Personal finance

ADragan | iStock | Getty Images Credit card rewards can be tempting. They can also be costly. Nearly 70% of people with credit card debt are trying to pick up cash-back and other perks from their cards, even though they’re carrying a balance that’s costing them interest, according to a new survey by Bankrate.com. “This

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images If you’re looking for some of the nation’s most charitable donors, turn toward Beantown. Residents of the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy metro area were among the top three most generous cities based on gifts made to charities centered on the arts, education, the environment, health and human services, according to

If you’re hoping to snag the best-available terms on a loan, a standard rule of thumb about credit card usage could end up standing in your way. The common advice is to keep revolving debt below 30% of your available credit so that your utilization rate doesn’t hurt your credit score. Yet experts say your

Wells College, Aurora NY. Google Earth When Jonathan Gibralter became president of Wells College in Aurora, New York, in 2015, enrollment at the school was at a nadir. To understand why, faculty there compared the college’s price tag with other schools in the area. “What we found is that our tuition was $10,000 out of

Hero Images | Getty Images This isn’t your mother’s or grandmother’s retirement. If you’re a woman in your 50s, the chances are greater than ever that you’re not married, either because you’re divorced or because you’ve never walked down the aisle. That’s according to a recent study from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images Even if your employer offers you health insurance at work, chances are you’re shelling out more money for medical care. Last year, employers spent an average of $15,159 in premiums to cover a family of four, according to an analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation. In all,

POJCHEEWIN YAPRASERT PHOTOGRAPHY | Moment | Getty Images Let’s face it, when it comes to storing important financial documents, a shoe box under your bed doesn’t really cut it. Estate-planning documents — such as wills, trusts, living wills, medical directives and powers of attorney —are very important to you. So where do you keep them

Steven Puetzer | Getty Images “Stock market gets ugly.” “The next recession is going to be brutal.” “Markets in turmoil.” Headlines of late on the direction of the economy — or, perhaps closer to home, your 401(k) balance — might have you on edge. Breathe. It’s O.K. If you haven’t already done so, you can

Glenn Daily, a fee-only insurance consultant, owns a whole life insurance policy. Glenn Daily Roth IRAs and Roth 401(k) plans aren’t your only sources of tax-free income in retirement. Say hello to so-called permanent life insurance — a policy with an interest-bearing account that’s known as cash value. This cash value accumulates without being subject

As student debt grows, so do the plans to squelch it. A new federal program offers up to $75,000 in student loan relief for those who work for three years in the health-care field, battling the opioid epidemic. The South Korean auto maker Hyundai announced recently that it will give $900 to people with student

Back to school is an increasingly costly time of year, particularly for families with college-bound children. A college education is now the second-largest expense an individual is likely to make in a lifetime — right after purchasing a home. Tuition and fees for a four-year private college averaged $35,830 in 2018-19; at four-year, in-state public

When Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., travels the country to talk about his plan for Social Security reform, he often holds up a Starbucks coffee cup. The cost of that latte — about $4.50 — could also cover nine weeks of Social Security payments if you’re making $50,000 per year, Larson said he points out to

For anyone holding a long-term-care insurance policy, new allegations of financial trouble at one insurer may make you wonder what would happen to your policy if your underwriter went belly up. While insurance companies have been bolstering their reserves to cover future claims and raising premiums to counteract inaccurate pricing when the policies were first

The average American has $38,000 in debt — a quarter of which comes directly from credit card charges. In December 2018, consumer debt overall hit a record high $4 trillion. Experts say a significant amount of this debt can be explained by what they call “money disorders.” Brad Klontz, author of “Mind Over Money” and

Tricking yourself may be an effective strategy for getting better at managing money. Some people swear by spreadsheets, others by budgets. But what about people who freeze up at the very idea of using a calculator? It’s easy. Or not as hard as you’d think. Make a few behavioral changes. It’s mind over money, and

kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images If you are worried about a possible recession on the horizon, there are some financial moves you can make to help protect yourself. Those concerns flared up on Wednesday after a warning signal came from the bond market. At one point during the trading session, the benchmark 10-year Treasury

Maskot | Maskot | Getty Images It’s only August, yet college students’ best chance at a decent financial aid package is right around the corner. Oct. 1 marks the first day for students and their families to apply for grants and other aid for the 2020-2021 school year through the Free Application for Federal Student

While about half of consumers still use cash for small purchases, many are turning to credit cards. Among U.S. adults, 16% say they usually pay with credit cards for totals under $10, according to new survey data from CreditCards.com. That’s up from 12% who said the same in 2018. Among people who have credit cards

wundervisuals | E+ | Getty Images If you’re panicking over Wednesday’s market declines, here’s your silver lining: You might have a great opportunity to save on taxes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted by more than 600 points on Wednesday morning, amid news that the yield curve has inverted. In particular, yields are now higher

Getty Images If you faced a surprise penalty for coming up short on your 2018 taxes, the IRS might be giving you some relief. On Wednesday, the IRS said it would automatically waive the tax underpayment penalty for more than 400,000 taxpayers who have already submitted their 2018 federal income tax return and failed to