Personal finance

Young woman using laptop in a loft apartment Xsandra | E+ | Getty Images It doesn’t necessarily take a bachelor’s degree to land a well-paying, full-time, remote job. In fact, more companies are looking at qualifications beyond a formal education, thanks to the fierce competition for talent brought on by the 3.7% unemployment rate and

Part of  the huge settlement announced Monday by Equifax over its massive 2017 data breach includes lots of free credit reports for consumers. Just don’t count on it being a way to prevent criminals from accessing your file. The settlement — which could reach more than $650 million and must still be approved by the

Westend61 | Getty Images When it comes to financial independence, it probably comes as no surprise that parents and children are not on the same page. What is surprising is that young Americans anticipate being financially independent several years earlier than their parents expect them to. Young Americans say they’ll be financially independent by age

Whether it’s weekly Thai takeout or an air purifier you never took out of the box, most people have buyer’s remorse about something. Regret purchases tend to come in three types: things you never used; habitual things, like restaurant meals or drinks you no longer get any value from; or expensive things that kept you

If you’re among the growing contingent of Americans who plan to continue to work after age 65, be sure to review your Medicare options before you do eventually decide to finally say farewell to your coworkers. While it’s common for people working past that age to stick with a company-sponsored health plan and delay enrolling

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images The statistic is used to show how unequal things have become in the U.S.: Some 40% of Americans would struggle to come up with even $400 to pay for an unexpected bill. If — or, more likely, when — they’re confronted with such an expense, they’d probably

Most people understand the virtues of a 401(k) when it comes to saving for retirement. Still, few know that there’s another employer-sponsored plan that could work just as well, if not better. Like a traditional 401(k), a Roth 401(k) lets you contribute up to $19,000 a year through automatic payroll deductions and may come with

Tropical Storm Barry is shown in the Gulf of Mexico approaching the coast of Louisiana, in this July 11, 2019 NASA satellite handout photo. NASA | Reuters Homeowners dealing with damage from summer storms have another disappointment ahead: They may not be able to get a tax break for their losses. That’s because a provision

Former Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez is making it part of his mission to educate athletes about saving money. While they may make big salaries during their time on the field, many of them wind up broke once they leave the game. Instead of blowing all their money on big purchases such as fancy

David Marcus, Head of Calibra at Facebook, testifies about Facebook’s proposed digital currency called Libra, during a Senate Banking, House and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July 16, 2019. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Lawmakers interrogated David Marcus, Facebook’s cryptocurrency chief, asking how the company will educate the

Photo by Hero Images via Getty Images Healthy couples retiring in 2019 will have to dig deep to cover medical expenses. A 65-year-old couple in good health will need $387,644 to pay for health-care costs for the remainder of their lives, according to HealthView Services, a provider of health-care cost projection software. That sum includes

A bipartisan bill that cleared the House last week would let first-time homebuyers pay a bit less at closing if they go through homeownership counseling. Called the Housing Financial Literacy Act, the measure would apply to first-time homebuyers who take out a mortgage backed by the Federal Housing Administration. Borrowers who go through the counseling

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks after taking the oath of office in Trenton, New Jersey, January 16, 2018. Lucas Jackson | Reuters New Jersey is suing the Internal Revenue Service, challenging new rules that would block states’ attempts to get around a new $10,000 cap for state and local tax deductions. The state’s governor,

Getty Images New Yorkers are paying the heftiest state income taxes. Residents in the state paid $2,249 per capita in individual state income taxes during the 2017 fiscal year, according to data from the Tax Foundation. Connecticut came in second with $2,218. Massachusetts followed in third: $2,146. Meanwhile, there are seven states that don’t tax

Gece33 | Getty Images As college costs rise, some students apply to a laundry list of schools to increase their odds of getting into one they can afford. Yet doing so can leave families with another large tab. “Application fees quickly add up to thousands of dollars if you apply to dozens of colleges,” said

Former Vice President Joe Biden takes the stage for the second night of the first Democratic presidential debate on June 27, 2019 in Miami, Florida. Drew Angerer | Getty Images If you missed out on a deduction for state and local taxes on your 2018 return, you’re not alone: Former vice president Joe Biden and

Blueflames | Getty Images The average family doesn’t feel as good today as yesterday. Middle-class Americans are less optimistic about their economic prospects than they were just six months ago, according to a new report from CUNA Mutual Group. Although the majority of those polled said they feel relatively stable overall, they graded their chances

It’s become one of the biggest shopping events of the year, yet some discounts are better than others. The 48-hour Amazon Prime Day extravaganza kicks off July 15, with more than 1 million deals for members, including intermittent “lightning deals.” For example, the Toshiba HD 43-inch Fire TV Edition Smart TV is now $179.99, a $120

Matteo Colombo | DigitalVision | Getty Images You’re all packed and ready for your trip. You know what you’re paying for airfare, hotel and other big ticket items. You even have money set aside for spending. Yet, one wrong move in the planning process — or while you are away — can blow your budget.

Are you gearing up to browse new cars for the first time in a long while? If so, be ready to open your wallet a lot wider. With the average age of new-car trade-ins — excluding leased autos — at just over six years, a shopper whose last purchase was in 2013 could suffer some