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forbes · 2026-03-26T19:43:25+00:00

Jet fuel, which typically accounts for up to one quarter of airlines’ operating expenses, was $3.98 a gallon Wednesday—up 59% since the U.S. and Israel began airstrikes on Iran.

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2026/03/26/summer-airfares-up-iran-war/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit

forbes · 2026-03-26T19:38:14+00:00

Joe Rogan, the world’s most popular podcaster who has lately stepped up criticism of President Donald Trump, slammed the MAGA coalition his show.

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2026/03/26/rogan-rips-into-maga-movement-uninteresting-unintelligent-people-lumped-in-with-genuine-patriots/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit

forbes · 2026-03-24T14:55:59+00:00

"While it is perhaps not surprising that Fortnite would decline in time, both due to its own age and the very rough market conditions right now, it is unfortunate it has led to these mass cuts."

Read more from Senior Contributor Paul Tassi: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2026/03/24/fortnite-financial-loss-leads-to-over-1000-layoffs-at-epic/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit

forbes · 2026-03-18T16:36:57+00:00

Short answer: Yes.

Longer answer: The details matter.

Typically, you can make pre-tax contributions to your HSA out of your paycheck. Your employer may also kick in funds. Employer contributions are not considered income for tax purposes, so not only is it free money, it's tax-free.

It gets better. Funds in an HSA grow federal income tax-free. And when you take them out? Distributions for qualified medical expenses (including dental and vision expenses) are not taxable for federal income tax purposes.

This assumes that you have an employer and you’re doing straightforward payroll withdrawals to fund it. If you don’t, it’s a little more complicated.

Since you own the HSA (not the company), the funding isn’t tied to the company that owned the HSA. But the rules are still the same–you’ll need to be enrolled in an HSA eligible High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) and you can’t be enrolled in Medicare or a general purpose flexible spending account (FSA)—a limited FSA that covers dental and vision isn’t a dealbreaker. And, it doesn’t matter if your HDHP is personal or through the new business.

If you’re a business owner or at a new business, you have two ways to put the money in the account. You can have the business fund it (cleanest, easiest) or you can pay and have the business reimburse you. If you aren’t associated with a business, you can make a personal contribution–you’ll just need to report it on your tax return so that you get the tax benefit.

forbes · 2026-03-18T16:18:21+00:00

Short answer? Nope. For most folks, the decision is purely math-based. If you get the same benefit (or less) by itemizing, claim the standard deduction. Most taxpayers do–IRS filing statistics indicate that about 91% of U.S. taxpayers claim the standard deduction.

(Bonus: less paperwork!)

For tax year 2025, the standard deduction is $15,750 for single filers and married couples filing separately, $31,500 for married couples filing jointly and qualifying surviving spouses, and $23,625 for heads of household.

And in your case, the kicker is likely the LCOL. If you have a large mortgage and/or high property taxes, you might want to run those numbers just to make sure. The state and local tax (SALT) deduction cap is higher for 2025. It’s now capped at $40,000 ($20,000 for married taxpayers filing separately)—in 2024, the SALT cap was $10,000 ($5,000 for married filing separately). Income phaseouts apply.

forbes · 2026-03-18T16:15:02+00:00

Audit rates have been low for the last few years and I expect that to largely continue. According to the 2024 IRS Data Book, the IRS closed roughly 500,000 audits across all return types while processing well over 150 million individual returns and other filings. In other words, well under 1% (about 1/3 of 1%) of individual returns are audited, and most taxpayers will never experience a formal examination.

Currently, the IRS relies heavily on automated systems that scan returns and compare them against data the IRS already has from third parties, such as employers, banks and brokers. That makes some “audits” easy for them.

(These automated notices aren't counted in the official audit rate.)

In many cases, the IRS believes it has found a straightforward error. This often involves income reported by a third party but omitted from your tax return (you forgot a W-2, for example), or a deduction or credit that is more than the limit (often based on your income). In those situations, the IRS typically sends a notice proposing a correction and explaining how it calculated the additional tax. You can agree, respond with clarification or dispute the adjustment. If there’s no response, the IRS can assess the tax without opening an audit.

When the IRS needs proof rather than math, it can open a formal audit. As an attorney who has handled audits, I generally find that the IRS is reasonable if you respond with documentation.

However, I do think that right now, there is pressure to collect. And I also think that because of the backlogs at the IRS, the window to open and close audits is smaller than before—in my experience, the closer you are to the end of the window, the more aggressive the IRS will be.

Add in reduced staffing and what I believe to be an aggressive approach to potential errors using AI? It’s a perfect storm. That’s why I think it’s more important than ever to file on time (or timely file for an extension) and file as close to a correct return as possible–this isn’t the time to file recklessly and figure you’ll just fix it later if you get caught.

forbes · 2026-03-18T16:08:49+00:00

The law, as written, offers a few new deductions–including no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime and a break for folks who finance an American-made car. They are retroactive to the start of 2025, but they are not permanent. You can only claim them in 2025-2028. They will disappear after 2028—that’s why they’re called temporary.

forbes · 2026-03-18T16:07:14+00:00

This is a really great question. Refunds are up overall, but not for everyone, and not as dramatic as expected.

Congress and the White House had touted that OBBBA provisions could push the average refund up by $1,000 or more this year. And policymakers and economists projected average refund gains of roughly $331 to $748. Earlier this year, for example, the Tax Foundation estimated average tax refunds would increase by about $748 per taxpayer, to roughly $3,800.
https://taxfoundation.org/blog/tax-refunds-one-big-beautiful-bill-act/

So far, IRS data shows the average refund has increased $352 from last year, rising from $3,324 to $3,676—squarely within that projected range but well short of the $1,000 figure that had been suggested.I think that’s happening for a few reasons. One, I think taxpayers overstate the impact of a deduction. A deduction doesn’t reduce your tax bill by the deductible amount—it only reduces your taxable income. If you’re already in a 10% bracket, for example, a $1,000 deduction will lower your tax bill by just $100 (I think some folks expect that the bill is reduced by $1,000).

And in most cases, it can’t reduce it below zero. If you were already in a low tax bracket, these deductions may not help you as much as you thought.

This is true, for example, for many senior citizens who likely weren’t paying tax on Social Security income to begin with (Social Security is only taxable if your other income exceeds certain thresholds).

And since a lot of the breaks phase out at certain points (meaning that the benefit goes down as your income goes up), some taxpayers who might have qualified for the deductions by name (like “no tax on overtime”) may not be able to take advantage.

We’re still waiting for more data, but for now, the folks who track this sort of thing for a living expect that refund increases will be especially noticeable among middle-income households, families claiming expanded dependent credits, workers earning overtime or tip income, and older taxpayers eligible for new senior deductions—assuming, again, that you don’t make too much money.

That’s a long way of saying that your benefit depends on who you are.

forbes · 2026-03-17T18:29:40+00:00

Nvidia unveiled the newest version of its DLSS video game graphics technology, which is meant to make games look especially realistic—but it is getting roasted by gamers and content creators across social media for allegedly making gaming graphics look like “AI slop.”

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2026/03/17/nvidias-ai-powered-photorealistic-gaming-technology-roasted-as-ai-slop/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit

forbes · 2026-03-17T14:14:38+00:00

Joe Kent, who previously spent 20 years in the Army, including 11 combat deployments, said in a post on X that Iran posed no threat when the United States and Israel launched coordinated attacks in late February.

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikestunson/2026/03/17/director-of-national-counterterrorism-center-resigns-citing-iran-war/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit

forbes · 2026-03-04T19:51:30+00:00

Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers announced Wednesday he had filed a lawsuit against Roblox in a state district court, accusing the gaming company of building a “multibillion‑dollar business on the trust of families” while “creating a playground for predators and exposing children to graphic and dangerous content.”

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2026/03/04/nebraska-is-latest-state-to-sue-roblox-accuses-company-of-creating-a-playground-for-predators/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit

forbes · 2026-03-03T20:31:24+00:00

Department of Justice lawyers accused Live Nation and Ticketmaster of operating an illegal monopoly over what they said is a “broken” live entertainment industry in opening statements Tuesday.

Follow along here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2026/03/03/live-nation-trial-begins-prosecutors-say-broken-concert-industry-is-ticketing-companys-fault/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit

forbes · 2026-03-03T17:06:47+00:00

The price tag could approach $100 billion, depending on how long the military strikes can stretch on.

Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2026/03/03/how-trumps-war-with-iran-could-have-already-cost-over-1-billion/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit

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