Good morning! It’s Daniel de Visé with your Daily Money.

Well, it's been a crazy week, here in the nation's capital. A few headlines:

On Tuesday, the U.S. Postal Service suspended inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong Posts until further notice. "Further notice" arrived on Wednesday, when the service announced it would accept the packages, after all.

The flurry of postal-service news will not impact the flow of letters and large envelopes from China and Hong Kong.

Here's the full report.

Has IRS Direct File been deleted?

The average American who hires a tax preparer to file even a simple return will spend upwards of $200, according to industry estimates. This year, however, taxpayers have more options than ever to avoid that expense.  

Or . . . maybe not. The most noteworthy new program for free tax-prep, IRS Direct File, came under fire this week from Elon Musk, who tweeted Monday that the service had been “deleted.”

Money stress doesn't stop Americans from spending

Consumers say they are stressed about money. But they are also spending money at a brisk pace.

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, retail sales during the 2024 holiday season grew an unexpectedly high 4% over 2023 numbers, to a record $994.1 billion. That was higher than forecast by the National Retail Federation (NRF). And sales for the full year grew 3.6% over 2023, the NRF said.

So, what gives?

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About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.

Daniel de Visé covers personal finance for USA Today.