🏠 Home base

Home base is having a moment. As temperatures dip, the at-home economy heats up. Everyday routines — shopping, streaming, supper — are getting done without leaving the house, as more than a third of Americans would rather pay more to have an item delivered than drive 10 minutes to get it.

Here’s how some of the at-home numbers add up:

🛒$304.2 billion: U.S. online sales in Q2 2025
🍽️ 28%: Americans who use food delivery apps weekly
📺 $129: Average monthly spending on streaming subscriptions

— The Editors 

🏠Loan reset: Refinancing is picking up. Fannie Mae’s refinance index shows dollar volume of applications up 108.8% with 70% more applications than a year ago. With 30-year conventional rates averaging 6.24% as of November 12, more households are crunching numbers to lower payments. Empower research shows 20% of mortgage holders have an interest rate at 5% or higher.

💰Higher limits: The IRS set 2026 contribution caps: 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457, and the federal Thrift Savings Plan will rise to $24,500 (up from $23,500 in 2025). The catch-up for ages 50+ increases to $8,000 (from $7,500). IRAs move up $500 to $7,500, and the IRA catch-up for ages 50+ ticks up $100 to $1,100. Read more about the new limits on The Currency^TM.

🪙Copper curtain call: The U.S. Mint pressed* its last one-cent coin earlier this month. The U.S. Mint lost $85.3 million on pennies in 2024 and spent nearly 4 cents to produce each coin. Retailers are adjusting: Quick-service restaurants and grocers are rounding* in-person cash totals to the nearest nickel, while prices are unchanged for people paying with other methods.

️📮Home edition: Nordstrom is refreshing* its holiday catalog with 25+ pages of kids’ toys and gifts and pairing it with 1,500 in-store events. With 57% preferring to handle products before buying, the strategy leans into tactile retail as more digital-first brands add in-person touchpoints.

Back to class

Interest in advanced degrees is climbing. The number of law-school applicants is up 33% year over year,* after increasing 19% last year. Applications to graduate management education (GME) programs are up 7% this year, on top of last year’s 12% growth. 

Grad school can be a proactive way to build resilience in a softer labor market. With unemployment among recent college graduates over 5% in August, higher than the 4% national rate, more students are using JD and GME pathways to deepen skills and expand networks.

Millionaire next door

Seven figures isn’t just for Wall Street. Among Empower Personal Dashboard^TM users, 9.1% hold over $1 million in retirement accounts, with balances averaging about $2.39 million. For Dashboard users, people typically hit the million-dollar milestone in their 50s, with average balances of $1,009,549 (as of September 30).

Stranger screens

The world of Hawkins gets an epic sendoff: After debuting in 2016, “Stranger Things” returns* November 26 for its final season. Each episode reportedly cost $50 million to $60 million, up from $30 million the previous season. On December 31, the finale will launch* at over 350 theaters and on home screens, with most viewers expected to watch at home. Nationwide, nearly 80% of households now own a smart TV, and TV prices are down 6%* year over year.

In case you missed it — read on.

• A $100,000 income could mean a 16.9% effective tax rate in 2026

• Why 58 could be the ideal retirement age

• Fashion brands make five-star meals their next big business

• “Ambitious” budgets may shrink spending by about 22%