Personal finance

Ziga Plahutar Regrets are a part of life. Money regrets have a particularly sharp tang, though. It’s difficult not to look back and calculate just what that past misstep is costing you now. Nadia Malik, 36, a personal finance blogger in Dallas, wishes she’d saved more in her early 20s. “I had already been working

The reception desk at luxury boutique property Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern in Saugerties, New York, features sneeze guards. Guests and staff must wear face masks in public areas. Gina Hornbeck/Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern Like most components of travel in the Covid-19 era, hotel check-in has changed — perhaps, in many ways, for good.

PeopleImages | E+ | Getty Images Deciding when to take your Social Security retirement benefits is a crucial decision no matter when you make it. Making that call during the coronavirus pandemic can raise the stakes. That’s because the age at which you decide to claim will lock in the amount of monthly income you

A patient arrives to Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, on April 5, 2020. Bryan R. Smith | AFP | Getty Images An unfortunate side effect can accompany a job loss: no more employer-subsidized health insurance. For people age 65 or older in that situation, Medicare is generally the solution. While some in that age

Up until recently, an old-fashioned certificate of deposit was a reliable way to lock in a decent return.  Now, some CD rates are hitting all-time lows and could still fall further, according to Ken Tumin, founder of DepositAccounts.com. “Since March, rates have taken a nosedive,” he said. “I’m not sure where they will bottom.” In the wake of

Sam Seagraves Source: Sam Seagraves Almost all of the money Sam Seagraves used to make as an actor in Portland, Oregon, went toward her monthly student loan bill of $1,083.  Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. With many production companies postponing or cancelling operations, Seagraves hasn’t been hired for a role since March. The CARES Act granted

In the wake of Covid-19, colleges will likely outsource more of the student housing needs to companies such as DMG, which owns apartment complexes such as this one in upstate New York serving Cornell University. Source: DMG Investments The days of cramming undergraduates into shared rooms with a communal bathroom down the hall may be

MoMo Productions The secret to building sustainable income in retirement is right in front of you — and the IRS has had it all along. Retirees generally know all about required minimum distributions. This is the annual withdrawal that you must take from your individual retirement account and 401(k) plans after you turn 70½ —

Hanna Budzko 1. Technical writer  Nycretoucher | Getty Images Average annual pay: $68,640 Number of job openings as of June 10: 2,308 2. Financial analyst  Andrew Brookes Average annual pay: $67,900 Number of job openings as of June 10: 5,242 3. Proposal writer WavebreakMedia | Getty Images Average annual pay: $67,047 Number of job openings

Summertime can be about more than just sun and fun. It can also be a time to improve your knowledge. And it doesn’t have to cost you a thing. There are thousands of online college courses available for free if you audit them — or listen in — according to Class Central, an online education clearinghouse.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Michael Brochstein | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images The coronavirus stimulus checks have provided a financial boost to millions of Americans — except for those who filed tax returns with non-citizen spouses. A bill introduced on Thursday by Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is seeking to

Hispanolistic Forget high-interest savings accounts. The IRS is crediting up to 5% interest on late tax refunds. The government agency announced it would grant interest on tax refunds that are issued after April 15 – the original due date for 2019 federal income tax returns. Bear in mind that the IRS has pushed out the

xavierarnau When it comes to retiring, few people want to quit work cold turkey. Close to 6 out of 10 workers around the world would like a phased transition — a gradual shift from full-time work into part-time or freelancing — as they enter retirement, according to a survey from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.

Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Treasury secretary, speaks during a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images This tax season may look more like a tax year, as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin weighs delaying the July 15 deadline once again. “As

Hundreds of unemployed workers wait in long lines outside the Kentucky Career Center for help with their unemployment claims on June 19, 2020 in Frankfort, Kentucky. John Sommers II | Getty Images More than 1 million Americans have started dipping into an unemployment fund meant for extended periods of joblessness.   Research suggests these individuals

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Two meals a day Virginia Hodge in happier times. Source: Oliva Atwell When Virginia Hodge’s landlord threatened to evict her and her four children from their rental house in Newark, Ohio, in April, she responded with an image of her bank account balance:  – $22.  “I told her I’d pay it

If you took a required minimum distribution from your retirement account this year and want to reverse it, you now may be able to. The IRS said Tuesday that anyone who already has taken an RMD in 2020 from certain retirement accounts has until Aug. 31 to put the money back. The announcement comes several

U.S. President Donald Trump signs H.R. 748, the CARES Act in the Oval Office of the White House on March 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. Erin Schaff | Getty Images A political fight is brewing on Capitol Hill over what  the next coronavirus stimulus package will look like. But President Donald Trump made it clear

Carlina Teteris Car talk  Milan Markovic People usually ask about the monthly cost of a new car. Wrong question. Don’t just think about the sticker price or the monthly payment when you scout how much you can afford each month. Based on the financing, the dealer says it will be $300, and people can see

For many Americans, federal stimulus payments are a lifeline during this period of extreme financial stress. And yet, many questions remain unanswered in the ever-changing status of these payments. Americans are also wondering how to make the best use of this one-time cash injection — or whether more money is on the way. Here are