Personal finance

People walk by a sign for Freddie Mac headquarters on July 14, 2008 in McLean, Virginia. AFP Photo/Paul J. Richards (Photo credit should read PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images) Paul J. Richards | Afp | Getty Images Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the two giant mortgage finance firms controlled by the federal government

Elon Musk speaks next to President Donald Trump, not pictured, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 11, 2025. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Staffers from Elon Musk‘s secretive government slashing effort, DOGE, have pushed the highest-ranking officials at the Department of Education — even those recently appointed by President Donald

In many ways, workers are still reeling from the pandemic. After a tumultuous few years, worrying about what will come next is causing more employees to suffer from so-called layoff anxiety. According to Clarify Capital’s 2025 survey of 1,000 Americans, 1 in 3 adults have layoff anxiety. It’s especially impacting younger workers: among Generation Z,

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Sen. Elizabeth Warren is urging the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to reevaluate the decision to rescind more than 200 job offers to bank examiners in the wake of President Donald Trump‘s federal hiring freeze. The FDIC is already severely understaffed, which “threatens

Coroimage | Moment | Getty Images If you worked remotely in 2024, you may be eyeing the home office deduction. However, qualifying for the tax break may be harder than you expect, experts say.  Only 7% of companies allowed fully remote work in 2024, down from 21% in 2023, according to a ZipRecruiter survey that

Richard Stephen | Istock | Getty Images The advisory group known as the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has moved quickly to curb government spending at federal agencies including the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. At a rally Monday outside the Social Security Administration’s Maryland

© Marco Bottigelli | Moment | Getty Images When saving for retirement, more time in the market can be beneficial depending on your goals and risk tolerance. Generally, the longer your investing timeline, the greater the opportunity to save and the bigger risk you can afford to take. But your investing timeline can be shortened

Sign on an empty supermarket shelf in Queens, New York. Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Wholesale egg prices have eclipsed record levels as the U.S. scrambles to contain a bird-flu outbreak — and consumers may soon see more sticker shock at their local grocer as a result, according to analysts. On Friday, average

US President Donald Trump speaks during the National Prayer Breakfast at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 6, 2025.  Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images As House Republicans look for ways to slash spending to fund President Donald Trump’s tax cuts, they’ve floated proposals that could raise federal student loan bills for

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) speaks to a crowd gathered in front of the U.S. Treasury Department in protest of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency on Feb. 4, 2025 in Washington, DC. Anna Rose Layden | Getty Images U.S. senators expressed concern on Friday that Elon Musk’s cost-cutting effort, the Department of

Maskot | Maskot | Getty Images Renters should reap the benefits of a lower-cost rental market while they can. It might not last, experts say.  As of December, the median asking rent price in the U.S. was $1,695, down 0.5% — or $8 — from November, according to a report by Realtor.com. The latest rent price

Chappell Roan at the 67th GRAMMY Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 2, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Christopher Polk | Billboard | Getty Images With a Grammy win for best new artist, Chappell Roan is at a career high. A few years ago, she was one of the millions of Americans without

President Donald Trump takes questions during a press conference with unseen Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump on Thursday met with Republican lawmakers to outline his tax agenda, including plans to

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images College advocates breathed a sigh of relief when the U.S. Department of Education said the Trump Administration’s “federal funding freeze“ would not affect federal Pell Grants and student loans.  Nearly 75% of all undergraduates receive some type of financial aid, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. About 40%

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images Tax season has kicked off, and the IRS has issued roughly 3.2 million refunds this year as of Jan. 31, the agency reported.  This represents current-year returns filed. The average refund was $1,928 over the first four days of the filing season. However, the IRS expects more than 140

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies before a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., Jan. 29, 2025.  Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters Americans’ credit card balances soared to a record $1.17 trillion in 2024 — and even the wealthy are

Oleh_slobodeniuk | E+ | Getty Images With tariffs ramping up, the prices on some everyday items will rise as well. That is weighing heavily on American consumers.  A recent consumer survey found that 86% of Americans expect price hikes from higher tariffs; and many already have a strategy to cushion the blow. Faced with higher

A truck drives past shipping containers at the Port of Philadelphia, Nov. 6, 2024. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images As President Donald Trump begins imposing tariffs on imported goods, some experts question his revenue expectations — including the possibility of replacing the federal income tax.  During his presidential campaign, Trump floated an “all tariff

D-keine | E+ | Getty Images Many taxpayers qualify for credits worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars — even if you don’t have a federal filing requirement.   Generally, you must file a tax return with earnings over a certain threshold, depending on filing status. However, submitting your return can be beneficial, even when it’s not

Shipping containers are seen at the Port of Montreal in Montreal, Canada, on Feb. 3, 2025.  Andrej Ivanov | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump imposed broad tariffs on China on Tuesday, while tariff threats hang over other major trading partners like Canada, the European Union and Mexico. That may lead some to wonder: