Chris Arnold

The U.S. is in the midst of a historic housing shortage. Supply chain problems are only part of the reason.

Life Kit podcast tackles budgeting and explains how to keep budgeting from becoming a dreaded task. (This story originally aired on All Things Considered on Jan. 1, 2020)

It's getting more expensive to borrow money, with rates on mortgages, car loans and credit cards heading higher. Here's where you're likely to feel the impact and what you can do about it.

With each passing day the disruption of oil markets related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushes up gas prices in the U.S. to a new record.

Gas prices are hitting record highs in the U.S. amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine. That's got a lot of people on modest incomes worried as inflation is already making it tough to scrape by.

A full-blown financial crisis can be devastating for a country. Banks fail, business go under and people lose their jobs. Sanctions on Russia could tip the country into that kind of economic collapse.

The highest inflation since the 1980s has many retirees scared. Their retirement nest eggs will be in peril if it persists over the long term.

With a historic shortage of homes for sale, investors making cash offers are pushing first-time homebuyers out of the market.

Renting a place to live is getting a lot more expensive, according to a survey that tracks rental listings across the biggest 50 U.S. cities.

In many parts of the country, rents are up by hundreds of dollars a month — just in the past year. In some cities, the rents are up nearly 40%, according to a recent survey.

With the Trump-era head of the FDIC stepping down, consumer protection groups see an opportunity to put an end to "rent-a-bank" loans with sky-high interest rates.

With a top Trump-appointed banking regulator stepping down, consumer financial protection groups say the new head of the FDIC should crack down on lenders charging interest rates of 100% or more.

NPR wants to know how you're being affected by falling stock values or the rising price of gas, food and utilities.

For first time homebuyers it was one of the hardest years ever to afford a house. But homeowners saw tremendous gains in housing wealth.

Capital One says it will stop charging overdraft fees and Bank of America is reducing them. These hefty fees hit people with low incomes the hardest.

If you're looking to overhaul your budget, it's best to focus on bigger categories — like housing or transportation — rather than all the almond milk lattes.

Home prices have been on a tear during the pandemic. A new report out Tuesday shows home prices nationally are up 19% in a single year.

With millions of Americans behind on rent, Congress sent billions of dollars to help, and after some early stumbles, a lot more of that money is now reaching people who need it.

Investors and companies are swooping in to buy mobile home parks. They raise fees and rents, and evict people who can't pay — using billions of dollars' worth of low interest, government-backed loans.

A cash offer is hard to beat. It used to be that only wealthy people and investors had the money. But now some lenders are helping the rest of us do it too, even if you don't actually have the cash.