Personal finance

Emily the Criminal Courtesy: John Patton Ford In the new film “Emily the Criminal,” the title character, played by actress Aubrey Plaza, is almost always in a state of fear. There are moments where Emily’s dread lifts: after one of her successful heists, when she’s painting in her apartment to classical music or when she’s

A woman shops for chicken at a supermarket in Santa Monica, California, on September 13, 2022. Apu Gomes | AFP | Getty Images Despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to get the cost of living under control, prices just keep climbing — and the uptick is especially brutal at the supermarket. The cost of food overall

Tomekbudujedomek | Moment | Getty Images The historic climate legislation President Joe Biden signed in August offered a federal tax break — worth up to $7,500 — to households that buy new electric vehicles. But it may be tough for consumers to get the full value of the tax credit — at least initially. That’s

Student loan borrowers gather near The White House to tell President Biden to cancel student debt on May 12, 2020. Paul Morigi | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education began beta testing the student debt forgiveness application Friday night. The application is available at StudentAid.gov. As of 8:45 p.m. ET Friday,

Wand_prapan | Istock | Getty Images Social Security’s average retiree benefit will go up by $146 per month in 2023, thanks to a record 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment prompted by high inflation. More than 70 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries will benefit from those higher payments. “It’s the highest COLA in 40 years,”

Getty Images Workers may want to keep an eye on the balance in their health-care flexible spending account. Temporary rules under the 2020 Cares Act that allowed you to roll over unspent FSA funds from one year to the next or gave you longer to spend the money — if your company adopted the provisions

In this article WMT AMZN TGT Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Amazon’s Prime Early Access Sale may be over, but the discounts have only just begun. “Black Friday is here,” said Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst at DealNews.com, noting that sales that traditionally rolled out on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day are starting earlier

Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images A majority of U.S. households are taking the possibility of an economic recession seriously, new research suggests. Eighty-four percent of respondents in a recent survey said they are concerned about a recession happening before the end of the year, and 76% said they are making changes to

Inflation was a bit hotter than expected in September, with monthly gains fueled primarily by housing, food and medical care, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Thursday. Inflation measures how quickly the prices consumers pay for a broad range of goods and services are rising. The consumer price index, a key inflation barometer, jumped

Increasingly, college is an option only for those who can afford it or are willing to take on massive student debt. But not all schools see it that way. To make higher education more accessible, a growing number of institutions are eliminating student loans altogether.  More than 20 schools now have “no-loan” policies, which means

Getty Images Younger, wealthy investors are looking beyond the stock market for higher returns. Some 75% of high-net-worth investors between the ages of 21 and 42, compared to 32% of investors over 43-years-old, don’t expect “above-average returns” solely from traditional stocks and bonds, according to a Bank of America Private Bank study released Tuesday. The

Insta_photos | Istock | Getty Images It’s been a tough year for bonds, including Treasury inflation-protected securities, or TIPS, an inflation-linked asset. Despite recent losses, TIPS offer portfolio diversification amid market uncertainty, experts say. Backed and issued by the U.S. government, investors can buy TIPS in five-, 10- or 30-year terms, with twice-annual payments based

Vehicles float in the water on Sept. 29 in Bonita Springs, Florida, after Hurricane Ian. Sean Rayford | Getty Images If you’re planning to shop for a used car in the next few months, be sure to check for flood damage before signing on the dotted line. In the wake of widespread flooding across Florida,

vitapix | E+ | Getty Images Your credit score can make or break your ability to open a credit card or buy a new car or home at attractive interest rates. To boost your score, you need to know where you need to improve. Keeping tabs on your credit report — which outlines your debts,

Ridofranz | Istock | Getty Images Roth individual retirement account conversions may be alluring when the stock market dips. But it’s easy to make mistakes, financial experts say. The strategy, which transfers pre-tax IRA funds to a Roth IRA for future tax-free growth, may pay off when the market drops because you can buy more

Freshsplash | E+ | Getty Images The White House has repeatedly said that its application for student loan forgiveness, which is expected to go live within days, will be simple. Still, consumer advocates say that any red tape around the relief is likely to cause millions of borrowers to miss out on it. “Those who

Tom Brenner | Reuters There’s still a decent chance that changes to the U.S. retirement system will be enacted before the end of the year. Despite there being just a few months left before the next Congress convenes Jan. 3 — the midterm elections will be Nov. 8 — the push to improve Americans’ ability

Luminola | E+ | Getty Images It’s natural to fixate on portfolio losses, especially with the S&P 500 down more than 20% for the year. But you may still have gains after years of growth, and the profits could qualify for a 0% tax rate, depending on your earnings. The thresholds may be higher than

In this article TGT AMZN Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Amazon‘s two-day “Prime Early Access Sale” starts soon, spurring a number of holiday deals coming earlier than ever before. “October is really going to be the month of unprecedented deals,” said Deborah Weinswig, the founder and CEO of Coresight Research. Indigenous People’s Day or Columbus

Parents and caregivers with the Economic Security Project gather outside the White House to advocate for the Child Tax Credit in advance of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Sept. 20 in Washington, DC. Larry French | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images When Natacha Chavez began receiving monthly child tax