A visit from the Tooth Fairy now lands $15 under the pillow, and allowances are $37 a week. As the “going rates” shift, small gestures from gifting to tipping tell a bigger story. It’s not just etiquette, it’s economics.

Three in four Americans say gifts are more expensive due to forces like inflation. Half of people don’t know the “right” amount to give, even though 50% feel pressure to spend a certain amount, according to new Empower research.

When it comes to gratuity, people say they leave a median of 16% for takeout dining; 11% for food delivery; and 10% for rideshare services.

And for many, the gift of time tops money or things — 44% say their presence is the real present, including 55% of Millennials and 50% of Gen Z.

— The Editors 

💬 Tax talk: A recent tariff truce with China has paused new import taxes for more than $300 billion in U.S. consumer goods until November 20, potentially keeping price spikes at bay for items such as laptops, toys, and appliances. Also, the U.S. reached an agreement with the European Union for a 15% cutoff on tariffs for most EU imports, half the earlier proposed rate.

📉 Fed cut: The Fed cut its key interest rate by a quarter point last week, after August inflation came in at 2.9% year over year. This could trickle down to everything from credit card interest rates to car loans.

🪙 Wealth surge: The 2025 Forbes 400 ranks the richest Americans worth a combined $6.6 trillion,* up $1.2 trillion from last year. Top spots go to Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos — and it now takes $3.8 billion to make the cut.

🏠 Rate relief: Mortgage rates dropped to their lowest in nearly a year — a 30-year fixed rate dropped to 6.13%* last week, and mortgage refinance applications jumped 58%. In addition, new Census Bureau data shows homeowners with mortgages paid a median $2,035* a month in 2024, up 3.8% from 2023, with 21.4% of income going toward housing costs.

🎁 Holiday trim: Some predict holiday sales* will be up 2.9%–3.4% over last year to ~$1.61 trillion. Others say households plan to spend 5%* less overall, with Gen Z cutting back 23% for the season. Empower research shows a third of Americans are adopting a “no gift” policy this year, asking others not to spend money on them at all.

Hiring tempo

Initial applications for unemployment benefits fell by 33,000* to 231,000 for the week ending September 13, with the four-week average holding near 240,000 and continuing claims edging down to about 1.92 million, reaching near pre-pandemic levels.

For the workplace, that may point to stability: Companies appear to be holding onto staff even as hiring cools. The latest reading also came in below economists’ forecasts, which could reinforce a steady backdrop for workforce planning and retention.

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Online life is widespread: A median 28%* of adults across 24 countries say they’re connected almost constantly, and another 40% log in several times a day. In the U.S., those shares climb to 41% and 43%.

All that time online adds up at checkout, too — U.S. e-commerce sales hit $304.2 billion* in Q2 2025, up 1.4% from Q1, and making up 16.3% of all retail sales. Americans say “dreamscrolling” makes it easier for them to be smart with their money (56%), avoid making unplanned purchases or going into debt (30%) and better plan to achieve their financial goals (25%), according to Empower research. 

Counting sheep

Money keeping you up at night? Empower research finds over a third of Americans (36%) say they lose sleep over financial worries, and for Millennials, that number jumps to 44%.

Catching less than eight hours might not be so rare: New smart watch data* pegs the national lights-out at 11:37 p.m., with 6 hours, 40 minutes of sleep on average. Sticking to a consistent bedtime leads to about 40 extra minutes and 36% less time awake. Hawaii turns in earliest (11:06 p.m.); D.C. latest (11:56 p.m.). The sleep economy is projected to reach nearly $600 billion globally this year. 

In case you missed it, read on:

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• Sticker shock: What it really costs to get into college

• What $100 buys now: The shrinking dollar, explained in one chart