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Mortgage rates have hovered in the mid- to high-6% range for about three months. As of Aug. 20, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.65%, according to Freddie Mac data.

So, if you’re a homeowner interested in taking out a home equity line of credit (HELOC), you’re probably expecting your interest rate to be somewhere around 6.65%, right?

Actually, the national average HELOC rate is 7.31%, based on Bankrate data from Aug. 19.

You might be surprised — even annoyed — that you’d pay a higher interest rate on a HELOC than on a primary mortgage.

But you might be even more surprised to know that 7.31% is an excellent HELOC rate right now. Especially considering how high 30-year fixed rates are.

Why? Because interest rates for first mortgages and second mortgages (which is what a HELOC is) are not based on the same factors. And HELOC interest rates and 30-year fixed rates are typically very different.

Why HELOC rates are usually higher than 30-year mortgage rates

Even though HELOCs and primary mortgages are both types of home loans, they’re impacted by different factors.

HELOC rates are primarily tied to the prime rate, which moves with the federal funds rate. Fixed mortgage rates, meanwhile, are influenced heavily by the 10-year Treasury yield.

“Most HELOCs have variable rates tied to the prime rate, so changes in the Federal Reserve’s interest rate can have a more direct impact on what borrowers pay,” Roger Boschulte, head of home lending products at Bank of America, told TheStreet.

“Traditional mortgages typically have fixed rates that are influenced by longer-term market conditions,” Boschulte continued. “That’s why homeowners may see mortgage rates move one way while HELOC rates move differently or change at a different pace.”

Related: Bank of America names HELOC risk homeowners should know

The prime rate is typically set around 3% above the federal funds rate.

The target range for the federal funds rate has been 3.5% to 3.75% since December 2025. Add 3%, and you get 6.5% to 6.75% (the actual current prime rate is 6.75%). This is below the average HELOC rate, but you might qualify for a lower rate if you have stellar credit.

“While the Fed’s rate decision may impact fixed mortgage rates, it is not the only determining factor,” Erik Schmitt, head of consumer direct sales at JPMorganChase, told TheStreet.

Various factors affect fixed mortgage rates, especially the 10-year Treasury yield. There’s usually a 1.5% to 2% spread between the 10-year yield and the 30-year fixed rate.

The 10-year yield closed at 4.69% on Aug. 20. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.65%. That’s a spread of 1.96%.

HELOC interest rates are directly impacted by the prime rate and federal funds rate. Rates on 30-year mortgages are affected by the 10-year Treasury yield. And that’s why the rates are different.

Homeowners should expect to pay higher interest rates on HELOCs than on primary mortgages.MoMo Productions / Getty Images

7.31% is actually a good HELOC interest rate

A 7.31% HELOC rate may look high next to today’s 6.65% mortgage rate. But historically, it’s actually a relatively low HELOC rate.

To get a better idea of how HELOC rates might typically work, let’s use January 2024 as an example.

In the first week of 2024, the average Freddie Mac 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.62%. Meanwhile, the average HELOC rate was 10.16%, according to Bankrate data.

More HELOCs:

Do you qualify for a HELOC? Credit score & equity rules explained

The best HELOC lenders of 2026

HELOC vs. Cash-out refinance: Costs & tradeoffs

The 30-year mortgage rate was almost identical to today’s rate, but the HELOC rate was much higher. In January 2024, the gap between the average 30-year fixed rate and the average HELOC rate was 3.54%. In August 2026, it was just 0.66%.

So, even though mortgage rates have been stubbornly high so far in 2026, HELOC rates are actually relatively low.

In January 2024, the prime rate was 8.5%, according to JPMorganChase reporting. In August 2026, it’s 6.75%. So, it makes sense that HELOC rates aren’t increasing at the same pace as primary mortgage rates.

Key takeaways: What to know about current HELOC rates

HELOC rates should stay low as long as the federal funds rate and prime rate remain unchanged. If you’re seriously considering a HELOC, today’s low interest rates could be the push you need.

“After the Fed chose to keep the prime rate unchanged last month, our HELOC rates are closer to par with our mortgage rates, giving customers additional borrowing options and reinforcing the appeal of HELOCs for homeowners looking to access equity without refinancing an existing mortgage,” Wendy Morrel, head of relationship retail and home equity strategist with U.S. Bank, told TheStreet.

However, the Fed could increase the federal funds rate. The likelihood of a rate hike at its September meeting is dwindling, but it will probably raise rates at some point.

And that future hike will affect people with HELOCs. Interest rates on HELOCs are typically variable, meaning they adjust periodically. So if the federal funds rate and the prime rate go up, your HELOC rate could, too.

Getting a HELOC is like buying a house or trading stocks. You can’t time it perfectly, and there’s no crystal ball to know what rates will do in the future.

If you’ve already been considering a HELOC, today’s rates are relatively favorable compared with recent years. But the right time to borrow depends on your financial situation, how much equity you have, and what you’ll use the money for — not just the rate.

Related: HELOC vs. home equity loan: Which is better for your situation?

Delta Air Lines plans to use AI to help the airline significantly improve its profitability by making smarter decisions across pricing, operations, and other areas of the business, CEO Ed Bastian confirmed.

“If we could take two, three, four points of our cost down from making smarter, better decisions over a series of several years — my gosh — you look at a margin at Delta, you go from a 10% margin to a 15% margin, it’s a 50% improvement in your profitability. These things are billions of dollars substantial,” said Bastian during Scott McCartney’s Airlines Confidential podcast. 

View from the Wing’s Gary Leff, an expert in miles, points, and business travel, explained that the carrier aims to replace slow decisions made by employees with “constant machine-made decisions across pricing, upgrades, crew recovery, maintenance, fuel, and the back office.”  

“…You can make better revenue decisions on how you manage different buckets. So I think the opportunity is there,” Bastian added.

“I think the issues of trust and governance are also really important, and that’s why I never refer to AI as artificial. I always call it augmented intelligence. It’s going to make our people smarter and better.”  

Delta already faced scrutiny from lawmakers over AI use   

In July 2025, I reported on how, during a second-quarter earnings call, Delta President Glen Hauenstein confirmed the carrier is partnering with tech startup Fetcherr to deploy AI-driven dynamic pricing solutions across its network. 

The airline initially rolled out the AI pricing system across about 3% of its domestic network, with a goal of expanding the technology to about 20% by the end of 2025.

Related: A new low-cost airline is launching flights starting at $25

However, the rollout sparked intense political scrutiny. U.S. Senators Ruben Gallego, Richard Blumenthal, and Mark Warner sent a formal letter questioning whether the tool tracks individual browsing history or personal data.

“Delta’s current and planned individualized pricing practices not only present data privacy concerns, but will also likely mean fare price increases up to each individual consumer’s personal ‘pain point’ at a time when American families are already struggling with rising costs,” the senators’ letter to Delta Air Lines reads.

Delta pushed back forcefully against those allegations.

In an official response to lawmakers, Delta stated: “There is no fare product Delta has ever used, is testing or plans to use that targets customers with individualized prices based on personal data.” 

There’s a crucial distinction between dynamic pricing and pricing based on personal data. While senators warned against individualized pricing practices that analyze private consumer data to inflate fares, Delta maintains it relies solely on dynamic pricing: analyzing macro supply and demand across thousands of flights simultaneously to set a universal ticket price for everyone viewing that flight.

Delta Air Lines’ AI pricing isn’t just about charging you more; it can actually lead to cheaper tickets.Boarding1Now / Getty Images

What Delta Air Lines’ AI-driven dynamic pricing means for consumers’ wallets

AI pricing isn’t just about charging you more. It can actually lead to cheaper tickets, Leff points out. 

Airlines generally try to capture more revenue from travelers who are less price-sensitive while offering lower fares to more price-sensitive customers. Previously, it was challenging to distinguish between those different types of travelers when determining how much they were willing to pay.

AI might be able to simplify this. In theory, if the system predicts that a traveler will not buy a $500 ticket, it could recommend a lower fare, such as $275, to encourage a purchase.

In practice, this usually means the AI adjusts how many seats are available at each fare level, rather than showing two shoppers different prices for the same seat at the same moment. So if demand data suggests more price-sensitive travelers are searching for a route, the system can open up more $275 seats for everyone to see; it’s reallocating inventory, not tailoring a price to any one person.

 “The airline earns more overall because it discounts where a discount changes behavior and avoids discounting where it does not. That lets airlines offer more discount fares to more people, because they can do so without offering them to people who will pay more,” Leff points out.

While Bastian has described a potentially significant profitability opportunity from AI, Leff suggests that Delta could be overestimating the eventual benefit. Leff argues that other airlines will likely adopt similar AI tools, if they haven’t already, potentially eroding any competitive advantage Delta gains from the technology.

“Other airlines will be doing exactly what Delta is doing — United shed 4% of management staff last year, and expects to do the same this year — and with a lower cost base that results will compete down price,” Leff concluded. 

Related: TSA says ‘yes’ to medical marijuana on planes, but there’s a catch

If you’ve filled up a gas tank lately, bought groceries, or just paid attention to your monthly budget, you already know that consumers are stretched. The data are catching up to what people have been feeling for months.

Walmart (WMT) reported fiscal Q2 2027 earnings on Aug. 20 that beat Wall Street’s revenue estimates. But then, it watched its stock drop by almost a double-digit percentage. The culprit wasn’t the headline numbers.

It was the detail underneath: U.S. comparable store sales grew just 2.6%, well below the 3.8% Wall Street expected, according to Reuters. That miss, combined with cautious forward guidance, was enough to unsettle a market that had priced Walmart for stronger momentum.

CFO John David Rainey didn’t sugarcoat the consumer environment when he appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” 

“Consumers are still spending, and real wage growth is keeping pace,” Rainey told CNBC. “But all that said, we would love to be able to bring prices down more and see less pressure on their wallets.”

The good news, for shoppers at least, is that Walmart has a $2.9 billion tool to do exactly that.

Also Read: History of Walmart: Company timeline & facts

How Walmart plans to use its $2.9 billion tariff refund

Here’s the part of the story that matters most for everyday Walmart shoppers. The company received approximately $2.9 billion in International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff refunds during Q2, according to the earnings call.

Rather than pocketing the windfall, Walmart is deploying it directly into lower prices.

Rainey told CNBC the impact will be visible in Q3. Walmart already increased price rollbacks to more than 11,000 items in Q2, up from 7,200 at the end of Q1, according to Walmart’s Earnings call insights.

CEO John Furner actually said it on the earnings call.

Our intent was to deploy much of that back into price, and that’s what we’re doing.

The tariff refund contributed roughly 750 basis points to Q2 operating income growth, lifting reported operating income growth to 28.8%, according to Walmart’s Q2 statement. 

Gross profit rate expanded to 25.4% for the quarter. Yes, those are strong numbers, but they came with an asterisk that the market didn’t love.

Strip out the tariff benefit, and the underlying operating income growth was at the top end of guidance — solid, but not spectacular.

A CNN report shows that the broader context is that the U.S. government is processing an estimated $168 billion in tariff refunds across approximately 330,000 businesses. 

Walmart’s $2.9 billion slice is among the largest. The decision to pass it through to consumers rather than preserve it in margins reflects the competitive reality Walmart faces right now.

The fuel cost headwind is complicating the Walmart pricing picture

Walmart’s pricing generosity comes with a significant offset.

The company now expects to incur more than $2 billion in incremental fuel-related costs for its fleet and supply chain distribution throughout fiscal year 2027, according to Rainey’s comments on the earnings call and earnings statement.

More Walmart:

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Kroger makes a pricing move that Costco and Walmart will love

That $2 billion figure matters for two reasons.

It directly pressures the gross margin expansion that the tariff refund helped create. 

It reflects a broader consumer dynamic that’s weighing on Walmart’s traffic patterns.

Higher gas prices are hitting lower-income shoppers particularly hard. Rainey noted on CNBC that Walmart continues to see consumers stretched thin, especially around fuel costs. 

Walmart is lowering prices across categories, including beef, to help offset that pressure. Meanwhile, Walmart’s largest market-share gains this quarter came from higher-income consumers, according to Rainey. 

That’s a signal that value-seeking behavior is spreading further up the income ladder. My read on this is that the fuel-cost headwind and the tariff-refund investment are essentially working against each other in the short term.

Walmart is spending its windfall to attract and retain shoppers who are simultaneously being squeezed by costs outside Walmart’s control.

Walmart received approximately $2.9 billion in International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariff refunds.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The numbers show Walmart’s flywheel is still turning

Despite the comparable sales miss and the stock sell-off, several underlying metrics point to a business with genuine structural momentum.

Key Walmart Q2 FY2027 highlights:

Total revenue of $187.94 billion, up 5.9% year over year (YoY).

Global e-commerce sales are up 23%, with U.S. e-commerce up 24%.

Marketplace grew 52%, and advertising revenue grew 38% globally.

Membership fee revenue grew 17%, hitting an all-time high.

Sam’s Club U.S. net sales of $25.7 billion, up 8.8% YoY.Source: Walmart Q2 Fiscal 2026 Results & earnings call

Fast delivery in the U.S. grew 48% for the quarter, according to Furner’s earnings call remarks. Walmart also announced a prepared food partnership with Subway and completed the acquisition of Vibe to boost its advertising capabilities. 

These aren’t defensive moves. They’re the continuing buildout of what I’ve previously described as Walmart’s e-commerce flywheel. That’s the self-reinforcing loop where delivery, marketplace, advertising, and membership all compound together.

Walmart also raised its full-year FY2027 guidance following the quarter. Net sales growth is now expected to be between 4% and 5%, up from the prior 3.5-4.5% range.

Adjusted EPS guidance was raised to $2.80 to $2.87, from $2.75 to $2.85, according to the Q2 earnings statement.

Also Read: Walmart Inc. Latest News and Stories

For shoppers, the message from the earnings is that Walmart is actively choosing to pass savings through to the shelf rather than protect its margins. 

The $2.9 billion tariff refund is here, the rollbacks are expanding, and you are likely to feel it in Q3. For investors, it remains to be seen whether that’s enough to reignite comparable sales growth and calm a nervous stock market.

Related: Is Walmart a good long-term investment? Its buy-and-hold prospects explained

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.

Why we love this deal

When you want to soak up the warm sunny rays of summer, securing the right chair to do so is important. A basic patio chair is perfect for providing a simple place to sit, but a lounge chair is better optimized for lying out with a book, taking a snooze under the umbrella, or enjoying some peace and quiet. Not all lounge chairs are made equal, however, and skimping on quality materials or designs can lead you to have to replace your furniture after only one summer season. Well-designed chairs, like the Loyalice Outdoor Lounge Chair, are made with weather-resistant, long-lasting materials and have a stylish design that makes them look great in any backyard. Right now, you can pick up one for 51% off.

Available in sets of one or two, the Loyalice Outdoor Lounge Chair is on sale in both instances, though the single chair, which typically sells for $200, is now only $99 during a Walmart Flash deal. Stock up on a few of them now, enjoy them until it gets a bit too chilly to spend extended time outdoors, and then look forward to breaking them out again next summer knowing that they’ll look and feel exactly the same. 

Loyalice Outdoor Lounge Chair, $99 (was $200) at Walmart

Courtesy of Walmart

Shop at Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?

This lounge chair is crafted from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which gives it a durable, weather-resistant quality that can stand up to sun, rain, snow, and salt spray in coastal areas. Made from recycled plastics, the chair has an almost weighted plastic feel that’s ideal in windy conditions, but it has a smooth wood-grain finish that makes it look anything but cheap. The material won’t absorb moisture, warp under heat, deteriorate in color with sun exposure, or crack in the cold. It’s also a very strong material, with a weight capacity of up to 360 pounds. 

Available in nine colors, the lounge chair has five adjustable positions so you can set the chair’s backrest at an angle most comfortable for you and what you’re doing. At its most upright position, the lounge chair measures 65.98 inches long, 25.20 inches wide, and 35.04 inches high. It reclines fully, providing the perfect surface for sleeping or tanning, and measures 74.41 inches long when in that flat position. Overall, the chair sits about 16.34 inches off the ground.

Because the chair has a slatted design, you can tuck a towel between the slats or leave it open to allow ample airflow. This will keep heat and sweat from building up along your back and neck, helping you stay cool and dry — even when the weather is anything but. 

Related: Walmart’s $675 6-person wicker patio set is on sale for $299

With a built-in cup holder to help you stay hydrated and refreshed, and built-in wheels along the bottom of the chair for easy maneuvering, you can kick up your feet wherever and whenever and enjoy your time reading, resting your eyes, or getting a bit of a tan. 

Details to know

Material: High-density polyethylene (HDPE).

Colors: Nine.

Weight capacity: 360 pounds.

Features: The chair has a five-position adjustable backrest, built-in wheels, and a built-in cup holder. 

Although you do have to assemble the chairs yourself, shoppers still find these loungers a worthwhile purchase. It’s made of heavy, quality material and is very easy to put together. “It’s sturdy, comfortable, and super easy to move thanks to the wheels,” one shopper said. The adjustable back allows you to set the incline to accommodate what you’re doing. “It makes the backyard feel fresh and stylish,” another shopper said. 

Shop more deals 

Loyalice Folding Adirondack Chair, $76 (was $140) at Walmart

Better Homes & Gardens Venture 2-Piece Outdoor Wicker Chat Chair Set, $247 (was $397) at Walmart

Tappio Rocking Papasan Chair with Adjustable Footrest, $110 (was $210) at Walmart

Enjoy the Loyalice Outdoor Lounge Chair for just $99 now and well into the fall before it gets too cold, and then look forward to breaking it out of storage again next year once summer returns. 

A wedding can compete with other major financial priorities, particularly for couples balancing large expenses in the same period.

The average U.S. wedding cost $34,000 in 2025, according to The Knot, while the median first-time homebuyer put down 10% of the purchase price, the highest share since 1989, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Charles Schwab has highlighted the tension directly, noting that wedding costs can compete with debt repayment, homebuying, and retirement savings when couples skip what the firm calls a “money talk” before booking vendors.

Schwab shares categories that consume average wedding budgets

Schwab’s category breakdown, sourced from The Knot’s 2026 Real Weddings Study, shows how the average wedding budget is divided:

Venue and rentals: 29%

Catering, cake, and drinks: 24%

Photography and videography: 10%

Flowers and decor: 9%

Music (live band or DJ): 6%

Wedding attire and beauty: 6%

Wedding rings: 5%

Wedding planner: 5%

Guest entertainment: 3%

Transportation: 2%

Stationery/wedding invitations: 1%

Officiant: 1%

The top three categories alone take roughly 63% of the budget, which is why Schwab’s guide treats them as the primary targets when couples need to cut costs.

The average cost per guest reached $292 in 2025, up $8 from the prior year, according to Schwab’s breakdown of The Knot’s data. At that rate, a 117-guest wedding costs about $34,164 in per-guest expenses alone.

The $34,000 average overstates what most couples spend

The widely cited figure is an average pulled upward by high-end outliers, not a median. 

The Knot’s data shows three spending tiers: couples budgeting under $15,000 spent $8,900 on average, those between $15,000 and $40,000 spent $26,400, and those above $40,000 averaged $70,300.

More Charles Schwab:

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Estimates of the true median fall well below the headline number, and Paperlust’s 2026 analysis places it between $18,000 and $25,000. 

That gap is one reason Schwab’s guide directs couples to budget from personal finances rather than a national average.

Wedding spending varies widely, with most couples spending far less than the widely cited $34,000 average, which high-end weddings inflate.Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images

How to budget a wedding without sidelining other goals

Schwab’s guide lays out six steps for building a wedding budget that doesn’t undercut other financial priorities.

Balance your wedding budget with your overall financial goals

Schwab tells couples to identify short- and long-term financial goals, debt payoff, homebuying, retirement savings, and prioritize them before allocating a single dollar to the wedding. 

Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree, told CNBC that couples who use credit cards for wedding expenses should be strategic, paying balances immediately with savings already set aside rather than carrying debt at rates above 24%.

A couple who finances $20,000 of the wedding on a credit card and carries the balance for a year pays roughly $4,000 to $5,000 in interest alone before touching principal, according to Federal Reserve data.

Determine your maximum wedding budget 

Schwab advises couples to start from their actual savings rate, monthly cash flow, and any family contributions rather than anchoring to a national average.

Gloria Garcia Cisneros, certified financial planner at LourdMurray, warned couples against letting wedding spending undermine their financial foundation.

Ultimately, a beautiful wedding should never come at the cost of financial stress to a new marriage.

The Knot’s tier data shows most couples spend well under $34,000. Picking a tier that fits current cash flow reduces the chance that wedding spending forces new debt.

Estimate category spend with a wedding budget breakdown

Schwab’s breakdown, sourced from The Knot, shows venue and rentals at 29%, catering at 24%, and photography at 10%. Couples who overshoot in one category should pull equally from another rather than expanding the total budget.

Track your actual wedding spending as you go 

Schwab warns that taxes, tips, and minor costs like wedding favors and the marriage license add up quickly. The firm recommends updating the budget as each vendor is booked so overruns in one category can be offset before they compound.

Find creative ways to save

At $292 per guest, every 10 guests cut saves roughly $2,920. A couple that reduces a 150-guest list to 100 frees up about $14,600, more than half a year of maximum 401(k) contributions under the 2026 IRS limit of $24,500.

Every dollar diverted from the account also forfeits the employer match on that dollar, which Vanguard’s How America Saves 2026 report shows reached a record 4.7% of pay in 2025.

Schwab also suggests off-peak dates, non-traditional venues, and limiting the open bar to a set number of hours.

Focus on what matters most and forget other people’s expectations

Schwab’s final point is that social media and magazine-worthy weddings create pressure to overshoot. Couples who focus their budget on the two or three categories they value most and cut the rest stay closer to their plan.

The real cost of a wedding goes beyond the big day

“Spend on what really matters to you. Don’t spend on what doesn’t,” said Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree. That applies to every line item in a wedding budget, and to every financial goal competing with it.

A couple that cuts 50 guests and redirects the $14,600 saved into a retirement account at age 28 could hold roughly $178,000 more by age 65, based on a 7% average annual return. 

Applied instead to a home, that $14,600 covers the majority of the median first-time buyer down payment, at the 10% down payment share NAR reported for 2025, the highest first-time buyer share since 1989.

Couples who protect their financial goals through their wedding planning apply a framework to the same money, so one celebration doesn’t compete with every milestone after it.

Related: Bank of America reveals costly wedding inflation problem 

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.Why we love this deal

Relaxing in comfy outdoor furniture is a hallmark of the summer months that can result in year-round bliss. That’s especially true if you find the perfect patio set at a great price. We think we may have found just that at Walmart, and we figured we’d share it with you. Just don’t tell others until you are sure to buy yours. Deals this good don’t tend to last long.

The Homall 3-Piece Casual Wicker Patio Set is on sale for only $85 right now, which is $10 off the original price of up to $95. If you want a seat at the table, then you should take advantage of this offer before it disappears forever.

Homall Casual 3-Piece Wicker Patio Set, $85 (was $95) at Walmart

Courtesy of Walmart

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Why do shoppers love it?

This patio set offers the best that Walmart has to offer in terms of convenience, comfort, and style. It includes two high-back patio chairs and a small bistro table. All three pieces are constructed of lightweight powder-coated stainless steel, and the chairs are wrapped with beautiful PE rattan wicker. The table has a durable tempered glass top, which is both shatter-resistant and easy to wipe clean with basic soap and water.

Extra soft, thick cushions adorn the seats and backs of both chairs, which bring a level of comfort to the set not often seen or felt at this affordable price. Each cushion has an easy-to-remove zipper cover that is fully machine-washable. The chairs also have adjustable feet, so there’s no need to worry if you have them on an uneven surface, typical for many decks and patios. It’s available in five colorways as well.

Related: Amazon’s $75 3-piece rocking chair patio set comes with ‘comfortable’ cushions

Details to know

Material: Powder-coated steel and PE wicker.

Tabletop: Shatterproof tempered glass.

Color options: Five.

Walmart customers quickly fell in love with this outdoor furniture set. One shopper, who called it “beautiful,” added, “I really love the set! It’s a nice color and was simple enough to assemble, yet sturdy. It’s perfect for my small patio area.”

Another described the bistro set as “clean” and “sophisticated,” before praising how enjoyable it was for her houseguests to use.

Shop more deals

Lacoo 3-Piece Outdoor Patio Set, $80 (was $160) at Walmart

Royalcraft 7-Piece Wicker Patio Set, $470 at Walmart

Devoko 3-Piece Wicker Patio Set, $100 (was $160) at Walmart

There aren’t many patio sets that offer as much value for the price as the Homall Casual 3-Piece Wicker Patio Set. For just $85, you can have great looks, great comfort, and a whole new vibe for your home’s outdoor space. If you put one (or more) in your cart ASAP, you can get this lovely furniture before it’s gone for good.

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.

Why we love this deal

High-end jewelry is something that you might think is reserved for those who sip champagne and eat off fine China on the daily. That’s not the case anymore. Retailers like Macy’s have made luxury jewelry far more accessible than it ever was before. That’s in large part thanks to the store’s regular discounts. One of those deals is currently available on a gorgeous bracelet, and we think it’s definitely worth checking out. This is a clearance item, so once it sells out, you may never get another chance to buy it.

The Macy’s Tanzanite Sterling Silver Tennis Bracelet is currently on sale for $360, which is 69% off the original price of $1,149. If you’re in the market for some beautiful jewelry, but you also want to save a little money in the process, then this is the deal for you. 

Macy’s Tanzanite Sterling Silver Tennis Bracelet, $360 (was $1,149) at Macy’s

Courtesy of Macy’s

Shop at Macy’s

Why do shoppers love it?

This bracelet offers so much, especially for such a diminutive piece. Made from high-grade sterling silver, the bracelet has a bright luster that shines beautifully in the sunlight. It delivers all the beauty of white gold or platinum without the hefty price tag. What’s more, sterling silver won’t discolor your skin, and it won’t rust. It’s a hypoallergenic material as well, so those who are prone to skin irritation or have allergies needn’t worry when wearing this stunning bracelet.

The stones in the bracelet are made from Tanzanite. It’s an extremely rare bluish-violet stone that can literally only be found in one place on Earth. It’s mined near Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and nowhere else. The stone is made of the natural mineral Zoisite, and its lovely hue sparkles and shines in any light conditions. It’s also a relatively neutral tone, meaning it will match with just about anything you wear it with. 

The bracelet contains roughly six carats of stones, which is the perfect balance for daily wear. It has a length of approximately seven inches, making it the ideal size for just about any wrist. The box lock clasp closure ensures that the bracelet stays put, even as you perform your regular daily duties. You honestly can’t go wrong with this bracelet, whether you reserve it for special occasions or you plan to wear it on a daily basis.

Related: Macy’s has an adjustable gemstone bolo necklace for 77% off that comes in 3 colors

Luxury jewelry can sometimes be hard to choose because there’s a feeling that it needs to be completely unique and stand out from everything else. This attractive tennis bracelet takes the opposite approach. Its strength is its adaptability and the fact that it doesn’t look out of place with any outfit at all. One reviewer called it “gorgeous” and said it’s “just what I wanted.”

Shop more deals 

Macy’s Diamond Twist Bracelet, $280 (was $800) at Macy’s

Effy Blue Topaz Rope-Framed Pendant Necklace, $85 (was $250) at Macy’s

The Macy’s Tanzanite Sterling Silver Tennis Bracelet is a wonderful choice for fans of high-class jewelry and low prices. At just $360, this is an absolute steal for a piece of heirloom jewelry that you won’t soon forget.

If there’s a habit I’ve picked up from watching markets, it’s that when everyone is looking at the loudest trade, I start wondering what’s happening in the quiet corners. 

The biggest clues aren’t always found in a soaring stock that’s already overvalued or a famous analyst calling for a breakout. Sometimes they’re buried somewhere else that investors never bother to open. I’d put this one in the last category.

The latest 13F filing from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust shows a new $352.7 million position in The Home Depot (HD). At the same time, the trust cut its stake in Berkshire Hathaway by about $818 million.

That’s not pocket change, and it’s certainly not the kind of portfolio move I’d scroll past without asking why. 

Why? This is big money moving from one of the market’s most iconic investments into a home-improvement giant. There must be a story hiding underneath the numbers. The trust just bought the shares while everyone else seems to be waiting for the housing market to come back to life.

The trust now holds 1 million shares of The Home Depot. That’s a meaningful opening position for a portfolio with $34.42 billion in managed 13F securities, according to WhaleWisdom. 

And it arrives at a moment when The Home Depot just delivered its strongest comparable sales growth since 2022, despite what its own CFO describes as “frozen housing market conditions.”

Also Read: The Home Depot over the years: A complete history of America’s biggest hardware store

Why Gates Trust trimmed Berkshire and opened The Home Depot

The Gates Foundation Trust’s portfolio is concentrated and deliberate. Its top five holdings include Berkshire Hathaway Class B (BRK.B), Caterpillar (CAT), Canadian National Railway (CNI), Waste Management (WM), and Deere & Company (DE), according to GuruFocus data. 

These are long-duration bets on essential infrastructure, industrials, and American economic activity.

The Home Depot fits that same framework anyway. It’s the world’s largest home improvement retailer, tied directly to the American housing stock, The Home Depot reports.

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The trust also opened a new position in FedEx Freight Holding Company (FDXF) worth approximately $180 million in the same quarter, according to the 13F filing. That’s another infrastructure-adjacent business that I’ll most likely cover next. 

My understanding is that the trust is rotating toward companies that benefit from domestic economic activity and physical asset maintenance rather than purely financial holdings. Call me crazy, but that sounds like a pretty interesting investment thesis.

What The Home Depot’s Q2 results show about why this bet makes sense now

The Home Depot reported Q2 fiscal 2026 results on Aug. 18 that beat expectations across the board.

Net sales of $47.9 billion, up 5.7% year-over-year (YoY)

Comparable sales growth of 1.7% — the highest since 2022

Adjusted diluted EPS of $4.92, up from $4.68 in the prior year period

Net earnings of $4.8 billion, or $4.79 per diluted shareSource: The Home Depot Q2 Earnings Results

CFO Richard McPhail was candid about the environment in a CNBC interview. 

“We continue to operate in what I call frozen housing market conditions,” he said. “But we also know that we’re taking share and that we’re serving our customers better every day.”

That phrase — taking share in a frozen market — is the crux of the investment case. The Home Depot’s comparable sales growth isn’t being driven by a housing recovery. It’s being driven by smaller, non-discretionary repair and maintenance projects that homeowners undertake regardless of whether they’re buying or selling. 

Related: Home Depot is making a big bet on cautious consumers

When a roof leaks or a water heater fails, it gets replaced. Like it or not, The Home Depot captures that spending whether mortgage rates are at 3% or 7%.

The company also received $730 million in tariff refunds during Q2, using $685 million to reduce cost of goods sold, according to McPhail’s comments on the earnings call. 

That pass-through to customers mirrors Walmart’s own approach to tariff refunds, as I noted in my previous coverage, highlighting a broader pattern among major retailers navigating the current trade environment.

BofA’s read on why the stock’s underperformance creates an opportunity

Bank of America analyst Christopher Nardone reiterated a Buy rating on The Home Depot and adjusted his price target to $407 from $412, according to a note shared with my colleague at TheStreet. 

The modest target reduction reflects the cautious guidance The Home Depot reaffirmed rather than raised. But the Buy rating holds.

The Home Depot’s reaffirmed fiscal 2026 guidance calls for total sales growth of 2.5% to 4.5% and comparable sales growth of flat to 2.0%, according to The Home Depot. Gross margin is projected at approximately 33.1%, with operating margin between 12.4% and 12.6%.

McPhail described the customer as “a healthy cohort” who has “the means to spend” but remains hesitant as projects get larger, citing inflation, fuel costs, and general uncertainty, according to his CNBC interview. 

That hesitancy is real, but it’s also temporary. The deferred maintenance and renovation spending building up in the U.S. housing stock doesn’t disappear. It accumulates.

The latest 13F filing from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust shows a new $352.7 million position in The Home Depot (HD).David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

This is how The Home Depot has performed lately

HD shares were trading at $334.49 as of Aug. 20, down 1.41% year-to-date and 14.53% over the past year, according to Yahoo Finance. That’s roughly $18 down from where Gates opened their buy position.

My read is that the Gates Foundation is buying The Home Depot at a point of maximum pessimism about housing.

Bank of America’s $407 target implies roughly 22% upside from current levels. The Gates Foundation, apparently, agrees with the direction.

Related: Home Depot faces uphill battle amid a growing customer problem

October is when Social Security recipients learn what their benefits will look like the following year. The official announcement will come from the Social Security Administration in a few weeks. But the early projections are already in, and they point toward a meaningful raise.

Independent analyst Mary Johnson, who tracks Social Security and Medicare closely, now estimates a 3.4% cost-of-living adjustment for 2027, USA Today reported.

Her previous estimate was 3.7%. The latest inflation numbers came in lower, which brought the projection down. Still, 3.4% is better than the 2.8% increase recipients got in 2026. And it beats the long-term program average of 2.6%.

What a 3.4% Social Security COLA would add to your check

The average retired worker was collecting about $2,085 a month in July, the SSA reported. A 3.4% adjustment on that amount adds roughly $71 per month. Over a full year, that comes to about $850.

Other analysts are estimating slightly different numbers. The Senior Citizens League projects a 3.6% increase. AARP is at 3.5%. These are all estimates, not final figures.

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The Social Security Administration calculates the official COLA using Consumer Price Index data from July, August, and September. That final number gets published in October. August and September data could push the adjustment up or bring it down from current projections.

The 2027 adjustment would be the largest since 2023, when retirees received an 8.7% COLA driven by the post-pandemic inflation spike. That comparison puts 3.4% in perspective.

It is a good year for the COLA. Not a record, but genuinely better than what recipients have seen recently.

Why inflation is still reducing your Social Security buying power

A 3.4% raise sounds helpful. The underlying numbers tell a more complicated story.

The Social Security COLA is calculated from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. That index was up 3.4% annually in July, same as June, the BLS reported. The categories retirees spend the most on are still running hot. Food is up 3% over the past year. Shelter is up 3.2%. Energy costs are up 14.7%.

The Senior Citizens League keeps a long-term tally of what this has meant. Social Security benefits have lost about 13.7% of their purchasing power since 2010. Each year’s COLA offsets some of the damage, but rarely reverses it.

The index used to calculate the adjustment tracks urban workers. The challenge is that their spending patterns do not match what most older households buy.

Retirees put a bigger portion of their income toward healthcare, housing, and utilities. That mismatch has been widening for years.

High-interest debt is often the clearest use of extra income.Riska/Getty Images

How Medicare Part B premiums could offset your 2027 COLA raise

Medicare Part B premiums come out of your Social Security check automatically. Before you figure out how much the raise helps, you need to know what the premium will cost you in 2027.

The standard Part B premium right now is $202.90 a month, CMS reported. The 2027 projection is $209.50. That $6.60 monthly increase comes straight out of your benefit. On a projected $71 monthly raise, that leaves you with about $64 in practice.

Some retirees pay more than the standard premium. For example, higher-income beneficiaries pay income-related surcharges on top of the base amount.

If that applies to you, the net gain from the COLA is smaller. The final premium will not be official until later in the year. Wait for that number before assuming you know exactly how much extra you will have each month.

How to use your 2027 Social Security raise to strengthen finances

A COLA that amounts to $850 a year is worth planning for. It tends to do the most good in a few places.

An emergency fund protects everything else. A medical bill, a car repair, or an unexpected insurance cost can land at any time. Retirees without cash set aside end up on credit cards, and interest rates of 20% or higher turn a manageable expense into an expensive one.

Putting part of the raise into a liquid savings account gives you somewhere to pull from when those moments arrive.

A CD ladder works well for money you do not need immediately. You split savings across certificates with different maturity dates. Some mature in three months, some in six, some in a year. Each time one matures you decide whether to spend it or roll it into a new one.

You always have a certificate coming due soon, which keeps your money accessible without sitting in a low-rate savings account the whole time.

Taxes deserve a look before you spend anything. More Social Security income can make more of your benefits taxable. It can also bump you into a higher Medicare surcharge bracket.

Run the raise against your IRA withdrawals, pension income, and required minimum distributions to see what it actually means for your tax bill. A tax professional can map this out in an hour and save you from an unpleasant surprise in April.

High-interest debt is often the clearest use of extra income. Paying it down is a guaranteed return equal to whatever rate you are paying, and no savings account or CD matches that math.

If debt is not the issue, rebuilding cash reserves or holding some aside for healthcare costs that are likely coming are both worth considering.

The raise is real money. It just works harder when it goes somewhere specific.

Related: Suze Orman doubles down on Social Security amid new risk

Shares tied to individual sports franchises could soon be available through regular brokerage accounts, potentially as a “Maple Leafs ETF” or “Bruins ETF.” 

But owning those shares would not mean owning part of the team or receiving a share of ticket sales, media rights or other franchise revenue.

Volatility Shares Trust filed a prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 14, 2026, proposing 32 separate exchange-traded funds tied to every team in the National Hockey League. 

The filing does not yet list ticker symbols or expense ratios, and the funds cannot launch until both the SEC clears the ETFs and the CME’s underlying futures contracts pass regulatory review. 

What Volatility Shares has put on the table is a proposal, closer to a season-long wager dressed in ETF packaging than to any traditional investment vehicle.

How Volatility Shares’ proposed NHL funds are structured

Every proposed fund would hold futures contracts tied to a CME FutureSports Performance Index for one specific NHL franchise. CME Group announced that it plans to list the underlying futures on September 28, 2026, pending regulatory review.

Tim McCourt, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Equities, FX, and Alternative Products at CME Group, framed the NHL futures contracts as a risk management tool for a range of participants exposed to team performance, including fans, sponsors, broadcasters, and arena vendors. 

With our first major-league futures contracts on our NHL indexes, CME Group is bringing the principles and discipline of regulated markets to the businesses that need to manage price risk in professional sports

The index tracks cumulative on-ice production using official NHL statistics across 55 measured categories, with positive actions adding points and setbacks subtracting them, the SEC filing showed.

These proposed funds would hold a derivative tied to a statistical scoreboard, with no connection to franchise value, arena revenue, or broadcast contracts. 

If a team sells for a record price, the sale would never affect the index because the formula draws only on game results, the SEC filing states.

The annual index reset eliminates long-term compounding for NHL ETF holders

Traditional broad-market index funds tend to compound over long periods as their underlying companies retain and reinvest earnings, a mechanism that lifts the benchmark over time.

These proposed hockey funds would start from the same number at the beginning of every season, regardless of prior results.

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Five years of holding one of these funds would mean five separate single-season positions stacked end to end, each starting from the same number. The index resets to a base value of 7,500 before every season and returns to that figure once the postseason ends.

The only predictable source of return would be interest earned on the fund’s collateral, the cash and Treasury securities not committed to futures margin.

That yield component is the same one available on any collateralized futures fund and has nothing to do with how the team plays.

Roughly three months of the calendar year would also pass with no games, leaving the index static while the fund continues to charge its management fee, the filing confirmed.

NHL ETFs could miss out on long-term compounding as annual resets erase past gains, leaving collateral interest as the main predictable return.Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

Commodity futures law has no playbook for NHL team insiders

The prospectus includes a disclosure that separates these proposals from every other exchange-traded fund currently on the market. 

Team staff, medical personnel, coaches, and front-office executives routinely learn about injuries and lineup decisions before the public.

In equities, insider trading law rests on nearly 90 years of Securities Exchange Act precedent and decades of established case law. 

In commodity futures tied to sports statistics, the filing acknowledges that legal frameworks governing nonpublic information in this area remain in their earliest stages.

Morningstar and FAIR Canada frame the NHL ETF structure as gambling in financial dress

Money placed into these products would not fund any productive economic activity, according to Jeffrey Ptak, managing director at Morningstar Research Services.

Gains would come directly at another investor’s expense in what amounts to a zero-sum exchange, Ptak told ETF Upside.

“The bottom line is that this would be another form of financialized betting, with all the associated problems,” Ptak told ETF Upside.

Innovation that strengthens capital markets should be separated from products that wrap speculation in a familiar financial package.

Jean-Paul Bureaud, executive director of investor advocacy group FAIR Canada, made that argument in an email to the Financial Post.

The filing arrives while the SEC is reviewing prediction-market ETFs, having paused roughly two dozen proposals in May 2026 and opened a public comment period on how novel fund structures should be regulated.

What the NHL ETF proposal means for retail investors

Dimitri Busevs, President and CEO of RBC Direct Investing and Senior Vice President at RBC Wealth Management, compared the trend to crypto and the meme-stock era in comments to the Financial Post.

Products in familiar packaging, he warned, risk “misleading a whole generation in terms of what investing is and what it isn’t.”

The prospectus does not address how investors will tell a scoreboard-linked product apart from a traditional holding in the same brokerage account. 

The annual reset means no compounding. Collateral interest, matchable by any Treasury bill fund, is the only reliable yield. Roughly three months a year, the index sits still while fees accrue. The insider-information question remains unresolved.

Critics quoted in the filing coverage have repeatedly urged retail buyers to decide up front whether a team-branded ticker is an investment or a wager, before the product’s marketing frames the question.

Related: Veteran manager buys 2 ETFs as market shifts