations visible.

Shoppers Spent Big This Holiday Season, Despite Economic Pressures

Consumers spent 3.9 percent more from Nov. 1 to Dec. 21 this year compared with last year, according to a Mastercard report on holiday spending.

By Kim Bhasin

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