The Daily Money 12-23

Welcome to holiday crunch time, Money readers. It's David, bringing you our top financial news at the start of this Christmas and Hanukkah week. 

Good news for workers next year. Minimum wages are going up in many states, including California, New York, Illinois, Maine, Michigan and Massachusetts.

If Santa doesn't put your favorite toy under the tree, he'll at least leave you a bigger 401(k). Yes, it's looking like a Santa Claus rally on Wall Street this holiday week. We unpack what that means.

And here are 10 ways to avoid the unpleasant surprise of higher Medicare premiums. 

Happy holidays, and keep scrolling for more news.

David Brinkerhoff, Deputy Money Editor