The numbers are in and the economy is booming. Thank summer travel, high spending and the Barbie bump (Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images) Ian Waldie/Getty Images hide caption

Hidden fees or "junk fees" are on the rise, as companies work to bring in more money while keeping prices looking low. U.S. consumers pay more than $65 billion in fees each year. Photo illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell attends a meeting at the Spain's Central Bank in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, June 29, 2023. In the U.S., Powell and the central bank are trying to navigate a "soft landing" for the economy. Manu Fernandez/AP hide caption

Dylan Schenker got his first barista job about a decade ago. He says, "At first it was just a job," but he then got passionate about it. But increasingly he's becoming dependent on tips and says people have a fundamental misunderstanding about tipping. Dylan Schenker hide caption

Tipping machines have replaced tip jars in many places as more people pay electronically. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption

The dollar is not just the currency used in the U.S., it is very much the world's currency. It's been that way for 80 years – but that could change. Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Former President Eisenhower, addresses the nation on the American intervention in Formosa (now Taiwan) in an undated archival picture. Eisenhower was involved in the country's first debt ceiling fight when he asked Congress to raise the limit by $15 billion. The Senate refused, ushering the first tussle over the country's debt. Keystone/Getty Images hide caption

Alexandra Prokopenko poses at a marathon event back in Russia. She used to run in Moscow's Meshchersky Park all the time: It was her favorite place in the city. But she's doubtful she will see it again, at least for the near future. Shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, she left her country, along with hundreds of thousands of her peers. Alexandra Prokopenko hide caption

President Biden meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday. The U.S. can seem like the country that cried debt ceiling, but many say this year, the country might actually default. What happens to the economy and to regular people if it defaults? Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

The Bank of Bird-in-Hand in Pennsylvania is one of the country's more than 4,000 lenders. It has thrived by catering to the Amish community in the town of Bird-in-Hand. Its mobile branches, like the one pictured here, travel to remote parts of the state, carrying with them ATMs and a teller window. Bank of Bird-in-Hand hide caption

A horse looks in the drive-window of the Bank of Bird-in-Hand. The bank serves the Amish community. There are more than 4,000 small banks in the U.S.--more than any other country. And that has shaped the U.S. economy. Amanda Hall/Bank of Bird-in-Hand hide caption