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Cara Michelle Smith

Email: cara.smith@salon.com

Cara Michelle Smith is a writer, reporter and performer living in Brooklyn. She’s spent more than a decade in financial journalism; her award-winning reporting can be found in NerdWallet, Yahoo! Finance, MarketWatch, the Houston Business Journal, CoStar News and other outlets. She’s also a comedy & satire writer, with work in The New Yorker, The Onion, McSweeney’s, Vulture and more. To find more of her work or get in touch, visit caramichellesmith.com.

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Worried businessman in dark suit sitting at office desk with laptop and notepad being overloaded with work. (Getty Images/Iuliia Bondar)

“Made no money, had no benefits”: Companies are selling people on cheaper perks

Cara Michelle Smith
Female friends taking selfie with smart phone while sitting at bar (Getty Images/Thomas Barwick)

FOMO economy: Social media is driving Gen Z into debt

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Man on the computer in a dark room (Getty Images/Shannon Fagan)

My personal recession indicators: I’m stress-buying frozen meat and investing in gold

Cara Michelle Smith
(AP/Mark Lennihan)

Amazon blows off its poorest shoppers

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Supporters hold "Trump Vance" signs at Republican vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) campaign rally at Arizona Christian University on July 31, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

I want to join your cult

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Stressed man covering his face with both hands and going through his bills and financial reports. (Getty Images/urbazon)

Boomers wanted to help their kids. Instead, they’re getting resentment

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Stressed woman working in office. (Getty Images/Jessica Peterson)

Return to the office turns rude: 62% more “acts of incivility” reported in the workplace

Cara Michelle Smith
A sign advertising an apartment for rent is displayed in a window in California (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Seriously, I love being a renter

Cara Michelle Smith
Senior man discussion with financial advisor while sitting at dining table in house (Getty Images/simonkr)

Retiring in Trump’s economy? Don’t touch your savings

Cara Michelle Smith
Business woman using mobile phone and holding cup (Getty Images/JulieAlexK)

A glimpse into the girlboss era

Cara Michelle Smith
Woman takes money from the purse of an older woman (Getty Images/uba-foto)

Boomers are still bankrolling their adult kids — but not all are mad about it

Cara Michelle Smith
Woman holding phone. (Tim Robberts/Getty images)

Silicon Valley’s hottest femtech apps

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House cut out, filled with money (Hidden Catch/Getty Images)

How to build affordable housing and get filthy rich

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Amazon messenger delivers a package (Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)

All my friends are quitting Amazon

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Low-angle view of logo on facade of personal genomics company 23AndMe in the Silicon Valley town of Mountain View, California, October 28, 2018. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

“Cops, AI, drug companies”: Who wants to buy your DNA from 23andme?

Cara Michelle Smith
Man receiving car key of his new car in car dealership (Getty Images/blackCAT)

Tariffs have “a profound effect” on new car prices — but may boost value of your used car

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High-rise building (John Coletti/Getty Images)

“Ripe with potential”: Here’s what real estate developer speak really means

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A customer making a contactless payment using a credit card. (Getty Images/VioletaStoimenova)

Trump’s banking deregulation affects your money

Cara Michelle Smith
U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought testifies during the Senate Banking Committee nomination hearing in the Dirksen Senate Building on January 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Trump CFPB drops suit against Warren Buffett’s mobile-home lender that “knowingly traps people”

Cara Michelle Smith
(Getty Images/istockphoto)

Homeownership might cost too much to make sense

Cara Michelle Smith
Depressed woman looking through window (Getty Images/martin-dm)

Homeownership is more important — and less accessible — than ever

Cara Michelle Smith
New cars transportation on car carrier trailer (Getty Images/Lya_Cattel)

“Consumers are likely to pay higher prices”: Trump tariffs are here

Cara Michelle Smith
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick (R) speaks alongside U.S. President Donald Trump after Trump signed an executive order on reciprocal tariffs in the Oval Office at the White House on February 13, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Can Trump actually ban DEI? The confusion is the point

Cara Michelle Smith
Police officer with a gun holstered at a public event (Getty Images/Roman Studio)

Rich people are scared of getting shot in the streets. A dangerous app is capitalizing on it

Cara Michelle Smith
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