Benjamin R. Matthews and Associates, LLC

06/22/2026

Some of these changes went into effect immediately, while others will go into effect in 2026 and beyond. Check out Federal Student Aid for more information on how this might affect you.

06/18/2026

If your grocery budget feels like it's breaking the bank lately, you are not alone, and you aren't imagining things.

In my office, I see the financial strain of food costs on families every single day.

You might be hearing on the news that "inflation is cooling," so why is the checkout total still so painful? The reality is that "cooling" just means prices are rising slower, not that they are dropping.

You are still paying inflated 2022 prices, plus the new increases added on top.

Here are the facts on what's actually happening to your food costs in 2026, according to the USDA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Beef and Veal: Meat prices are a huge pain point right now. As of April 2026, beef and veal prices were 14.8% higher than they were just one year prior.

Fresh Vegetables: Overall fresh vegetable prices are up 11.5% year-over-year. Some staples have been hit even harder. Fresh tomatoes alone spiked nearly 40% compared to last year.

Coffee and Beverages: Your morning caffeine is getting more expensive. Non-alcoholic beverages, driven largely by global coffee prices, were up over 5% this spring.

Sugar and Sweets: Prices for sweets and candies are projected to rise over 6% this year, outpacing historical averages.

The Trade & Weather Factors: New tariffs on packaging materials and equipment, combined with agricultural shocks (like low cattle inventories and severe weather out West), are making it much more expensive to produce and transport food.

Those costs get passed directly to you.

The reality is that your budget is tighter because the math is genuinely working against you right now. If the daily cost of living is pushing you into unmanageable debt just to keep the pantry stocked, there is no shame in reaching out to explore your financial and legal options.

06/16/2026

A common misconception is that financial strain only impacts lower-income brackets. Recent economic metrics reveal a very different story.

Analysis from the Urban Institute highlights a rising trend in credit card delinquencies across diverse economic communities. As household costs climb, financial pressure is increasingly cutting across traditional income tiers.

"When food, housing, and healthcare are all more expensive, there is less money to pay off your credit card." — Breno Braga, Economist

Financial stress doesn't discriminate by job title, salary, or zip code.

06/12/2026

It’s incredibly easy to accidentally borrow our financial stress from the people around us. When we're trying to get our money right, we often let the loudest voices in the room, or on our social media feeds, dictate what "normal" should look like.

I talked about this on the latest episode of the Debt Sucks Podcast:

That buddy who splits a casual bar tab into 47 separate Venmo requests but somehow still has loud, confident opinions about wealth building? He doesn't get a vote.

Financial peace isn't found by living up to the expectations of your friends, family, or the internet. It requires what I call Quiet Confidence, a grounded, internal belief that you are figuring things out at your own pace.

If you are working on your finances right now, give yourself permission to tune out the peanut gallery. Here is how you can start building quiet confidence today:

Focus on your own facts: Chaos hates clarity. When you know exactly what your reality is, you are much less likely to be swayed by someone else's opinion.

Collect new evidence: Every time you stick to a plan or say "no" to an impulse spend, you prove to yourself that you are in control.

Let go of the audience: True financial stability doesn't need applause.

Your progress is for you. Keep your head down, build a system that actually fits your real life, and let the quiet confidence do the heavy lifting.

06/09/2026

Job security used to mean staying in one place for a long time.

Now, it may mean staying adaptable.

AI is pushing every profession to ask:
What parts of this job are repetitive?
What parts require judgment?
What skills will matter two years from now?

The people who ask those questions early will be in a better position than those who wait until change is forced on them.

Adaptability is not panic.

It is preparation.

06/05/2026

06/04/2026

Did you know that total U.S. credit card debt has reached an unprecedented high?

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, collective balances reached a record $1.25 trillion. This is not a minor fluctuation, it represents the highest first-quarter consumer debt baseline since tracking began.

Simultaneously, serious credit card delinquencies have climbed to peaks we haven't seen in over a decade, signaling intense underlying strain on household liquidity.

High inflation and expensive interest rates are hitting consumer wallets hard. If you're running a business, make sure to track these trends to understand how your customers are changing and what market risks are ahead.

06/02/2026

Financial stability does not always look impressive.

It looks like:
Bills paid on time.
Fewer overdraft alerts.
Money set aside for emergencies.
Not panicking when the car needs repairs.
Knowing what the plan is.

Quiet stability may not go viral, but it changes everything.

05/29/2026

When debt spirals out of control, bankruptcy isn't giving up, it's a federal legal tool designed to give honest, hard-working people a real way out. The moment you file, an automatic stay stops collection calls, pauses foreclosure and halts repossession attempts while the process works through the courts. If you're drowning in medical bills, credit card debt or a mortgage you can no longer keep up with, contact Benjamin R. Matthews and Associates. Attorney Ben Matthews has been helping South Carolinians get to a discharge and reclaim their financial lives for more than 30 years. https://bit.ly/3RSX5wB

05/29/2026

Waiting is one of the most expensive financial decisions people make.

Not because people are careless, it's often the opposite. They are trying everything first.

But while they wait, interest grows, fees stack up, life moves forward, and options can narrow.

Sometimes the smartest first step is simply getting clear on what options exist.