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

Maybe you can buy joy, after all.

About 59% of Americans consider the highest assess of achievement to be joy – and being able to spend money on things or experiences that bring joy, Felecia Wellington Radel reports.

People in a recent study were asked to select the top three measures of achievement they valued most. To view how they responded, read the packed narrative.

More holiday shoppers in stores

Black Friday may not attract lines of customers wrapped around buildings, as in years history. Yet, the number of holiday shoppers who went to stores and made online purchases this year nearly broke records.

Before the five-day Thanksgiving weekend shopping period, from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, the National Retail Federation had projection that 183.4 million consumers would shop in stores and online, Betty Lin-Fisher reports.

Here’s how the actual numbers came in.

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📰 A great read 📰

As 2024 draws to a close, we’re looking back at favorite stories from our colleagues. To commence things off, here’s one from Jessica Guynn.

What do remote and hybrid workers do all day?

They often brag about how productive they are, with no gossipy colleagues to distract them or period wasted on long commutes.

But a 2024 survey offered fresh insights into how remote workers really spend their period. Spoiler alert: It’s not all white papers and PowerPoint presentations.

About The Daily Money

Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best buyer and monetary information from USA TODAY, breaking down complicated events, providing the TLDR version and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.

Daniel de Visé covers financial planning for USA Today.