Your Money: Getting comfortable with uncertainty (at least a little)
These are strange days for anyone pursuing the fraught task of trying to plan for the future.
Your Money
November 10, 2025
A hand-drawn cartoon titled ‘THE MAGIC CERTAINTY BUTTON,’ showing a simple black circle representing the button, with an arrow pointing to it. Below the button, in brackets, is the handwritten text: ‘I CAN’T SEEM TO FIND IT’.
Carl Richards

Hi Everyone —

These are especially strange days for anyone pursuing the fraught task of trying to plan for — and predict — the future. It’s as easy to make a good case for the state of the economy, the housing market and stocks as it is to make a dour one.

So what if we allowed ourselves to face the uncertainty head on?

At the top of this newsletter, you’ll see some handwriting that may look familiar. It’s from Carl Richards, who wrote and drew for the Your Money team for many years. The illustration up there is one of many in his new book called (wait for it!) “Your Money: Reimagining Wealth in 101 Simple Sketches.”

Here’s what it means to live with uncertainty, according to Carl: First, make a list of things that you can actually control. Second, check off the ones that you already feel good about. Third, do some work on the ones that you haven’t checked off.

Then, when you’re feeling itchy because of whatever uncertainty has befallen you that day, go back to the list and remind yourself that you’ve done all you can. That just may help you let the rest of it go.

This approach won’t make everyone feel 100 percent better, but it stands a pretty good chance of improving the week to come.

Below, you’ll find a roundup of this week’s money-related stories from across The Times. Have a good week.

Is your flight canceled? Share your story.
The Federal Administration Aviation’s mandated cuts to air traffic at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports have the potential to scramble travel plans, thwart vacations, disrupt routines and, in general, pose an all-around nuisance to Americans. Times reporters want to hear from air travelers around the country about cancellations related to the government shutdown.

An aerial view of a large cluster of houses.

With Mortgage Rates Declining, Should You Refinance?

More than four million borrowers could potentially benefit from locking in a lower rate. Here’s what to consider.

By Tara Siegel Bernard

In an illustration, a surgeon in an operating room holds a scalpel over the patient -- a piggy bank with its slot exposed.

your money adviser

New Rules Aim to Broaden Appeal of H.S.A.s

Health savings accounts have lower premiums but higher deductibles. Now, more Obamacare plans can offer the accounts.

By Ann Carrns

A portrait of Calvin Butler, in a dark suit and open-collar shirt, sitting on the arm of a couch in a wood-paneled office, his hands clasped in his lap.

A.I. Isn’t the Only Thing Pushing Up Electricity Bills. (But It’s Mostly A.I.)

Calvin Butler, the chief executive of Exelon, one of the nation’s largest utility companies, is trying to keep the lights on.

By Jordyn Holman

A corner of the I.R.S. building, one side bathed in sunlight and the side facing the camera shaded.

I.R.S. Halts Free Online Offering for Filing Taxes Directly

The new program, Direct File, helped low- and moderate-income taxpayers file their returns more easily, and had been expanding.

By Tara Siegel Bernard

An illustration with a green background shows the Wall Street bull in pink with black bindings. The bull is dangerously close to the edge of a cliff.

Strategies

The Astonishing Bull Market Will End One Day. Are You Ready?

Big stock gains have always been followed by big losses. Here are tips on how to prepare.

By Jeff Sommer

A group of people are seated around a massive table, with Jerome H. Powell at the center of one side, and a screen on the wall displaying the seal of the Federal Reserve System.

The Fed’s Recent Rate Decisions Have Been Divisive. It Is Likely to Get Worse.

The last three policy votes have featured some form of dissent, as officials grapple with how to weigh a softening labor market and resurgent inflation.

By Colby Smith

Several people stand in line at a table with fliers and other papers, and a man behind the table talks to a person at the head of the line.

The Jobs Report Is Canceled. Here’s What Private Data Shows.

The federal government shutdown canceled a second straight jobs report, but private data sources suggest the labor market has weakened modestly since summer.

By Ben Casselman

A glass geodesic structure on a city block with a couple of tall building behind it under a gray sky. Two people in a crosswalk are in the foreground.

Mass Layoffs Are Scary, but Probably Not a Sign of the A.I. Apocalypse

Despite fears that Amazon and other employers are already replacing workers with bots, the A.I. transition is likely to play out differently.

By Noam Scheiber

A storefront with signs that say “No smoking no vaping” and “We accept EBT.”

White House Says It Will Make Some SNAP Payments After Trump Threatened to Defy Court

The president suggested earlier in the day that he would withhold food stamp payments despite a court order mandating the administration pay partial benefits.

By Tony Romm

Some SNAP Recipients May Not Receive Food Stamps Under White House Policy

Anti-hunger groups and state officials have warned that the administration’s plans to make partial payments are onerous and could still result in severe harm.

By Tony Romm

Trump Administration to Return to Supreme Court in Food Stamp Fight

But the administration indicated it might not be necessary, as Congress inched toward a deal to fund the government.

By Tony Romm and Abbie VanSickle

A map showing flight cancellations across the U.S.

See Where Flights Have Been Canceled Across the U.S.

Hundreds of flights were cut at airports across the United States have been canceled, with deeper cuts looming in the coming days.

By Marco Hernandez, Zach Levitt, Lazaro Gamio, Niraj Chokshi and Jacqueline Gu

A United Airlines jet, white with blue markings, on an airport tarmac. A tall, gray air traffic control tower rises behind it.

What Travelers Need to Know About the Flight Cuts Tied to the Shutdown

More challenges await passengers after the Trump administration announced that up to 10 percent of flights at 40 U.S. airports will be cut because of the government shutdown.

By Christine Chung, Claire Fahy and Gabe Castro-Root

An overhead view of travelers picking up their baggage in the carousel area of an airport.

Airport Disruptions May Get Worse This Week

The transportation secretary said Sunday that air travel could be reduced to a trickle” as Thanksgiving neared.

By Niraj Chokshi

A sign on steps leading up to a colonnade museum reads, “Closed due to federal government shutdown.”

Another Victim of the Shutdown: Tourism in the Nation’s Capital

The government shutdown, now the country’s longest, is fueling a continued trend of declining tourism to Washington.

By Christine Chung

How are we doing?
We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to yourmoney_newsletter@nytimes.com.

Like this email?
Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up Your Money.