Checking Account and ATM Fee Survey: 47 percent of non-interest checking accounts charge no monthly fee, and 48 percent waive it with direct deposit; figures from 245 institutions in 25 large US markets, surveyed 2 June to 3 July 2025
Bankrate
Used in: The account that charges you for not having enough money…
2026-08-24
Checking Account and ATM Fee Survey: among non-interest checking accounts that charge a monthly fee, the average is 5.47 dollars with an average waiver balance of 496 dollars
Bankrate
Used in: The account that charges you for not having enough money…
2026-08-24
Checking Account and ATM Fee Survey: average minimum balance required to waive the fee on an interest-bearing account, 10,705 dollars
Bankrate
Used in: The account that charges you for not having enough money…
2026-08-24
Checking Account and ATM Fee Survey: average monthly service fee on interest-bearing checking accounts 15.65 dollars, charged by nearly nine in ten such accounts
Bankrate
Used in: The account that charges you for not having enough money…
2026-08-24
Checking Account and ATM Fee Survey: average total cost of an out-of-network ATM withdrawal 4.86 dollars, a 3.22-dollar surcharge plus 1.64 dollars from the account holder's own bank
Bankrate
Used in: The account that charges you for not having enough money…
2026-08-24
Checking Account and ATM Fee Survey: average yield on interest-bearing checking accounts, 0.07 percent APY
Bankrate
Used in: The account that charges you for not having enough money…
2026-08-24
Checking Fees Survey: Americans keep the same checking account for an average of 19 years
Bankrate
Used in: The account that charges you for not having enough money…
2026-08-24
Annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 31 January 2026: Club membership 60 dollars a year, Club+ 120 dollars
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc., filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Used in: The membership fee is the least interesting number in…
2026-08-24
Annual report on Form 10-K: members spending 2,500 dollars or more a year on branded groceries can save more than ten times the 60-dollar membership fee (company statement)
BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc., filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Used in: The membership fee is the least interesting number in…
2026-08-24
Consumer Credit G.19, credit card plans: 22.15 percent on accounts assessed interest (2026 Q2)
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Used in: Your first 1,000 dollars: the order that actually matters
2026-08-22
Consumer Credit G.19, credit card plans: 22.15 percent on accounts assessed interest, 20.94 percent across all accounts (2026 Q2)
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Used in: Broke because the minimum payment looked like a plan
2026-08-22
G.19 Consumer Credit, Terms of Credit: average APR on a 60-month new car loan at commercial banks, 7.14 percent in the second quarter of 2026; average amount financed at finance companies 42,504 dollars over 66 months in the first quarter of 2026
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Used in: The used car borrower pays 17,000 dollars less and 1,600…
2026-08-24
G.19 Consumer Credit, Terms of Credit: average interest rate on credit card accounts assessed interest, 22.15 percent in the second quarter of 2026
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Used in: Broke because it was on sale , Overdraft: the loan you never applied for, at a rate no…
2026-08-24
Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025, table 25: 12 percent of all adults said they would be unable to pay an unexpected 400-dollar expense by any means, down from 13 percent in 2024
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Used in: Broke because it was on sale
2026-08-24
Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025: 63 percent could cover a 400 dollar expense with cash or its equivalent, 12 percent could not pay it at all, 45 percent of card owners carried a balance
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Used in: Broke because the minimum payment looked like a plan , Broke because nobody ever showed you the arithmetic
2026-08-22
Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025: 63 percent could cover a 400 dollar expense with cash or its equivalent, 12 percent could not pay it at all, 55 percent had three months of rainy day savings
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Used in: Your first 1,000 dollars: the order that actually matters
2026-08-22
California Business and Professions Code § 17602(d)(1): a business making an automatic renewal offer online must allow a consumer to terminate the automatic renewal or continuous service exclusively online, at will, and without engaging any further steps that obstruct or delay the consumer
California Legislative Information
Used in: Your gym membership: the most expensive way not to work out
2026-08-26
Federal Holidays: Evolution and Current Practices (CRS Report R41990): twelve permanent federal holidays, one of which (Inauguration Day) falls every four years and only in the District of Columbia area; federal holidays apply to federal employees and do not oblige private employers
Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress
Used in: Coffee versus investing: the 30-year math, and the number…
2026-08-26
Data Spotlight: consumers paid more than 5.8 billion dollars in reported overdraft and NSF fees in 2023
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Used in: Overdraft: the loan you never applied for, at a rate no…
2026-08-24
Data Spotlight: reported overdraft and NSF revenue is down 6.1 billion dollars a year against pre-pandemic levels, saving the average overdrafting household about 185 dollars a year
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Used in: Overdraft: the loan you never applied for, at a rate no…
2026-08-24
How do I get a copy of my credit reports: one free report a year from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies through AnnualCreditReport.com
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Used in: Your credit score, as arithmetic instead of folklore
2026-08-24
Overdraft and Nonsufficient Fund Fees (December 2023): the implied annual percentage rate of overdraft credit is 8,273 percent
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Used in: Overdraft: the loan you never applied for, at a rate no…
2026-08-24
Overdraft and Nonsufficient Fund Fees (December 2023): the median overdraft fee was 35 dollars among the 119 banks and credit unions with more than 10 billion dollars in assets that charged one
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Used in: Overdraft: the loan you never applied for, at a rate no…
2026-08-24
Annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 31 August 2025: Gold Star and Business membership 65 dollars a year, Executive membership an additional 65 dollars
Costco Wholesale Corporation, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Used in: The membership fee is the least interesting number in…
2026-08-24
Annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 31 August 2025: membership renewal rate 92.3 percent in the United States and Canada, 89.8 percent worldwide
Costco Wholesale Corporation, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Used in: The membership fee is the least interesting number in…
2026-08-24
Average auto loan interest rates, Q1 2026 data: 6.39 percent for new cars and 11.43 percent for used cars
Experian
Used in: The used car borrower pays 17,000 dollars less and 1,600…
2026-08-24
State of the Automotive Finance Market, Q1 2026: 35.55 percent of new-vehicle loans run longer than six years (30.83 percent a year earlier), 31.54 percent of used-vehicle loans (28.60 percent a year earlier)
Experian
Used in: The used car borrower pays 17,000 dollars less and 1,600…
2026-08-24
State of the Automotive Finance Market, Q1 2026: average amount financed for a new vehicle 43,925 dollars, average monthly payment 770 dollars
Experian
Used in: The used car borrower pays 17,000 dollars less and 1,600…
2026-08-24
State of the Automotive Finance Market, Q1 2026: average amount financed for a used vehicle 27,070 dollars, average monthly payment 531 dollars
Experian
Used in: The used car borrower pays 17,000 dollars less and 1,600…
2026-08-24
State of the Automotive Finance Market, Q1 2026: average new-vehicle loan term 69.48 months, average used-vehicle loan term 67.73 months
Experian
Used in: The used car borrower pays 17,000 dollars less and 1,600…
2026-08-24
What is the average credit score in the U.S.: average FICO Score of 713 in 2025
Experian
Used in: Your credit score, as arithmetic instead of folklore
2026-08-24
2023 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, report: not having enough money to meet minimum balance requirements was the most cited reason (42.3 percent); one-third of unbanked households (33.4 percent) cited a reason related to fees or a minimum balance as the main reason
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Used in: The account that charges you for not having enough money…
2026-08-24
2023 National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households: 4.2 percent of US households (about 5.6 million) unbanked, 14.2 percent (about 19.0 million) underbanked
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Used in: The account that charges you for not having enough money…
2026-08-24
Saving for the Unexpected and Your Future, FDIC Consumer News, January 2025: financial experts generally recommend setting aside at least six months of living expenses where the employment outlook is uncertain
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Used in: Emergency fund: how much you actually need and where it…
2026-08-26
Highway Statistics 2023, Table VM-1: 11,026 miles per light-duty short-wheelbase vehicle and year, 24.7 miles per gallon
Federal Highway Administration
Used in: A year of driving, line by line
2026-08-22
2022 National Household Travel Survey, Summary of Travel Trends: average commute trip 13.43 miles one way across all modes, 13.56 miles by privately owned vehicle
Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation
Used in: The first 33 minutes of your working day are worked for…
2026-08-24
Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit: credit card balances of 1.26 trillion dollars at the end of the second quarter of 2026, up 21 billion dollars in the quarter
Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Center for Microeconomic Data
Used in: Broke because it was on sale
2026-08-24
Free credit reports: the three nationwide credit bureaus permanently offer free weekly reports through AnnualCreditReport.com
Federal Trade Commission
Used in: Your credit score, as arithmetic instead of folklore
2026-08-24
16 CFR 233.1, Guides Against Deceptive Pricing: a former price comparison is legitimate only where the former price was the actual, bona fide price at which the article was openly and actively offered for a reasonably substantial period of time
Federal Trade Commission, via the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
Used in: Broke because it was on sale
2026-08-24
16 CFR 233.1, worked example: an article costing the retailer 5 dollars with a usual 50 percent markup and a regular price of 7.50 dollars, briefly marked up to 10 dollars and then advertised at half price
Federal Trade Commission, via the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
Used in: Broke because it was on sale
2026-08-24
16 CFR 233.1: reducing an article from 10 dollars to 9.99 and advertising it as reduced misleads the purchaser, because the amount of the reduction is insignificant next to the impression created
Federal Trade Commission, via the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
Used in: Broke because it was on sale
2026-08-24
Standard mileage rates: 76 cents per mile for business use of a car for travel on or after 1 July 2026, up from 72.5 cents for the first half of the year
Internal Revenue Service
Used in: The first 33 minutes of your working day are worked for…
2026-08-24
What's in my FICO Scores: FICO Scores are calculated only from the information in credit reports; income is not part of the score
myFICO, Fair Isaac Corporation
Used in: Your credit score, as arithmetic instead of folklore
2026-08-24
What's in my FICO Scores: payment history 35 percent, amounts owed 30 percent, length of credit history 15 percent, new credit 10 percent, credit mix 10 percent
myFICO, Fair Isaac Corporation
Used in: Your credit score, as arithmetic instead of folklore
2026-08-24
What's in my FICO Scores: payment history is the most important factor in a FICO Score
myFICO, Fair Isaac Corporation
Used in: Your credit score, as arithmetic instead of folklore
2026-08-24
What's in my FICO Scores: the impact of any single factor cannot be measured without looking at the entire credit report
myFICO, Fair Isaac Corporation
Used in: Your credit score, as arithmetic instead of folklore
2026-08-24
2023 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement: average expenditure 1,281.60 dollars per insured vehicle, 19.21 percent above 2019
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Used in: The car insurance quote you have not re-run since you…
2026-08-24
Auto Insurance Database Report: countrywide average expenditure 1,075.08 dollars (2019), 1,047.76 (2020), 1,060.23 (2021), 1,124.45 (2022), 1,281.60 (2023)
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Used in: The car insurance quote you have not re-run since you…
2026-08-24
Auto Insurance Database Report: countrywide average expenditure of 1,281.60 dollars per insured vehicle in 2023
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Used in: A year of driving, line by line
2026-08-22
Auto Insurance Database Report: countrywide average expenditure rose 13.98 percent from 2022 to 2023
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Used in: The car insurance quote you have not re-run since you…
2026-08-24
Auto Insurance Database Report: Florida 1,863.82 dollars, New York 1,752.55, Louisiana 1,749.22 per insured vehicle in 2023
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Used in: The car insurance quote you have not re-run since you…
2026-08-24
Auto Insurance Database Report: median state expenditure 1,114 dollars per insured vehicle in 2023
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Used in: The car insurance quote you have not re-run since you…
2026-08-24
Auto Insurance Database Report: North Dakota 807.77 dollars, Maine 856.28, Idaho 863.96 per insured vehicle in 2023
National Association of Insurance Commissioners
Used in: The car insurance quote you have not re-run since you…
2026-08-24
Consumers expected to return nearly 850 billion dollars in merchandise: retailers estimate 15.8 percent of 2025 annual sales, worth 849.9 billion dollars, will be returned
National Retail Federation, with Happy Returns
Used in: Broke because it was on sale
2026-08-24
Consumers expected to return nearly 850 billion dollars in merchandise: retailers expect 17 percent of winter holiday season sales to be returned
National Retail Federation, with Happy Returns
Used in: Broke because it was on sale
2026-08-24
12 CFR 1026.7(b)(12), repayment disclosures: minimum payment warning, payoff estimate in years, total cost, the payment that clears the balance in 36 months, and a toll-free number for credit counseling
Regulation Z, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Used in: Broke because the minimum payment looked like a plan
2026-08-22
Membership sign-up page: Club membership with a first-year promotional price of 25 dollars (the standard annual price is rendered by the page script and is not in the delivered source)
Sam's Club
Used in: The membership fee is the least interesting number in…
2026-08-24
Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024, cellular phone service: 1,359 dollars per consumer unit and year
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Used in: Your phone bill: 1,359 dollars a year that renews itself
2026-08-22
Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024, per consumer unit: 984 dollars maintenance and repairs, 217 dollars tires, 148 dollars vehicle registration, 63 dollars vehicle property tax, 1.8 vehicles owned
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Used in: A year of driving, line by line
2026-08-22
Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024: 185 dollars per consumer unit for video streaming, rental and downloads, 35 dollars for audio
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Used in: The library card: the cheapest thing you already own , The streaming stack: the bill nobody ever decided on
2026-08-22
Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024: 6,224 dollars per consumer unit for food at home, 3,945 dollars for food away from home
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Used in: Delivery fees: paying twice for the same dinner , Eating well for less: the split nobody looks at
2026-08-22
Consumer Price Index news release: motor vehicle insurance index fell 0.3 percent in July 2026 after a 2.0 percent decline in June
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Used in: The car insurance quote you have not re-run since you…
2026-08-24
Advance Monthly Retail Trade Survey: total US retail and food services sales of 763.6 billion dollars in July 2026, up 5.0 percent from July 2025
U.S. Census Bureau
Used in: Broke because it was on sale
2026-08-24
American Community Survey, commuting: 69.2 percent of American workers drove alone to work in 2024
U.S. Census Bureau
Used in: The first 33 minutes of your working day are worked for…
2026-08-24
American Community Survey, commuting: 9.3 percent of workers travel 60 minutes or more each way
U.S. Census Bureau
Used in: The first 33 minutes of your working day are worked for…
2026-08-24
American Community Survey, commuting: mean travel time to work 27.2 minutes in 2024
U.S. Census Bureau
Used in: The first 33 minutes of your working day are worked for…
2026-08-24
The Estimated Amount, Value, and Calories of Postharvest Food Losses (EIB-121): 21 percent of the food supply, about 90 billion pounds a year, lost at the consumer level
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
Used in: The membership fee is the least interesting number in…
2026-08-24
The Estimated Amount, Value, and Calories of Postharvest Food Losses (EIB-121): 371 dollars per capita per year of food loss at the consumer level, 9.2 percent of food expenditures
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
Used in: The membership fee is the least interesting number in…
2026-08-24
Electric Power Monthly, table 5.3: average residential price 18.44 cents per kilowatthour in May 2026 (monthly), 17.30 cents as the 2025 annual total. The 16.78 cents in the same table is the year-to-date figure through May 2025, not an annual average
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Used in: Unplugging everything saves you $1.58 a year
2026-08-24
Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A: residential price in May 2026 of 14.15 cents per kilowatthour in Louisiana and 52.00 cents in Hawaii, against 18.44 cents for the U.S. total
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Used in: Unplugging everything saves you $1.58 a year
2026-08-24
How much electricity does an American home use? In 2022 the average annual amount of electricity sold to a U.S. residential electric-utility customer was 10,791 kilowatthours, about 899 kWh per month
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Used in: Unplugging everything saves you $1.58 a year
2026-08-24
Same page: Louisiana had the highest annual electricity purchases per residential customer at 14,774 kWh, Hawaii the lowest at 6,178 kWh
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Used in: Unplugging everything saves you $1.58 a year
2026-08-24
Weekly U.S. Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices: 3.49 dollars per gallon as the mean of the 52 weekly readings from 25 August 2025 to 17 August 2026 (range 2.779 to 4.500)
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Used in: A year of driving, line by line
2026-08-22
Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681c: accounts placed for collection or charged to profit and loss, and other adverse items, may not be reported after seven years
U.S. Government Publishing Office, United States Code
Used in: Your credit score, as arithmetic instead of folklore
2026-08-24
Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681c: cases under title 11 may not be reported after ten years
U.S. Government Publishing Office, United States Code
Used in: Your credit score, as arithmetic instead of folklore
2026-08-24
Investor Bulletin “Investor Resilience”, World Investor Week 2022: set a savings goal, such as three to six months of living expenses, in an emergency fund
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Office of Investor Education and Advocacy
Used in: Emergency fund: how much you actually need and where it…
2026-08-26