Good morning. Your retirement, your paycheck and your career may be more vulnerable than you think — and today's three stories make that impossible to ignore.
On The Money Today:
Mark Cuban says Social Security is being quietly cut. Here's what retirees need to do now
Elon Musk offered to pay 50,000 TSA workers out of pocket. Are you one paycheck away from the same crisis?
Uber's CEO says other tech execs are lying about AI and jobs. What they admit in private will surprise you.
Let's get into it.
A Washington budget standoff has left 50,000 TSA officers working without pay. It's a reminder that income can disappear overnight through forces entirely outside your control. Here's how everyday Americans are building income streams that don't depend on a single paycheck — or Washington's next move.
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Billionaire Mark Cuban has been sounding the alarm for over a year — and now his warning is playing out. Over 6,600 SSA employees have left, in-person visits are being cut by more than 50% and seniors are finding it harder to access the benefits they're owed. No official benefit cuts. Just fewer staff, fewer offices and fewer ways to get help. Here's how to protect what you've earned before it gets harder to access.
Most tech CEOs say AI will create more jobs than it destroys. Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi says that's not what they're telling each other behind closed doors. What he's willing to say out loud — that his peers won't — should make every working American pay attention.
TRIVIA
How much has Trump's White House ballroom project ballooned to?
MORE FROM MONEYWISE
MANAGING MONEY: 74% of retirees don't trust the Fed to look out for them. 4 factors to focus on if you feel the same
RETIREMENT: Married couples with unequal incomes are leaving Social Security money on the table. This overlooked strategy could change that
INVESTING: How does your 401(k) stack up against other Americans at your income level? The numbers might surprise you
NEWS: Andrew Yang says AI could split the U.S. economy in two. Make sure you end up on the right side
BUSINESS: A 29-year-old made $789K in 6 months selling landline phones. The story of how she turned a product everyone wrote off into a booming business
TRIVIA ANSWER
$400 million
What started as a $200 million project in July 2025 has ballooned to $400 million in less than a year. Trump's proposed White House ballroom — designed to seat nearly 1,000 guests — has doubled in price tag through three separate announcements, making it one of the most expensive single renovation projects in White House history. The Trump administration maintains that taxpayers aren't footing the bill, though experts say the full financial picture remains unclear.
That’s it for today. See you soon with another quick roundup of the financial news that matters.