Your Money: Warren Buffett, tips for student loans repayments and more
Experts say recent graduates with loans should choose the repayment option that makes the most sense for them now and expect to make adjustments later.
Your Money

May 5, 2025

Welcome back.

My colleagues just wrote a great piece about Warren Buffett, who, at 94 years young, revealed that he’s finally retiring from Berkshire Hathaway, the holding company which he controlled for the past 60 years.

I remember when Mr. Buffett, now worth $168 billion, pointed out that his secretary paid a higher tax rate than he did. In a 2011 guest essay in the Times, he said that he paid 17.4 percent of his taxable income, a lower percentage than any of the other 20 people in his office, which ranged from 33 percent to 41 percent.

“If you make money with money, as some of my super-rich friends do, your percentage may be a bit lower than mine,” he said at the time. “But if you earn money from a job, your percentage will surely exceed mine — most likely by a lot.”

That framework hasn’t changed. But the number of billionaires surely has: There were about 902 billionaires in the U.S. in 2025, according to Forbes’ estimates, more than double than when Mr. Buffett made that point in 2011.

An illustration of a graduation cap that is a maze.

Student Debt Collections Just Restarted. Here’s What to Know.

More than five million borrowers are in default, and millions of others are projected to be on the precipice.

By Tara Siegel Bernard

A college campus filled with leafy trees.

Colleges Know How Much You’re Willing to Pay. Here’s How.

Schools turn to little-known consultants, owned by private equity firms, to find applicants and calculate scholarships. Here’s how that affects the price you pay.

By Ron Lieber

Zygmund Furmaniuk, in a green-and-white-striped button-down shirt, sits for a portrait.

retiring

What Your Estate Plan May Be Missing

Although a will is crucial to making sure your assets go where you want them when you die, you are likely to need something else, too: designated beneficiaries.

By Tammy LaGorce

An illustration of an oversize dollar, with clouds floating in front of Ben Franklin's face except for one eye.

Strategies

Don’t Count the Dollar Out Just Yet

As President Trump’s tariffs rock the world, German bonds and the euro are benefiting. But U.S. strength endures, our columnist says.

By Jeff Sommer

U.S. Hiring Stayed Strong in April, the Early Days of Tariff Policy

The picture of a steady job market, even if backward looking, reassured investors worried about a trade-induced economic slowdown.

By Talmon Joseph Smith

A close-up of the facade of a building, with a sculpture of an eagle above the words, Federal Reserve.

Economic Concerns Are Mounting, but the Fed Isn’t Cutting Rates Proactively

The U.S. central bank is set to reinforce its wait-and-see approach at its meeting this week as President Trump’s tariffs begin to bite.

By Colby Smith

Oil refineries billowing white smoke.

Oil Prices Fall as OPEC Increases Supply Despite Fears of an Economic Slowdown

U.S. oil prices fell to around $57 a barrel after the OPEC Plus cartel said this weekend that it would pump more oil.

By Rebecca F. Elliott

Car Prices Expected to Rise as Tariffs on Parts Kick In

Tariffs on imported parts will have a broad impact because all vehicles use components made abroad.

By Jack Ewing

Workers seated at long tables in a garment factory with sewing machines and other equipment.

Trump Ends Chinese Tariff Loophole, Raising the Cost of Online Goods

Supporters say the change is important to stop cheap Chinese goods from entering the U.S. But the decision could drive up prices for goods Americans buy online.

By Ana Swanson

Companies Are Serving Notice: We’re Raising Prices Because of Tariffs

President Trump’s trade policies are already starting to frustrate American consumers who have noticed higher prices in their shopping carts.

By Madeleine Ngo

Warren Buffett, wearing a blue striped suit, white shirt and red tie, is on a TV screen while people watch or walk past.

How Warren Buffett Changed the Way Investors Think of Investing

The idea of “value investing” had long existed. But no one did it as successfully or for as long as he did.

By Michael J. de la Merced, Maureen Farrell and Lauren Hirsch

Secret Deals, Foreign Investments, Presidential Policy Changes: The Rise of Trump’s Crypto Firm

World Liberty Financial has eviscerated the boundary between private enterprise and government policy in ways without precedent in modern American history.

By Eric Lipton, David Yaffe-Bellany and Ben Protess

An illustration shows people inside an airport. Some are stretching, some are eating sandwiches. Through a floor-to-ceiling window, planes can be seen — parked, landing, and taking off.

Travel 101

How to Save Time and Money at the Airport

Technology, planning and creative strategies can help you get around the most common airport pitfalls.

By Elaine Glusac

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