Motley Fool Money Newsroom
Get the latest research, find a personal finance expert, and drop us a line.
Media Contact Information
For media inquiries, contact: [email protected]
Are You Well-Paid? Compare Your Salary to the Average U.S. Income
What's the average U.S. salary by state? What's the average salary in the U.S.? What's the average salary by age? Read on to find out what the research says.
Trusted By
Our Research in Action
Major media outlets – from Harvard Business Review to The New York Times – regularly cite our personal finance research and data insights.
The average credit score in America is 715. Find out how yours compares in this full report by Motley Fool Money.
Featured In:
-
USA Today:
The road to 850: Five pathways to a perfect credit score
Just 1.5% of American consumers have perfect FICO credit scores, according to Motley Fool Money.
Read More about this article
Discover wasteful spending trends -- and how high-yield savings accounts and budgeting tools can help curb impulse buying and grow your cash.
Featured In:
-
CNBC:
Americans say these are the top 5 things they waste the most money on
85% of Americans say they will at least occasionally spend money on an unnecessary expense, according to a survey of 2,000 Americans released by Motley Fool Money.
Read More about this article
Americans shelled out $103 billion on state lottery tickets in 2023 and earned a prize payout of $69 billion. Does that make playing the lottery a good investment?
Featured In:
-
CBS News:
Powerball jackpot grows to $643 million after no winners in Monday drawing
The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 292 million, according to Powerball. But these chances don't stop Americans from spending roughly $103 billion on lottery tickets annually, according to data from Motley Fool Money.
Read More about this article
Frequently Requested Topics
Subject Matter Experts
Need a quote or interview with one of our personal finance experts or research analysts? Contact: [email protected].
Jack Caporal
Jack Caporal is the Research Director for The Motley Fool and Motley Fool Money and has worked full-time for the company since 2021. Jack leads efforts to identify and analyze trends shaping investing and personal financial decisions across the United States. His research has appeared in thousands of media outlets including Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, Bloomberg, and CNBC, and has been cited in congressional testimony. He previously covered business and economic trends as a reporter and policy analyst in Washington, D.C. He serves as Chair of the Trade Policy Committee at the World Trade Center in Denver, Colorado. He holds a B.A. degree in International Relations with a concentration in International Economics from Michigan State University.
Joel O'Leary
Joel O’Leary is a full-time Personal Finance Writer at Motley Fool Money, covering credit cards, bank accounts, investing, mortgages, and other personal finance topics. Joel has been writing about personal finance since 2018, previously leading editorial content for the How To Money podcast and serving as a resident writer at Budgets Are Sexy. He bought his first rental property at age 18, funding the down payment with savings from his high school job at McDonald’s -- a testament to his lifelong passion for smart money decisions. His work aims to make personal finance accessible and actionable for everyday readers. When he’s not writing, Joel enjoys surfing and spending time with his family.
Recent Research
View All Research
March 17, 2026 | By
Jack Caporal
Average Savings Account Interest Rate in March 2026
The national average savings account interest rate is 0.39% APY as of February 2026, per FDIC data. See how rates have changed and where to find a better rate.
March 17, 2026 | By
Jack Caporal
The Average Checking Account Interest Rate in March 2026
The national average checking account interest rate is 0.07% APY as of February 2026, per FDIC data. See how rates compare and where to find a better rate.
March 11, 2026 | By
Jack Caporal
Average American Credit Card Debt Heading Into 2026
Credit card debt totaled $1.28 trillion as of the fourth quarter of 2025. Read on for more credit card debt statistics and trends.
March 10, 2026 | By
Jack Caporal
Average Credit Card Interest Rate in March 2026
The average credit card interest rate is 20.97% APR as of November 2025, per Federal Reserve data. See how rates are set and what they mean for carrying a balance.
March 9, 2026 | By
Jack Caporal
Americans Spend 13x More Time Scrubbing Toilets Than on Financial Planning. Here's the Fix.
Only 2.7% of Americans do financial planning on any given day -- and spend less time on it than it takes to brew coffee. Here's how to change that.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Motley Fool Money is 100% owned and operated by The Motley Fool. Our knowledgeable team of personal finance editors and analysts are employed by The Motley Fool and held to the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.
Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.
Motley Fool Stock Disclosures
Alicia Aldrich has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Target. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.