BartekSzewczyk | Getty If you’ve already maxed out 401(k) plan contributions for 2022 and you’re eager to save more for retirement, some plans have an under-the-radar option, experts say. For 2022, you can defer $20,500 into a 401(k), plus an extra $6,500 for investors 50 and older. But the total plan limit is $61,000 per
Personal finance
Porquenostudios | Istock | Getty Images For those with student debt, the last few months may have given you whiplash. First, President Joe Biden said in August that he’d be forgiving up to $20,000 for millions of borrowers. But before much celebrating could happen, Republicans brought a slew of challenges to the policy, leaving it
In this article LC Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT As rising prices continue to outpace wage gains, families are finding less cushion in their monthly budget. As of September, 63% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent LendingClub report — near the 64% historic high hit in March. A year
Sarah O’Brien hard at work writing about personal finance. Salvatore Agostino One of the best benefits of being a personal finance reporter is my keen ability to recognize the many money mistakes I’ve made in my life. I’ve already divulged a few in the first iteration of this confessional two years ago. While some of
Families don’t like to skimp when it comes to the holidays, under any conditions. But with rising prices and fears of a recession, holiday shoppers are feeling less generous this season. Many consumers are planning to make fewer purchases — and at a discount, according to a recent holiday retail report by Deloitte. Still, households
miodrag ignjatovic The nation’s youngest workers appear to be taking the save-for-retirement message to heart, research suggests. Defined as workers ages 18 to 25, Generation Z is saving an average of 14% of their income for their golden years, according to new study from BlackRock. Among millennials (ages 26-42), Gen Xers (ages 43-55) and baby
When it comes to getting into college, every little bit helps. Often college hopefuls turn to applying early to their top school to gain that edge. By demonstrating a preference to a particular college, studies have shown, an early application can give you a leg up, which goes a long way in the hyper-competitive world
Caroline Purser | The Image Bank | Getty Images The Biden administration could start discharging millions of Americans’ student debt as soon as Sunday. This is possible as some of the legal challenges brought against the sweeping policy by critics have failed in courts. A taxpayers group in Wisconsin earlier this week requested that the
Xavierarnau | E+ | Getty Images Social Security benefits will go up by more than $140 per month on average in 2023, as a record 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment kicks in. Exactly how much of an increase the approximately 70 million Americans who rely on the program for income will see will vary. More than 65
Stefani Reynolds | Afp | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education’s application for student loan forgiveness, which officially went live earlier this week, is surprisingly easy to fill out. Borrowers just need to provide some basic contact information and their Social Security number. That’s it. Well, for some. More from Personal Finance:How to save
Getty Images If you’re planning to sell investments or rebalance your taxable portfolio, you may be less likely to trigger a tax bill in 2023, experts say. This week, the IRS released dozens of inflation adjustments for 2023, including higher income tax brackets, increased standard deductions, bigger estate tax exclusions and more. The agency also
Rising costs have chipped away at most Americans’ standard of living. As inflation pressures continue, two-thirds of working adults said they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, according to a recent report by Salary Finance. To make ends meet, many are dipping into their cash reserves or going into debt. Nearly three-quarters, or
Amid soaring inflation, the IRS this week announced higher federal income tax brackets and standard deductions for 2023. The agency has boosted the income thresholds for each bracket, applying to tax year 2023 for returns filed in 2024. These brackets show how much you’ll owe for federal income taxes on each portion of your “taxable
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 Wednesday was asked to block the Biden administration’s student loan debt relief program, which is set to take effect this weekend. The Brown County Taxpayers Association, a
Wpadington | Istock | Getty Images President Joe Biden on Monday announced the official launch of the student loan forgiveness application. The news comes just days after the U.S. Department of Education made available on Friday evening an early version of its student loan forgiveness application. During the application’s short so-called beta period, Americans with
Win-initiative/neleman | Stone | Getty Images The Biden administration officially launched the application for federal student loan forgiveness Monday — and scammers are already “on the move” to capture borrowers’ money and personal information, the Federal Trade Commission warned Tuesday. Tens of millions of Americans are eligible for debt cancellation. Borrowers may qualify for cancellation
Mike Mergen | Bloomberg | Getty Images If you’re a Medicare beneficiary, now’s the time to evaluate your prescription drug coverage for 2023. In addition to checking during Medicare’s annual fall open enrollment whether there’s a more cost-effective plan for you, some legislative changes take effect next year that may reduce how much you pay
Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Cue the collective gasp of chefs, bakers and foodies: Food prices are up considerably — but none more so than for butter and margarine. Prices for these ingredients and spreads jumped 32% in September versus a year ago, the most among all grocery categories, according to
Student loan borrowers gather near The White House to tell President Biden to cancel student debt on May 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. Paul Morigi | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education has launched its official application for student loan forgiveness, meaning tens of millions of Americans can now request the financial relief. The
Anita_bonita | Istock | Getty Images More than 9 million individuals and families could be leaving money on the table by not filing a 2021 federal tax return, according to the IRS. Last week, the federal tax agency began sending letters to those people it had identified who could be missing out on payments through