ALL THE MONEY NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW | | | |  |
Good morning and Happy Friday! This is Betty Lin-Fisher with Friday's consumer-focused edition of The Daily Money. |
Were you just daydreaming about a dream house or vacation destination on your computer? You're not alone. |
A new study by Empower, a financial services company, found that the average American spends 2½ hours a day "dreamscrolling" about purchases they'd like to buy someday. Half of the 2,000 survey respondents admitted to dreamscrolling while at work. |
Find out what things people are dreaming about in my story. | A new study reveals the average American is spending 2½ hours a day "dreamscrolling" about things they'd like to purchase or trips they'd like to take. Courtesy: Grenada Tourism Authority |
Free IRS filing program to expand |
The IRS' free electronic tax filing system called Direct File will become permanent and will be available to more taxpayers next year, my colleague Medora Lee reports. |
Direct File was offered in a pilot program this tax year in a dozen states. For next year, all 50 states and Washington, D.C. are invited to join the program. |
But not everyone is a fan. Find out more in this story. |
📰 Consumer stories you shouldn't miss 📰 |
| • | How do hotels design guest rooms? | | • | What to do when you spill liquid on your laptop. | | • | Can you hear me now? Verizon experiences outages in parts of the Midwest and West. | | • | Trump Media stock tumbles after guilty verdict. | | • | Want a reservation at an exclusive New York City restaurant? You might have to pay for it, NBC News reports. | |
Finally, here's a popular story from earlier this year that you may have missed. Feel free to share it. |
Could surge-pricing be coming to fast-food restaurants? Wendy's CEO said the chain may test "dynamic pricing" as early as next year. The fast-food joint has already been testing "AI-enabled menu changes and suggestive selling," he said. Read more in this story from my colleague, Jessica Guynn. |
Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you. | | | | A new study reveals that Americans are spending on average 2.5 hours a day dreamscrolling. | | | |  | Direct File, IRS' free online tax filing system, will expand and become a permanent option in 2025. The 2024 pilot was only available in 12 states. | | | | There are many steps to getting a hotel room ready for check-in. From custom furniture to model rooms off-site, hotels need to think ahead. | | | | Verizon customers reported network outages on social media Thursday. The company confirmed that it is aware of the issue. | | | | Trump Media shares fell as much as 15% as investors took stock of Donald Trump's guilty verdict on all 34 felony counts in criminal hush money trial. | | | | Travel stress can begin at the airport. Here's a ranking of the most stressful airports in the U.S. | | | | The Buc-ee's store in Luling, Texas will be the country's largest location when it opens next month on June 10. | | | | Two-thirds of workers that receive Summer benefits said their work productivity increases, a poll from Monster.com found. | | | | Amid an anti-DEI backlash, is corporate America keeping the promises it made to Black America after George Floyd's murder? | | | | During the 2020 campaign, Joe Biden told voters he wouldn't raise taxes on anyone earning less than $400,000. More people earn that much now. | | | | |  | Sign up for the news you want | Exclusive newsletters are part of your subscription, don't miss out! We're always working to add benefits for subscribers like you. | | | | | | |
