Personal finance

Charnsitr | Istock | Getty Images Certain tax credits were made temporarily more generous in 2021. For certain people, there still may be time to claim the money, which may add up to thousands of dollars — but some politicians aren’t happy the IRS just reminded Americans about the cash. The federal agency recently sent

Activists demonstrate in support of a $15-per-hour minimum wage and tips for restaurant workers in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 8, 2022. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images Voters in Nebraska and in the District of Columbia on Tuesday approved higher minimum wages, while the results in a similar Nevada ballot measure are still pending.

Ridofranz | Istock | Getty Images We adamantly want to age in place, say experts. A recent AARP report shows that 85% of respondents 65 or older wish to stay in their current residences as long as possible. Retirement-focused financial advisors can help with both the financial and non-financial preparations to do so. “We’re often

Inflation is weighing heavily on the holidays this year. Roughly half of shoppers will buy fewer things due to higher prices, and more than one-third said they will rely on coupons to cut down on the cost, according to a recent survey of more than 1,000 adults by RetailMeNot. Though the study found many consumers

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot has a winner — well, two, if you count Uncle Sam. A single ticket sold in California matched all six numbers pulled in the delayed drawing, which was held Tuesday instead of Monday night due to one state needing additional time to

New laws are making it easier than ever to know how much a given job pays. Pay transparency legislation is gaining momentum in cities and states across the country, from New York City to California and Washington state. Being armed with information about the salary range for a position you’re interested in can be the

courtneyk | E+ | Getty Images After a rough year for the stock market, investors may not expect to receive a surprise tax bill from year-end actively managed mutual fund payouts, experts say. When a fund manager sells underlying assets at a profit without losses to offset it, those gains are passed along to investors.

It’s hard to imagine what it would be like to win Powerball’s $1.9 billion prize. But the reality almost always falls far short of the fantasy. “The curse of the lottery losers is very real,” said Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based lawyer who has represented several recent lottery winners. One of the very first decisions a

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images It’s open enrollment season, the time each year when millions of American workers and retirees must choose a health plan, whether new or existing. But picking health insurance can be a dizzying venture. Health plans have many moving parts — which may not come into focus at first

Gift buying and gift returning typically go hand in hand. On average, retailers expect about 18%, or $158 billion, of merchandise sold during the holiday shopping season to be returned, according to the National Retail Federation’s most recent data. For 2021 overall, the return rate was about 16.6% of total U.S. retail sales, or $761

In this article UAL AAL TSLA NFLX SHOP-CA LYFT Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Wanan Yossingkum | Istock | Getty Images The labor market is still strong, but layoffs are picking up. This year Peloton, Netflix, Shopify, Lyft, and, most recently, Twitter, all announced significant staff reductions. Meanwhile, executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray &

Getty Images As Americans head to the polls, several key personal finance issues are weighing on voters’ minds and wallets. This week, the Federal Reserve enacted its fourth consecutive 0.75 percentage point interest rate increase to fight inflation, triggering further stock market losses. Meanwhile, recession fears are growing, with 84% of Americans worrying how a

dowell | Moment | Getty Images As the year-end approaches, you may be looking for ways to lower your 2022 tax bill — and certain tax-saving moves have rules you must follow in order to qualify. One option, adding money to your pretax individual retirement account, may be attractive if you make too much for

Supreme Court nominee and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Capitol Hill in Washington, October 21, 2020. Ken Cedeno | Reuters The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a second request to block the Biden administration’s student loan debt relief program. Justice Amy Coney Barrett denied the emergency application to block the program

Miniseries | E+ | Getty Images Anyone watching the markets this year knows that it’s been a bumpy ride. But investors and the corporate sector aren’t the only ones feeling the pinch as financial markets have fallen sharply. With an estimated 33% of all charitable giving taking place in November and December, non-profit organizations will

SKLA | iStock | Getty Images Close to 26 million Americans have applied for student loan forgiveness, and the Biden administration has already approved 16 million of the requests, the White House said Thursday. Yet its entire loan cancellation plan could be in jeopardy due to the legal challenges brought by Republicans, it warned. “If

Tim Boyle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Although prices for new cars are moderating a bit, financing a vehicle purchase hasn’t been getting any cheaper. With the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate hike — the sixth this year — auto loans are poised to become even more expensive. The Fed’s move has a ripple effect,

Ijeab | Istock | Getty Images Pell Grants have been in the news a great deal after President Joe Biden announced his sweeping student loan forgiveness plan. The president’s policy, unveiled in August, offers up to $10,000 in loan cancellation for tens of millions of Americans who borrowed for their education. And it goes further

The Federal Reserve raised the target federal funds rate by 0.75 percentage point for the fourth time in a row on Wednesday, marking an unprecedented pace of rate hikes. The U.S. central bank has raised the benchmark short-term borrowing rate a total of six times this year, including 75 basis point increases in June, July and

Martin Barraud | Caiaimage | Getty Images After another 0.75 percentage interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve, financial experts have tips for investors amid volatility in the stock and bond markets.   Continuing to fight inflation, the central bank on Wednesday announced its fourth consecutive three-quarters of a percentage point interest rate increase.  The