Adam Hayes

Herzliya, Switzerland

Finance and Economics Editor at Investopedia

Economic Sociology @UniLuzern🇨🇭| Former Wall St. | CFA charter | I work on economic behavior & (fin)tech | 📖w/U.Chicago https://t.co/nky7Pt9B0i

Articles

How a Criminal Record Can Cut Your Salary by at Least 30% Forever

2 days ago | investopedia.com | Adam Hayes

A criminal record is more than a blemish-it is often a long-term pay cut that can cast a shadow over someone's entire career. New research and decades of audit studies show that, on average, workers with a record earn about one-third less than their otherwise similar peers, face steeper unemployment spells, and are more likely to be crowded into lower-paying jobs.
Why Airlines Like High Credit Card Fees and What Their Elimination Could Mean For Your Free Travel

2 days ago | investopedia.com | Adam Hayes

Swipe-fee charges-the 1.5%-to-3% "interchange" that merchants pay every time you swipe a rewards card-may feel invisible to travelers, yet they power a major profit engine in commercial aviation.
What is the U.S. National Debt, and How Is It Paid?

3 days ago | investopedia.com | Adam Hayes

The U.S. national debt just cleared a record $36.2 trillion-more than the annual output of China, Japan, Germany, the U.K., and India combined. That's also roughly $106,000 per American. The government will pay about $684 billion in interest this fiscal year alone-roughly 16% of every federal dollar spent-then roll maturing debt into a steady stream of new Treasury securities.
Why You Might Want to Consider Japanese Equities-and How to Buy Them

1 week ago | investopedia.com | Adam Hayes

Japan's Nikkei 225 stock market index did something many investors thought improbable: It finally surpassed the late-1980s peak reached during the country's massive asset bubble. Though it has since retreated, some analysts predict big gains again in 2025. Most of those predictions came before Trump announced a flurry of tariffs, including on Japanese exports. However, Japanese shares still trade at a meaningful discount when compared to the S&P  500, even as profit margins and dividends improve.
Millennials and Gen Z Are Using AI to Improve Their Investing-Should You?

1 week ago | investopedia.com | Adam Hayes

Millennials and Gen Zers have entered the world of investing with a tech-first mindset, as 41% of both generations say they would entrust an AI assistant to manage their investments-nearly three times the rate of Baby Boomers. From sleek AI-enabled robo-advisors to the stock-picking prowess of AI-powered exchange-traded funds (ETFs), artificial intelligence is transforming how we build and monitor portfolios in the digital age.
Gen Z's Pursuit of Well-Being Over Wealth: A Rising Trend

1 week ago | investopedia.com | Adam Hayes

Generation Z appears to be redefining prosperity by prioritizing well-being and autonomy over financial gain. According to recent polling, nearly two-thirds of Gen Zers say they prioritize peace of mind and personal time over accumulating wealth. This shift reflects a generation, born from 1997 to 2012, grappling with mounting financial pressures, combined with increased awareness of mental health.
5 Financial Data Points You Should Never Tell AI Chatbots

1 week ago | investopedia.com | Adam Hayes

As generative AI tools like ChatGPT grow in popularity for use in personal finance -with nearly half of Americans using or considering using AI to manage their money-many have become far more comfortable casually sharing personal details with such tools. But unlike a private conversation with a human advisor, AI chat sessions are logged, may be stored indefinitely, can be accessed by third parties and integrated application programming interfaces, or revealed via legal processes.
How Working in Later Years Can Improve Your Health

1 week ago | investopedia.com | Adam Hayes

More Americans are staying on the job past the traditional retirement age. Adults 65 and older are now the fastest-growing slice of the U.S. labor force (nearly one in five Americans in that age group work)-a trend experts expect to accelerate over the next decade. Some high-profile figures have served as recent examples of this trend. Pope Francis became head of the Catholic Church at age 76 and served until he died at 88, making public appearances until the day before his death.
How Data Centers Are Draining Water Resources and What It Means for Investors

1 week ago | investopedia.com | Adam Hayes

How many prompts have you fired off to ChatGPT or Midjourney this week-10, 20, hundreds? You may not realize it, but each volley of text may have quietly used up a significant supply of fresh water from a data center. Multiply that by billions of daily queries, along with training runs that guzzle upward of 185K gallons, and the link between AI's expansion and water scarcity problems could create significant problems for these companies and the communities where their data centers are located.
What Moody's Cutting U.S. Credit Rating Means For You

1 week ago | investopedia.com | Adam Hayes

In May 2025, Moody's Corp. ( MCO) lowered America's sovereign debt rating to Aa1, citing the $36.2 trillion debt pile, rising net interest costs, looming tax cuts, and political gridlock as factors making fiscal course correction less likely. The cut aligns Moody's with S&P Global Inc.'s ( SPGI) 2011 and Fitch's 2023 downgrades, ending America's triple-A status after more than a century. The ripple effects could affect everything from your 401(k) to the rate on your 30-year mortgage.