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Black Friday shoppers are relying on Buy Now, Pay Later plans. Here's how that could backfire.

Black Friday is shattering records this year, with Americans expected to spend nearly $12 billion—up $1B from last year—according to Adobe. Cyber Monday is projected to be just as strong. A major driver? Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL).

Adobe estimates shoppers will spend over $20 billion through BNPL plans between Nov 1 and Dec 31, an 11% jump from 2024. Cyber Monday BNPL use alone is expected to pass $1 billion for the first time.

BNPL is especially popular with Gen Z and millennials, who like spreading payments over time through services like Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, and PayPal—often interest-free.

But there’s a catch:
Starting this fall, FICO will begin including BNPL data in credit scores. While this gives lenders more insight into repayment behavior, it creates new risks for consumers.

BNPL only reports late payments, not on-time ones—meaning using it won’t boost your credit, but missing payments can hurt it. Late fees also add up. A LendingTree study found 41% of BNPL users made at least one late payment last year, with high-income borrowers, men, young adults, and parents among the most likely.

In short: Buy Now, Pay Later is becoming Buy Now, Worry Later—especially for your credit score. Read More.

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What to know about investing in a gold IRA

Gold has surged to $4,100/oz in late November — up 22% in six months and 55% over the past year — driven by inflation, geopolitical instability, and fears of overvalued stock markets. Goldman Sachs now predicts gold could reach $4,900 by 2026.

As volatility returns to traditional retirement portfolios, more Americans are turning to gold IRAs — self-directed retirement accounts that hold physical precious metals instead of stocks or bonds. They offer the same tax advantages as traditional or Roth IRAs but come with different risks, rules, and fees.

Pros
• Diversification + tax benefits: Gold IRAs combine a historically stable physical asset with tax-deferred or tax-free growth.
• Inflation hedge: Gold has maintained purchasing power across generations.
• Control: Investors can choose account type, manage taxation timing, and even take gold as an in-kind distribution.

Cons
• Slow transactions: Buying/selling physical metals isn’t instant.
• You can’t hold the gold yourself: A custodian must handle all storage and logistics.
• Higher fees: Setup, annual, storage, and insurance fees can make gold IRAs impractical for small balances.

Tips for investors
• Vet all three required vendors: custodian, metals dealer, and storage facility.
• Compare custodians on service, fees, and transparency.
• Diversify across metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium) to reduce risk.

Bottom line:
Gold IRAs can help diversify and protect retirement savings, especially during inflationary periods, but high fees and complexity mean they’re best suited for experienced investors with larger portfolios. Read More.