Money Today: Travel delays imminent, NFL hiring sports betting director
The biggest money news, trends, and topics of November 6, 2025.
I am still looking for some Gen Zers to talk to about how they invest, for a story for a national publication. Please message me if you’re interested in discussing!
Welcome to Money Today for Thursday, November 6, 2025. I’m spotlighting the biggest money news, trends, and topics of the day. The goal is less stock market updates and more crucial information on retirement, student loans, consumer protections, and more. And also just things I find interesting. :)
You can send news, ideas, and press releases to aliciaadamczyk781@gmail.com.
1. Travelers brace for major delays
The now-longest federal government shutdown on record is hitting air travel particularly hard. Already dealing with worker shortages, air traffic controllers are now approaching their second missed paycheck, and many aren’t making it into work as they look for other ways to make money and pay their bills. TSA agents, too, are feeling the sting of the shutdown.
That’s led to snaking security lines and an increasing number of canceled flights at airports across the U.S. The Trump administration also announced that in order to alleviate some of the pressure on air traffic controllers, it would start cutting air traffic at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports starting tomorrow.
NPR reports the U.S. air system was more than 3,000 certified controllers short before the shutdown. That’s only getting worse now. Last week, CBS reported that airlines including American, United, and Delta were donating meals to air traffic controllers who were struggling to pay bills.
Travelers should be ready for bad news: The reductions could cause airlines to cancel or reschedule thousands of flights per day.
2. Taxes were on the ballot
While the mayoral election in New York City and governor races in New Jersey and Virginia captured much of the attention from this week’s nationwide elections, there were a number of tax proposals on ballots in various states.
In Texas, voters approved state constitutional amendments prohibiting inheritance taxes, capital gains taxes, and certain taxes on financial service providers. There were also a number of property tax exemptions that were approved, which the progressive Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy outlines here. Texas already doesn’t have state income tax.
Meanwhile in Colorado, voters approved a couple of measures to boost funding for free school meals. Excess funds will be directed to the state’s SNAP program.
3. USDA says retailers can’t discount food for SNAP recipients
Speaking of SNAP, in the wake of the Trump administration cutting benefits in half this month, many everyday Americans, restaurant owners, and retailers have stepped in to try to fill the government’s gap, donating their time and money and even donating meals or discounting food for those who beneficiaries.
Well, the Trump administration is now saying grocery stores, at least, need to stop doing that.
“You must offer eligible foods at the same prices and on the same terms and conditions to SNAP-EBT customers as other customers, except that sales tax cannot be charged on SNAP purchases,” a notice from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, reads, as reported by Anna-Louise Jackson at Fast Company. “You cannot treat SNAP-EBT customers differently than any other customers.”
Jackson writes:
The USDA appears to be invoking the ‘equal treatment rule’ in an unprecedented way: The rule was intended to ensure that retailers couldn’t discriminate against SNAP recipients by charging them more for eligible items. Now the USDA wants to ensure that grocery stores don’t charge these customers less for eligible items.
Of course, grocery stores often discount select food items for many reasons; they also regularly offer discounts to certain groups like seniors.
4. The Gen Z and millennial financial outlook
Student loans, auto loans, and credit card debt take up about a quarter of Gen Z and millennials’ income at the median, according to a new report from investment company Vanguard.
I wrote about the scourge of student loans for The Purse yesterday, how for many borrowers, it’s just always there, hanging over their heads.
But while it can be easy to focus on the negative in personal finance, there are some things that are working out for younger generations. A big one: They have more access to better and lower-cost retirement plans (especially employer-sponsored 401(k)s, but also IRAs and Roths), according to Vanguard’s report.
Over the years, these retirement plans have been continually tinkered with to be more efficient, offer better and lower-cost investment options, and have improved features like auto-enrollment and auto-escalation. And young people are now inundated with financial info, meaning they are, on the whole, investing younger than previous gens did, and contributing more of their income. (You could argue this is because they don’t have pensions to rely on, but I’m trying to be positive here).
5. The NFL is hiring a director of global sports betting
Remember that very recent sports gambling scandal that hit the NBA just a few weeks ago? I guess we’re past that! The NFL is currently hiring for a director of global sports betting, who will be tasked with protecting the NFL’s reputation while driving fans to lose all of their money on bets.
From the LinkedIn posting:
That “driving fan engagement globally” is the real red flag to me. Translation: Get fans hooked on losing money. Didn’t sports used to be, like, fun?
See you tomorrow,
Alicia