Talk about a fancy venti – The S&P 500 Index is on track to post another annual gain of at least 20% on the back of 2023's 24% gain. If the market can maintain its rally through the end of the year, it would only be the third time in the last century that it's notched consecutive years of gains above 20%. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

Raise your hand if you feel personally victimized by these fees – A new congressional report says that airlines have pocketed billions of dollars in so-called “junk fees” by charging customers extra to select a seat or to carry on bags, even offering employee incentives to identify customers trying to dodge the fees. From 2018 to 2023, five US airlines made more than $12 billion on seat-selection fees alone. (Source: CNN)

Mad Max: Deregulation Road – The two best-performing sectors in the S&P 500 Index since the election have been the financials sector, which is up more than 9%, and the energy sector, which is up more than 7%. Both industries may benefit from proposed deregulation by the Trump administration. (Source: FactSet, as of 11/22/24)

Dolla dolla bills, ya’ll – The US dollar hit a two-year high on the heels of weak manufacturing reports out of Europe and Asia, extending a two-month rally that began leading up to the election. The prospect of tariffs and other potentially inflationary policies from the incoming Trump administration is also helping to boost the currency. (Source: Yahoo Finance)

Honestly, good for them – The average American thinks a salary of just over $270,000 a year qualifies them as "financially successful," but it varies by generation. Boomers think a $100,000 salary is financially successful, Millennials say $180,000, grows to $200,000 for Gen X, and then skyrockets to nearly $600,000 a year for Gen Z. Not only that, but 71% of Gen Z expects to achieve this level of financial success in their lifetimes. (Source: Axios)

Coffee, coffee, coffee – Coffee futures climbed to their highest since 1997 on worries about crops in top-growing areas, threatening to further raise costs for roasters and consumers. Concerns that supplies will slow follow a long drought this year, which could also reduce next season’s output. (Source: Yahoo)

Switched it and forgot it – Switching jobs can boost your pay and prospects, but it can also hurt your overall retirement savings. Many job switchers either forget to sign up for the retirement benefits at their new job or get auto-enrolled at a lower savings rate. Over a four-decade career, this simple slip-up can cost $300,000 less in retirement wealth for someone with average pay. (Source: The Wall Street Journal)

Popular! This movie is popular! – Wicked’s opening weekend was a triumph. The film collected $114 million in North America and $50.2 million internationally. Globally, the movie was the biggest opening weekend for a film based on a Broadway adaptation, best start for a non-sequel film in 2024, and the fifth largest musical debut in history. (Source: Variety)

Psp psp psp – Researchers have confirmed that a frozen furball found in Siberia in 2020 is the first-ever mummified sabertoothed cat. The cub was preserved so well that it still had flesh and dark fur, but to everyone’s disappointment, it wasn't old enough to have grown in its namesake fangs before it succumbed to the ice. (Source: The New York Times)

The King of Clay is putting his crown away – Rafael Nadal retired from tennis after 23 years as a pro player. Though he lost his final match, his career wins make him one of the most decorated players in history: 92 singles titles (fifth-most all time), 22 majors (second-most all time) and two Olympic gold medals (one in singles and one in doubles). (Source: NBC News)