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For most of us, reliable home internet is a must for daily life. But it doesn’t come cheap.

Internet and cable service — often bundled together — costs the typical U.S. household $121 a month, making it many Americans’ biggest monthly bill after their rent/mortgage and auto loans, according to the latest bill payment data collected by doxoINSIGHTS.

And according to a March survey by CNET, 63% of U.S. adults paying for home internet saw their annual costs rise by an average of $195. More than half reported unreliable service, too.

So what? Just because remote work, Netflix, and online shopping aren’t negotiable in your household doesn’t mean you’re stuck paying whatever your internet service provider (ISP) is charging. Here’s how you can potentially lower your costs.

•   Compare ISPs and haggle (nicely.) If you have other providers in your market (search your zip code here,) shop around and watch for promotions that lower your bill at least temporarily. Found a better price? Call your current provider, be polite, and ask them to match it. If the first rep can’t help, try again or ask for a manager.

•   Stop renting your router. Most people (71%) rent their router or gateway from their ISP. Buying your own can save money and give you more control.

•   Check/lower your internet speed. If you regularly stream 4K videos and rely on Zoom meetings for your job, paying more for high-speed internet may be worth the cost. But if your needs are more basic, like scrolling through Facebook or occasionally streaming Spotify, you might be able to downgrade to a slower (and cheaper) speed. Either way, use a free tool like speedtest.net to make sure you’re getting the speed you pay for.

•   Consider bundling (or unbundling). Getting internet within a package that also includes your TV or phone service can save money, but only if you use those extras enough. Otherwise, you might be paying for things you don’t need.

•   Use auto pay or a cash-back credit card. Many ISPs offer discounts for setting up automatic payments. (Just keep enough money in your account to avoid overdrafts.) And if using a credit card with, say, 2% cash back, can effectively feel like a discount.

•   Give your bill a regular check-up and watch your data usage. Review your bill each month for sneaky fees, expired promos, or extra charges. Drop services you don’t use and question anything that looks off. Many plans also have data caps that can trigger fees or slowdowns if you go over. If that happens often, consider switching to an unlimited data plan or cutting back your usage.

•   Explore financial assistance. Check if you qualify for the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program, which offers up to $9.25 off the cost of phone, internet, or bundled services.

Related Reading

Best and Worst Home Internet Providers (Consumer Reports)

Want to Cut the Cable Cord? Here’s How to Switch to Streaming (CNET)

The Pros And Cons Of Bundles (CableCompare.com)

Please understand that this information provided is general in nature and shouldn’t be construed as a recommendation or solicitation of any products offered by SoFi’s affiliates and subsidiaries. In addition, this information is by no means meant to provide investment or financial advice, nor is it intended to serve as the basis for any investment decision or recommendation to buy or sell any asset. Keep in mind that investing involves risk, and past performance of an asset never guarantees future results or returns. It’s important for investors to consider their specific financial needs, goals, and risk profile before making an investment decision.

The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. These links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement. No brands or products mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this content.

SoFi isn't recommending and is not affiliated with the brands or companies displayed. Brands displayed neither endorse or sponsor this article. Third party trademarks and service marks referenced are property of their respective owners.

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Tariff Bite Incoming

The stakes are high. Tariffs are the highest they’ve been in 100 years, President Trump is clamoring for rate cuts, and Federal Reserve officials are in wait-and-see mode until they get more clarity. Fed officials have said that they expect tariff impacts to become increasingly apparent as summer moves along, and investors will be scrutinizing every data point anxiously.

Which brings us to this week’s major inflation data. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.3% month-over-month, a step up from the more benign 0.1% rise recorded in May. This monthly acceleration pushed the year-over-year inflation rate to 2.7%, up from the prior month’s 2.4%.

While core CPI, which excludes the volatile food and energy components, came in below consensus estimates at 0.2% month-over-month, things were less rosy under the hood.

For example, the core goods component rose 0.2% in June. That might not sound like a big deal, but it’s noteworthy because it occurred despite new and used cars falling 0.3% and 0.7%, respectively. Those items represent 35% of the entire core goods basket, which suggests that inflation in core goods minus cars was hot.

Core Goods CPI Month-over-Month

Spoiler alert: That’s exactly what it was, as apparel, recreation, and household furnishings inflation all accelerated meaningfully. Overall, core goods (excluding cars) inflation was nearly 0.6% month-over-month, the highest since November 2021. And it’s not like the distribution of these price increases were random — they align pretty closely with recent tariffs. For the last few months, the tariff bark had been louder than its bite, but that might be changing now.

Looking Upstream for Clues

Consumer inflation isn’t the only data we got, however, as the Producer Price Index (PPI) dropped a day after CPI. In simple terms, the PPI measures the prices companies receive for their goods and services at the wholesale level, while the CPI measures the prices consumers ultimately pay at the retail level. Importantly, PPI also tends to reflect the input costs businesses face further up the supply chain.

Headline PPI, often called the Final Demand figure, was flat month-over-month versus expectations for a 0.2% increase. On its face that is a downside surprise, but the prior month was actually revised up by 0.2 percentage points, so net-net it’s a bit of a wash.

An investor’s first instinct might be to look at PPI Final Demand being lower than CPI and assume that this would help corporate profit margins (and possibly stocks as a result), but the historical relationship isn’t straightforward.

The back story: The Final Demand figure wasn’t always what was interpreted as the headline PPI figure. In fact, we only have data for it going back to 2009. Up until recently, the headline figure was the PPI Finished Goods series (which actually dates back to the 19th century!). The reasons for the switch are convoluted, but the idea is Final Demand more thoroughly measures all aspects of wholesale inflation.

A larger sample size is advantageous when analyzing relationships, however, so let’s look at the PPI Finished Goods series when looking at CPI and corporate profit margins. In June 2025, the PPI measure was up 0.4% month-over-month and 1.9% year-over-year. While it l might seem that a lower PPI should be good for margins, history actually tells us the exact opposite.

PPI-CPI Tracks Forward Earnings Growth

A possible explanation is that periods of higher wholesale inflation reflect strong corporate pricing power that will be passed through to consumers, boosting the bottom line. However, this time may be different, given that the nature of the cost shock isn’t just shifting supply and demand but the introduction of a new tax. So, if PPI moves higher relative to CPI in coming months, that might not suggest profit expansion like it otherwise would have.

Testing the Rotation

After a first half of 2025 where international equities dramatically outperformed their U.S. counterparts, July has ushered in a more complex and volatile environment. That’s testing the durability of the nascent idea that international markets may outperform after a decade plus of U.S. dominance.

The S&P 500 is +0.6% month-to-date, mostly due to mega-cap tech stocks — the Magnificent Seven is +1.8%, while the equal-weight S&P 500 is flat. Meanwhile, the powerful outperformance of international stocks that defined the first half of the year has also stalled in July. Through July 16, the MSCI ACWI ex-US Index was down 0.3% after returning 18.1% in H1, a notable reversal of the H1 trend.

2025 Total Returns

This pause has been driven by a confluence of factors, including a potential short-term bounce in the U.S. dollar or some profit taking after the strong start to the year.

Of course, fundamental differences between the U.S. and international markets remain. The big one is the valuation disparity between domestic and international stocks, as the S&P 500 trades at a forward P/E ratio of 22.1x while the MSCI ACWI ex-US trades at a 14.4x P/E. For U.S. investors, investing in international stocks also introduces a currency component. That boosted international stock returns by 10-15 percentage points in H1, as the dollar had its worst first half of a year since 1973, but could turn into a drag if the dollar rebounds.

The choppy start to the second half serves as a crucial reminder that major market shifts are rarely linear. For investors, this reinforces the importance of a truly diversified portfolio, not just geographically, but also in terms of style and sector. You never really know how things are going to go, but you can be prepared.

Want more insights from SoFi’s Investment Strategy team? The Important Part: Investing With Liz Thomas, a podcast from SoFi, takes listeners through today’s top-of-mind themes in investing and breaks them down into digestible and actionable pieces.

SoFi can’t guarantee future financial performance, and past performance is no indication of future success. This information isn’t financial advice. Investment decisions should be based on specific financial needs, goals and risk appetite.

Communication of SoFi Wealth LLC an SEC Registered Investment Adviser. Information about SoFi Wealth’s advisory operations, services, and fees is set forth in SoFi Wealth’s current Form ADV Part 2 (Brochure), a copy of which is available upon request and at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov. Mario Ismailanji is a Registered Representative of SoFi Securities and Investment Advisor Representative of SoFi Wealth. Form ADV 2A is available at www.sofi.com/legal/adv.

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Is your lease up this summer? More than 31% of leases start in June, July or August, making it the peak season for both renewals and rent increases.

And rents are already pretty darn high — even if they’re not rising like they were back in 2021 and 2022. The typical (aka median) asking rent nationwide — $2,049 as of May — is up 36% since the COVID-19 pandemic and requires a household income of nearly $82,000 annually to comfortably afford, according to Zillow data. That’s over $20,000 more than you would have needed before the pandemic and about $2,500 more than just one year ago.

So what? If you’re facing a rent increase, don’t assume you’re stuck with it. You can try to negotiate a better deal with your landlord and/or explore the tradeoffs of moving. Even just a different renewal timeline can help you down the road. Here’s a quick guide:

•   Start by researching the going rate on similar rentals. This will help you determine whether your rent increase is fair and help you evaluate whether to move. If a move would save you $100 a month, is it worth the upfront costs of a security deposit and hiring movers?

•   Come up with a compromise number. Ask your landlord to renew at a rent that’s higher than what you’re paying but lower than what they’re asking. If you have a record of being a good tenant, the landlord is more likely to come to the table with an open mind, according to Danielle Arlotta, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® at Brooklyn Plans, a New York-based financial planning firm.

•   Ask for a month-to-month or 18-month lease. Asking rents tend to be higher this time of year because of the higher rate of turnover in summer (think of all the families, college students, and teachers dependent on a school-year timeline.) So even if you’re not able to negotiate a lower rent, try to set yourself up to renew in the colder months next time. “It’s so competitive when everyone is looking in the summer,” Arlotta said. “If you’re moving in November or December or January, it’s a little bit less. Not thousands less, but maybe a couple hundred less per month.”

•   Get creative when you’re negotiating. Is there something you could offer your landlord in exchange for a lower rent? For instance, could you help with building maintenance or other small tasks like cutting the grass or changing the hallway light bulbs?

Negotiating with your landlord can feel intimidating, and may be the last thing you want to do when the rest of the world is taking time off work and enjoying summer.

But being proactive about your lease renewal is a worthwhile endeavor — even if it doesn’t get you immediate results. And in the long run, moving your lease renewal to a less competitive time of year could make other things easier too, like finding movers and scheduling utility hookups.

Related Reading

Renew a Lease Agreement in 2025: Everything Tenants Need to Know (LeaseRunner)

When Is the Best Time to Rent an Apartment? (Investopedia)

Can You Negotiate Rent? (SoFi)

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®

Please understand that this information provided is general in nature and shouldn’t be construed as a recommendation or solicitation of any products offered by SoFi’s affiliates and subsidiaries. In addition, this information is by no means meant to provide investment or financial advice, nor is it intended to serve as the basis for any investment decision or recommendation to buy or sell any asset. Keep in mind that investing involves risk, and past performance of an asset never guarantees future results or returns. It’s important for investors to consider their specific financial needs, goals, and risk profile before making an investment decision.

The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. These links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement. No brands or products mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this content.

SoFi isn't recommending and is not affiliated with the brands or companies displayed. Brands displayed neither endorse or sponsor this article. Third party trademarks and service marks referenced are property of their respective owners.

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