A bold new proposal is making waves in Washington as Republican Congressman Joe Wilson moves to honor President Donald Trump in a way no living U.S. president has ever been honored—by putting his face on a newly created $250 bill. The bill, if passed, would mark a historic first and serve as a direct response to the economic crisis that defined the Biden years. Wilson made it clear that “Bidenflation” has forced Americans to carry more cash than ever before, making a larger bill both practical and symbolic. “Most valuable bill for most valuable President!” he posted on X, striking a chord with Americans who saw their wallets get lighter while Biden’s government got bigger.

Grateful to announce that I am drafting legislation to direct the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 bill featuring Donald J. Trump. Bidenflation has destroyed the economy forcing American families to carry more cash. Most valuable bill for most valuable President! pic.twitter.com/v4glGOB2z3

— Joe Wilson (@RepJoeWilson) February 25, 2025

The push to put Trump’s face on U.S. currency isn’t just about honoring the man who reshaped America’s political landscape—it’s a direct rebuke of the reckless spending, inflationary policies, and economic mismanagement that took place under Joe Biden. Inflation soared to a crushing 9.1% under Biden, the highest since the disastrous Carter years, forcing everyday Americans to dig deeper just to afford groceries, gas, and rent. The administration tried to pass the buck, blaming COVID, Russia, and even supply chains, but anyone paying attention knew that Biden’s spending spree, energy crackdowns, and open-door border policies were the real culprits. Even though inflation has cooled slightly in 2025, Americans are still feeling the sting every time they swipe their credit cards or check out at the grocery store. Trump, who campaigned on making inflation “vanish completely,” wasted no time implementing bold economic measures, including tariffs of up to 25% on foreign goods to rebuild American industry.

Naturally, the left-wing media is already melting down over Wilson’s proposal, comparing it to the “Trump Bucks” scams that took advantage of hopeful supporters. But let’s be clear—this bill is about real, legal U.S. currency, not some commemorative novelty item. Americans already buy collector’s bills featuring Trump’s image on Amazon and eBay, proving there’s an appetite for honoring 45 in a big way. Democrats, who spent years trying to erase Trump’s legacy, will no doubt fight this measure with everything they have. But the reality is simple—no modern president has done more to reshape America’s economy, restore its global standing, and put power back in the hands of the people than Donald J. Trump.

Wilson’s bill hasn’t been formally introduced in Congress yet, but if it passes, the Trump $250 bill would be the highest denomination of legal U.S. currency. With Biden’s failures still fresh in people’s minds, the timing couldn’t be better. Americans have been forced to carry more cash just to get by, and now, they might just get to carry a bill honoring the man who is working to fix the mess left behind. The left will rage, the media will meltdown, and the swamp will try to stop it—but the Trump economy is back, and this time, it’s got his face on the money.

House Republicans’ ambitious budget reconciliation bill faces uncertainty as at least two GOP lawmakers threaten to vote against it. With Speaker Mike Johnson navigating a razor-thin majority, any defections could derail a package designed to advance President Donald Trump’s border, defense, tax, and energy priorities.

Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee and Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana have both expressed opposition, citing concerns about excessive government spending. Spartz called for stronger commitments to budget cuts, while Burchett warned that simply slowing the rate of spending increases is not enough. Meanwhile, moderate Republicans from swing districts remain hesitant over proposed cuts to Medicaid and other federal programs meant to offset the costs of Trump’s initiatives.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York acknowledged that six to ten GOP lawmakers were still undecided, stating that she sought reassurances that spending cuts would not harm seniors and people with disabilities in her district. Arizona Rep. Juan Ciscomani also attended meetings on the bill but has yet to commit to supporting it. Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales remains undecided as well, with all three lawmakers awaiting more clarity from House leadership.

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky has also signaled opposition, warning that the bill would worsen the deficit rather than improve it. With their slim House majority, Republicans can only afford to lose one vote if Democrats remain unified against the bill.

House and Senate Republicans are pushing to pass a sweeping legislative package through budget reconciliation, allowing them to bypass the Senate’s usual 60-vote threshold. The bill proposes roughly $300 billion in new spending for border security, the judiciary, and defense while seeking at least $1.5 trillion to $2 trillion in spending cuts elsewhere. It also earmarks $4.5 trillion to extend provisions of Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which are set to expire at the end of the year.

As negotiations continue, House leadership faces the challenge of securing enough votes to advance the legislation while addressing concerns from both fiscal hawks and moderates wary of drastic cuts. With a vote expected soon, the pressure is on to find a path forward that satisfies the full spectrum of the Republican caucus.

President Donald Trump’s America-first economic agenda is already reshaping global markets—and now, it’s even forcing the world’s largest banks to fly gold bars across the Atlantic.

With Trump preparing to impose a reciprocal tariff regime and outlining new tariffs on the European Union, major financial institutions are scrambling to move their assets, including billions of dollars in gold reserves.

Trump’s Tariffs Trigger a Gold Rush to New York

The price of gold in London has been trading about $20 lower per troy ounce than in New York since early December, creating a massive arbitrage opportunity for banks looking to hedge against tariff risks and market volatility.

Rather than absorb losses, major financial players like JPMorgan and HSBC are now physically relocating their gold to the U.S., where it can be sold at a higher price or leveraged more effectively in futures markets.

JPMorgan alone filed a request with CME Group’s Comex to move $4 billion worth of gold from London to New York in February—a move that would have been unthinkable under previous administrations.

Gold Prices Skyrocket Under Trump’s Strong Economic Policies

Gold has been on an unstoppable tear, surging over 10% since the start of 2025 and up a staggering 44% from last year. The surge is a direct result of:

1. Uncertainty in global trade due to Trump’s tariff crackdown.
2. Investors fleeing fiat currencies amid Trump’s America-first economic restructuring.
3. Wall Street bracing for higher inflation and currency fluctuations.

Instead of cowering to globalist pressure, Trump is reshaping the financial landscape, forcing international markets to respect the power of the U.S. dollar.

Banks Forced to Adapt—Flying Billions in Gold on Commercial Jets

With no other cost-effective option, banks are using commercial airlines to fly tons of gold from London to New York. Security teams and armored vehicles ensure the shipments arrive safely, but the sheer desperation behind these moves proves one thing—Trump’s economic strategy is working.

The liberal media will try to spin this as a bad thing, but the truth is simple:

Trump is forcing the world to play by America’s rules again.

The Bottom Line: Trump’s Tough Tariffs Are Changing the Game

Trump’s aggressive trade policies have put the global elite on notice—and they’re now scrambling to adjust to a reality where America calls the shots.

The gold market shift is just another victory lap for Trump’s economic agenda.

And as the U.S. economy surges under Trump’s leadership, one thing is crystal clear—

America is back on top.

President Donald Trump’s plan to impose a 25 percent tariff on imported automobiles has sent foreign automakers scrambling—and it’s exactly the kind of economic shift that puts America first. With Trump making it clear that automakers with U.S. factories will be exempt, companies like Hyundai and Kia are now working overtime to expand American production to dodge the tariff.

Foreign Automakers Forced to Choose: Build in America or Pay Up

Trump has made no apologies about his America-first economic policies, and this latest auto tariff move is no different. During a recent announcement, he gave automakers a choice:

“If they have a plant and factory here, there will be no tariff,” Trump stated.

Hyundai and Kia got the message loud and clear. The South Korean auto giants announced plans to ramp up their U.S. vehicle production by 70 percent, thanks in large part to their massive new plant in Georgia, which is set to open in March.

This isn’t just good news for American manufacturing—it’s a direct reversal of the disastrous outsourcing trend that globalists have championed for decades. By bringing production home, companies like Hyundai and Kia will create thousands of new jobs and strengthen the domestic economy.

South Korea’s Auto Industry in Panic Mode

South Korea’s economy heavily depends on automobile exports—27.2 percent of the country’s total exports are cars. And with a 25 percent tariff looming, industry experts predict that auto exports to the U.S. could drop nearly 20 percent.

South Korean companies are now scrambling to find solutions. Kia, which also has a manufacturing plant in Mexico, is considering rerouting its supply chain through Canada to take advantage of existing zero-tariff trade agreements.

Meanwhile, Hyundai is doubling down on U.S. manufacturing, with its Georgia plant set to produce 350,000 vehicles per year—on top of the 400,000-unit capacity at its Alabama facility.

Mexican Auto Industry Braces for a Major Blow

Trump’s America-first strategy isn’t just sending shockwaves through South Korea—Mexico’s auto industry is also in panic mode. Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida admitted that the Japanese automaker is reevaluating production in Mexico, saying:

“If high tariffs are imposed, we need to be ready for this and maybe we can transfer production elsewhere.”

With Trump’s 25 percent tariff on Mexican imports still in place, automakers who rely on Mexico are quickly realizing they have two choices—move production to the U.S. or get hit with massive tariffs.

Trump’s Plan is Already Working

Trump’s hardball trade tactics have been mocked and dismissed by the globalist elite for years. But here’s the reality: his strategy is forcing foreign companies to invest in America.

By leveraging tariffs as a negotiating tool, Trump is rewriting the rules of global trade, bringing manufacturing jobs back home and punishing countries that exploit cheap labor while undercutting American workers.

And let’s be clear—this move isn’t just about economics, it’s about national security. A strong U.S. auto industry means less reliance on foreign production, protecting critical supply chains from adversarial nations like China.

It’s America First, Whether Globalists Like It or Not

Trump has once again proven that bold leadership gets results. While Biden spent four years selling out American workers, Trump is putting U.S. manufacturing back on the map.

Hyundai, Kia, and Nissan now face a simple choice:

Build in America, or pay the price.

President Donald Trump delivered a major victory for working-class Americans by pulling the plug on New York’s deeply unpopular congestion pricing scheme. In a decisive move, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy informed Gov. Kathy Hochul that the federal government is revoking its approval of the plan, which was set to charge drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street.

The program, touted as an effort to reduce traffic and pollution, was nothing more than a cash grab designed to bail out the financially incompetent Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)—which is drowning in tens of billions of dollars of debt. The decision was cheered by New Yorkers, especially commuters and small business owners who were bracing for yet another crushing tax.

Trump Saves New York from Hochul’s Scheme

Duffy didn’t mince words in his letter to Hochul, calling congestion pricing “a slap in the face to working-class Americans and small business owners.”

“Every American should be able to access New York City regardless of their economic means. It shouldn’t be reserved for an elite few,” Duffy wrote.

Trump, never one for subtlety, took to Truth Social to declare victory, writing:

“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

Hochul, visibly rattled, launched into damage control mode, holding an angry press conference at Grand Central where she vowed to fight Trump’s decision in court.

“President Donald Trump tweeted ‘long live the king.’ I’m here to say New York hasn’t had a king in over 250 years. We sure as hell are not going to start,” Hochul raged.

She went on to bizarrely claim that New Yorkers were now ‘roadkill’ on Trump’s revenge tour. Perhaps she forgot that she herself had paused the congestion pricing plan last summer, calling it too burdensome on working-class commuters—only to flip-flop and push it through after Trump’s re-election.

Liberals Melt Down, Working-Class New Yorkers Celebrate

The usual Democrat elites rushed to Hochul’s defense, hailing the toll as a “necessary solution” despite its devastating impact on middle-class workers and small businesses.

MTA CEO Janno Lieber, who has been desperately trying to defend the program, claimed that traffic in Manhattan was down 9% in January due to the toll. But what he failed to mention was that foot traffic in business districts plummeted, hurting local stores and restaurants.

“Traffic is way down because people can’t come into Manhattan, and it’s only going to get worse,” Trump told Miranda Devine in an interview earlier this month.

Meanwhile, everyday New Yorkers and conservative lawmakers rejoiced.

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, who had sued to stop the toll, thanked Trump for killing the scam.

“This was always a three-strike loser—a nonstarter for Staten Island: more traffic, more air pollution, and more tolls.”

Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) hailed it as “a victory for hardworking, taxpaying commuters” who have been unfairly treated like bottomless ATMs for New York Democrats.

Even New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, called the plan a “disaster” for middle-class commuters.

A Scam to Bail Out the MTA

Trump’s Department of Transportation cited one major reason for the reversal: the toll had nothing to do with reducing traffic or helping the environment. Instead, the revenue was set to line the pockets of the corrupt MTA, which is one of the worst-run transit systems in America.

New Yorkers already pay sky-high taxes to fund infrastructure, yet the MTA, under Hochul and her cronies in Albany, continues to waste billions.

GOP Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17) slammed the congestion tax as nothing more than a money grab.

“This entire program is a scam—a symptom of a far deeper issue in our state: government overreach and rampant mismanagement at the hands of Kathy Hochul and her corrupt allies.”

What’s Next?

Hochul is already preparing a legal battle to keep her deeply unpopular toll alive, but with Trump in the White House and a growing bipartisan backlash, she’s fighting an uphill battle.

The real solution? Audit the MTA, cut the waste, and stop using everyday New Yorkers to fund Democrat failures.

Elon Musk is making waves once again, this time with a proposal that could put money back into the pockets of hard-working Americans. Musk announced that he will be discussing a plan with President Donald Trump to distribute tax rebate checks—dubbed the “DOGE Dividend”—funded by projected savings from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

This bold idea could return billions of dollars to taxpayers, provided it gets congressional approval and DOGE meets its ambitious cost-cutting goals.

Why This Matters

This proposal arrives at a time when government spending, tax policy, and economic relief measures are under intense scrutiny. While Trump has been laser-focused on cutting government waste and extending tax cuts, some lawmakers argue that any savings should be directed toward reducing the national debt rather than being returned directly to taxpayers.

Unlike the COVID-era stimulus payments, which were designed as emergency relief, the DOGE Dividend would be based on federal spending reductions—a major shift in how Washington views economic policy.

How the DOGE Dividend Would Work

Musk hinted at the plan on X (formerly Twitter), responding to Azoria CEO James Fishback’s proposal to return 20% of DOGE savings to taxpayers. Fishback estimated that if DOGE meets its ambitious $2 trillion savings target, it could generate $400 billion in rebates—translating to $5,000 per household for the 78 million taxpayers who contribute to federal income taxes.

That could mean around $2,500 per person in a two-income household, depending on tax status. However, if DOGE falls short, the rebates would shrink accordingly.

So far, DOGE has reportedly saved $55 billion, meaning that at this stage, each taxpayer would receive just under $360. These savings have primarily come from cutting bloated federal contracts and agency budgets.

The Pushback: Is More Money in the System a Good Idea?

While many Americans would welcome a tax rebate, some financial experts are sounding the alarm.

Kevin Thompson, founder of 9i Capital, warned:
“If people thought inflation was bad last year and prices are still stubbornly high now, imagine what would happen if we pumped even more money into the system.”

Others, like former Office of Management and Budget official F. Stevens Redburn, have raised logistical concerns, noting that Congress and the Treasury Department would have to sign off on any plan to track and distribute savings.

What Happens Next?

Right now, the DOGE Dividend is just a proposal. It would require congressional approval before taxpayers see a dime. The question now is how lawmakers will respond—will they back direct payments to taxpayers, or will they push for alternative tax relief?

With Trump leading the charge to slash wasteful spending, and Musk uncovering massive inefficiencies in government, conservatives are energized by the prospect of Washington finally working for the people—instead of draining their wallets.

Elon Musk has once again sent shockwaves through the tech industry with the unveiling of Grok 3, the latest and most powerful version of his AI chatbot. Developed by his startup xAI, Grok 3 claims to outperform OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Google’s Gemini, Anthropic’s Claude, and China’s DeepSeek V3. The announcement marks a major escalation in the AI arms race, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown between Musk and his rivals in Big Tech.

Grok 3 Crushes the Competition

At a live-streamed launch event, Musk declared that Grok 3 is “an order of magnitude more capable” than its previous versions. According to test results released by xAI, Grok 3 outshines its competitors in math, science, and coding, suggesting a monumental leap in AI development.

What makes Grok 3 even more impressive? It was trained using 10 times the computing power of its predecessor, Grok 2. Andrej Karpathy, a former Tesla AI director and OpenAI co-founder, tested the model and admitted it was “slightly better” than Google’s and DeepSeek’s latest releases—an admission that has OpenAI scrambling.

Musk’s Plan to Dominate AI

Musk isn’t just aiming to compete with Big Tech—he’s looking to dismantle its monopoly on artificial intelligence. The Grok chatbot is already available to premium X subscribers, offering users an alternative to the ultra-woke and heavily censored AI models from OpenAI and Google.

But Musk isn’t stopping at chatbots. His new Deep Search feature, an AI-powered search engine, aims to bring transparency and reasoning back into internet searches. This is a direct challenge to Google’s dominance, which has long been accused of manipulating search results to favor leftist narratives.

The Legal Battle That Could Change AI Forever

The timing of Grok 3’s release is no coincidence. Musk is currently locked in a bitter legal war with OpenAI and Microsoft, suing them for abandoning their original mission of open-source AI development in favor of corporate greed.

In a federal antitrust lawsuit, Musk is fighting to prevent Sam Altman and his allies from turning OpenAI into a for-profit machine controlled by Silicon Valley elites. Last week, Altman rejected Musk’s $97.4 billion offer to take control of OpenAI, despite Musk’s offer to abandon the takeover if Altman walked away from his for-profit plans.

This is about more than business—it’s about who controls the future of AI. Musk wants AI to be open and accessible to the people, while Big Tech wants to keep it locked behind paywalls and political censorship.

The China Factor: DeepSeek’s Suspicious AI Claims

Meanwhile, China is making its own power moves in the AI war. DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, claims to have developed an advanced open-source chatbot without access to Nvidia’s top-tier chips—a claim that Musk and other experts highly doubt.

Musk suspects that DeepSeek has far more computing power than it’s admitting, possibly sidestepping U.S. chip restrictions to fuel its AI development. If true, this means China’s AI race is moving faster than expected, raising major concerns about national security and technological dominance.

Musk’s Vision: A Future Free from AI Censorship

Musk’s push with Grok 3 and Deep Search is about more than just tech dominance—it’s about restoring free speech and breaking the stranglehold of woke AI. Big Tech has spent years censoring information, filtering search results, and pushing leftist narratives through AI-generated responses.

Musk’s approach? Let AI be smart, truthful, and unfiltered. With Grok 3, he’s proving that AI doesn’t need to be sanitized by Silicon Valley elites.

As Musk expands xAI, investors are lining up to back his vision. The company is in talks to raise $10 billion at a staggering $75 billion valuation, with investment giants like Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital looking to get in on the action.

The AI war is officially on, and Musk isn’t backing down.

Americans are making some gains in their emergency savings, but the reality is still far from stable. A recent Bankrate report shows that while 30% of U.S. adults have more emergency savings than they did a year ago, a staggering number are still struggling to cover unexpected expenses without going into debt.

The trend of Americans increasing their savings has been gradually improving, up from 26% in 2023, thanks in part to easing inflation. Inflation in January 2025 stood at 3%, down from the brutal 6.4% rate in 2023, allowing some breathing room for households to rebuild their financial buffers. However, that improvement isn’t reaching everyone. The number of Americans who say they have less savings than a year ago has also declined, but 27% still report having fewer savings than last year, showing that financial struggles remain widespread.

Perhaps the most concerning statistic is that only 41% of Americans could afford an emergency $1,000 expense from their own savings, the lowest percentage since 2021. That means the majority of the country is one car repair or medical bill away from financial crisis. And where do they turn? Credit cards. A full 25% of respondents admitted they would put a $1,000 emergency expense on plastic, up from 21% last year. With interest rates still painfully high, relying on credit cards for emergencies is a fast track to financial disaster.

Bankrate’s Mark Hamrick summed it up best: America is still a “paycheck-to-paycheck” nation. Despite steady job growth and a recovering economy, millions are still struggling to build financial security. The U.S. personal savings rate, which once soared above 10% during COVID lockdowns, has plummeted to below 5% in most months since 2022.

The long-term effects of Biden-era inflation haven’t gone away. Between 2021 and 2025, essential goods skyrocketed in price—eggs up 237%, milk up 16%, bread up 24%, and chicken up nearly 30%. Everyday essentials are more expensive than ever, leaving Americans with less to save.

Adding to the problem, Americans are drowning in debt. A Feb. 13 study by Achieve found that 26% of households have taken on new debt in the last three months alone. Achieve co-founder Andrew Housser warns that once families fall into debt, it can take months or even years to recover.

So where does this leave the average American? Struggling under the weight of debt, unable to afford rising costs, and forced to rely on credit cards just to survive. The Biden-era economy left Americans battered, and even as President Trump pushes for economic recovery, the damage is still evident.

Elon Musk revealed Tuesday that his team at the Department of Government Efficiency uncovered people supposedly 150 years old still collecting Social Security. Standing alongside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Musk said his team was finding some “crazy things” as they comb through Uncle Sam’s bloated and wasteful financial records.

“Just a cursory examination of Social Security and we’ve got people in there that are about 150 years old,” Musk told reporters. “Now, do you know anyone that’s 150? I don’t. They should be in the Guinness Book of World Records, they’re missing out.”

Musk made it clear that either these people should be “very famous” or, more realistically, they’ve been dead for decades while still collecting taxpayer-funded checks. The Guinness Book of World Records lists Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122, as the oldest verified person in modern history. That makes it rather unlikely that a Neo-Methuselah is currently enjoying Social Security benefits somewhere in Kansas or Tennessee.

The far more probable explanation? Old-fashioned fraud. Between 2018 and 2022, the federal government lost between $233 billion and $521 billion every single year to waste, fraud, and abuse, according to the Government Accountability Office. The Social Security Administration has long been plagued by mismanagement, but for decades, no one in Washington had the backbone to take a serious look at where the money was going. Now, with Trump’s second administration and Musk’s efficiency task force, that era of unaccountability is coming to an end.

Despite how much the media despises the DOGE effort, Musk doubled down on his commitment to cut reckless government spending. “If money is spent badly, if your taxpayer dollars are not spent in a sensible and frugal manner, then that’s not okay,” he said. “Your tax dollars need to be spent wisely on the things that matter to the people.” Musk made it clear that rooting out fraud and stopping government waste isn’t radical or extreme—it’s just basic common sense.

Unfortunately, common sense is in short supply among the media elites and Washington bureaucrats who have grown fat off taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars. But the American people overwhelmingly support efforts to clean up Social Security, stop sending checks to dead people, and ensure that every dollar spent actually serves the public interest. With Trump and Musk leading the charge, the bureaucratic gravy train is finally coming to a screeching halt.

For many Gen Zers, the American Dream is slipping further away. The rising cost of living, skyrocketing home prices, and crushing student debt have forced millions of young people to rethink their future.

Owning a home? Out of reach for many.
Starting a family? Too expensive.
Financial independence? A distant goal.

According to Jennifer Rubin, a senior researcher at Foundry10, Gen Z is deeply concerned about achieving the lives they envisioned, with economic instability making traditional milestones feel more impossible than ever.

Gen Z’s Growing Debt Crisis

The numbers are grim.

• Gen Z carries 30% more credit card debt than Millennials did at their age, even after adjusting for inflation.
• They are most likely to max out credit cards and miss payments, according to data from the New York Fed.
• Student loans are crushing financial progress, forcing 79% of borrowers to delay saving for retirement and 52% to abandon homeownership dreams, according to a survey from Laurel Road and Luminary.

Alyssa Schaefer, general manager at Laurel Road, says student loan uncertainty is “having long-term implications on young people’s financial milestones.”

Locked Out of Homeownership

The dream of owning a home is becoming a fantasy for many young Americans.

• Homeownership rates for young adults have dropped from 44% in 2004 to 37% today, according to Census data.
• The number of 25- to 34-year-olds still living at home has climbed from 11% in the early 2000s to 16% in 2023.
• Mortgage rates are at two-decade highs, making affordability even worse.

Enrique Martínez García, an economist at the Dallas Fed, warns that delayed homeownership and family formation will have profound consequences on economic growth and wealth-building for an entire generation.

Young Americans Are Delaying Families

Even starting a family is financially out of reach for many Gen Zers.

• A 2023 Pew Research survey found that among childless adults under 50, 36% said they couldn’t afford to have kids.
• The cost of daycare, healthcare, and basic living expenses has left many young people uncertain about their financial future.

Roberta Katz, co-author of “Gen Z Explained,” says young people “worry whether they will be able to earn enough to have families” in the future.

Social Media & Easy Spending Are Making It Worse

It’s not just student debt and inflation—social media and digital payments are fueling reckless spending.

• Apps like Instagram and TikTok act as virtual shopping malls, pushing impulse spending.
• Buy now, pay later services like Afterpay make it easier than ever to rack up debt without realizing it.
• Financial expert Keisha Blair warns that Gen Z’s spending habits could wreck their credit scores, preventing them from securing a mortgage or car loan.

Can Gen Z Turn It Around?

Despite these setbacks, financial experts say young Americans still have options.

Rod Griffin, Experian’s senior director of consumer education, recommends:

• Creating a realistic budget and sticking to it
• Cutting unnecessary expenses, like subscription services
• Avoiding impulse purchases
• Seeking professional financial advice

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Husserl, author of “The Power of Enough,” encourages Gen Z to redefine wealth on their own terms.

• Buying homes with friends to split costs
• Pursuing side hustles instead of relying on corporate careers
• Choosing alternative education to avoid massive student debt

Gen Z may be struggling in ways previous generations didn’t, but with smart money management and creative solutions, they still have the chance to rewrite their financial future.