When a bill to improve Americans’ retirement security sailed through the House of Representatives last month, it looked like the country was on the brink of the first major retirement reform since 2006. Then the bill went to the Senate. Weeks later, it still has not come up for a vote. Known as the Secure
Personal finance
Saving for retirement. Everyone knows they need to do it, but it can be hard to put away all that money when you could be spending it now. You are in a race against time and the later you start, the harder it will be to catch up. To that end, Fidelity has put together
Westend61 | Getty Images Divorce can be especially difficult for parents still raising children. Your post-separation finances don’t have to be. About 40% to 50% of married couples in the U.S. divorce, according to the American Psychological Association. While there are many changes when separating from your spouse, managing the finances for your shared children
Senator and presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren Barry Chin | Boston Globe | Getty Images Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) reintroduced a bill that would allow married same-sex couples to file joint amended federal tax returns and collect refunds for as long as they have been married. In a key 2013 case, U.S. v. Windsor, the U.S.
mapodile | E+ | Getty Images Gig economy workers could get short changed when it comes to their Social Security checks in retirement. The growing ranks of people who earn money on apps like Uber, Airbnb and Task Rabbit are more likely than traditional employees to misreport their income. That could mean a smaller Social
If you go to work every day just going through the motions, you aren’t alone. According to Gallup, only 33% of employees are engaged at work. So, how can nearly 70% of the workforce be disengaged? I believe it’s because there is a tremendous lack of recognition in the world today, or what I call
Julie Thurston | Getty Images Lawmakers are taking steps to renew a package of tax breaks, potentially making a slew of expired deductions available once more. The so-called tax extenders are a series of temporary provisions in the code that have expired and must be cleared by Congress retroactively each year in order for filers
A pedestrian walks past the Federal Reserve building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, March 19, 2019. Leah Millis | Reuters The Federal Reserve‘s decision Wednesday to keep interest rates steady came as a relief to many. And rightfully so. After the Fed raised the federal funds rate nine times in three years, with the last
If the thought of investing in bonds overwhelms you, you aren’t alone. Between the different types of securities and the varying yields available in the $43.1 trillion dollar bond market, investors may have a hard time sorting it all out. Yet if you want a balanced portfolio, experts say it’s important to include fixed-income assets.
Jamie Grill | Getty Images As the calendar crosses the mid-year mark, are you on track to reach your retirement savings goals? The IRS has raised the limits for what you can put away in pre-tax retirement savings account this year. That means you can sock away as much as $19,000 in your 401(k), 403(b),
Tomoji Hirakata | Getty Images People don’t necessarily donate to charity because of tax benefit. At the same time, without it, they are likely to give less. After years of strong growth, total charitable giving rose just 0.7% in 2018, according to a new report on philanthropy by Giving USA. When adjusted for inflation, total
Stocks that pay dividends have, over long periods, outperformed stocks that do not. GlobalStock | Getty Images What would you be willing to do if you never had to manage your personal finances again? A new survey from Merrill Edge posed that question to 1,000 investors with up to $250,000 in investible assets. And some
Just graduated? Take a close look at your digital footprint. Hiring managers often review a candidate’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, not because they want to find reasons to reject someone but for deeper understanding. “It tells so much more than a resume ever could,” said Jennifer Bodner, CEO of Babbit Bodner, a public relations firm
The summer travel season is almost here. This year, millions of Americans are expected to take some sort of getaway, with two-thirds of leisure travelers planning a trip in the coming months. With the average price per vacation expected to be $2,523, you may want to add one more item to your packing list: travel
When it comes to learning about money, parents have a big influence on their kids. In fact, 65% of U.S. adults learned about saving from their parents, a recent survey by CreditCards.com found. About 45% learned about spending from them, according to the survey, which polled 2,694 adults in the U.S. With Father’s Day just
Bill Hinton | Getty Images First, you receive a call about your student loans. The person on the other end offers to lower your monthly payments or make your debt disappear altogether, potentially for a fee. Sounds great, right? You go through the steps, sharing your federal student loan ID and other sensitive information along
In this May 6, 2012, photo, a woman enters a Wells Fargo bank in New York. Cx Matiash The Great Recession has officially been over for a decade. For many Americans, there’s little reason to celebrate. Many people’s finances haven’t recovered from the recession’s blows, according to a new survey by personal finance website Bankrate.com.
Getty Images American parents aren’t going all in on the allowance. While many financial experts tout the allowance as an important tool to teach kids about money, a recent survey commissioned by CreditCards.com found that only 40% of children under the age of 18 receive one. “Whether or not to pay an allowance is a
Alija | Getty Images If you’re a New Yorker who spends half the year in Miami, you’ll have to do more than that to be considered a Floridian. Moving to an income tax-free haven like Florida, Nevada or Texas is a tempting prospect for residents in high-tax states such as New York, New Jersey and
AleksandarNakic | E+ | Getty Images Your dream of exploring a foreign country doesn’t have to end when your paychecks do. More U.S. retirees are choosing to pack their bags and settle down internationally — and for some, that means stretching their retirement dollars. Leaving the U.S. can open the door to a more affordable