Personal finance

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images It’s no secret that Social Security faces a long-term financing gap. If nothing is done by 2035, 83% of combined benefits will be payable if Congress does not act sooner to prevent that shortfall, according the latest projections from the program’s trustees. What’s more, new legislation, the Social

Boonchai Wedmakawand | Moment | Getty Images You may be leaving money on the table when it comes to certificates of deposit, some research suggests. CDs have a set term, ranging from a few months to five or more years. Upon maturity, banks return the depositor’s principal plus interest. Consumers who want their money early

Maskot | Getty Images More than 3.2 million people will see increased Social Security benefits, under a new law. However, individuals who are affected may have to wait more than a year before they see the extra money that’s due to them from the Social Security Fairness Act, the Social Security Administration said in an

The White House is pausing federal grants and loans, according to a memo sent out Monday night, but the freeze will not impact student loans or financial aid for college. The freeze, which could affect billions of dollars in aid, noted an exception for Social Security and Medicare. The pause “does not include assistance provided directly

Andreswd | E+ | Getty Images It’s official: Tax season is open for individual filers and the IRS has started to process 2024 tax returns. If you’re expecting a refund, there are key things to know, according to tax experts. “There are some very simple tips to get the fastest refund possible,” said Mark Steber,

Millennials have come a long way since their days of being called lazy or entitled. Despite reaching key milestones later than their parents once did, they are now wealthier than previous generations were at their age. “Younger families in the U.S. made remarkable gains,” according to an analysis of 2022 data by the St. Louis Federal

Jeffrey Hamilton | DigitalVision | Getty Images When it comes to money, couples face one question: should we keep our money separate, combine it or some combination of both? A December Bankrate survey finds 62% of couples who are in a committed relationship keep at least some money separate from each other. Of those couples,

Sporrer/Rupp | Image Source | Getty Images Millions of Social Security beneficiaries have now received their first benefit checks for 2025. The new 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment — which adds $50 per month to retirement benefits on average — marks the lowest increase since 2021, when inflation spiked shortly thereafter. With prices still high, many beneficiaries

Miniseries | E+ | Getty Images As President Donald Trump kicks off a second term, many older investors are focused on how shifting policy could affect their wallets. But some key changes for near-retirees were already enacted for 2025. These updates could have a big impact on your finances — and may easily be missed,

The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady at the end of its two-day meeting next week, despite President Donald Trump’s comments on Thursday that he’ll “demand that interest rates drop immediately.” So far, the central bank has moved slowly to recalibrate policy after hiking its key benchmark 5.25 percentage points between 2022 and 2023 in an

Jose Luis Pelaez | Getty Images For roughly the past five years, federal student loan borrowers who fell behind on their bills didn’t need to worry about the usual consequences, including the garnishment of their wages and retirement benefits. That will soon change. In a U.S. Department of Education memo obtained by CNBC, dated Jan.

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images Many young adults have financial stress, and experts say there’s a simple safety net that could help. About 61% of surveyed Americans of ages 18 to 35 are financially stressed, according to a new Intuit survey. About 21% of respondents say their stress has gotten worse over the past year.

D3sign | Moment | Getty Images There’s an important lesson for investors in Vanguard Group’s recent $106 million settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over its target-date funds: Being mindful of your investment account type can save you from a big tax bill in certain cases. Vanguard, the largest target-date fund manager, agreed to

Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images By now, you’ve probably seen the green badges splashed all over LinkedIn, advertising that person is #opentowork. Whether unemployed and actively seeking a new position, or quiet quitting in their current role, more people are choosing to make their job-seeking status known on the career site. Globally, more than

Eleganza | E+ | Getty Images It’s exciting to find a new place to rent in your neighborhood or in a new city. That is, of course, unless you get duped. In so-called rental listing scams, scammers will make up listings that aren’t available for rent or simply do not exist in order to fraudulently

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images When it comes to retirement savings, surveys often point to a big magic number you will need to have set aside to live well. Yet retirement experts say to focus on another number — your personal savings rate — to make sure you achieve your retirement savings goals. “Early

Greg Hinsdale | The Image Bank | Getty Images Inheriting an individual retirement account is a windfall for many investors. However, a lesser-known change for 2025 could trigger a costly surprise penalty, financial experts say. Starting in 2025, certain heirs with inherited IRAs must take yearly required withdrawals while emptying accounts over 10 years, known

The rich are getting richer. The combined wealth of the world’s most wealthy rose to $15 trillion from $13 trillion in just 12 months, according to Oxfam’s latest annual inequality report — notching the second largest annual increase in billionaire wealth since the global charity began tracking this data. Last year alone, roughly 204 new

Rockaa | E+ | Getty Images This season, the IRS expects more than 140 million individual tax returns — and most qualify for a lesser-known free tax filing option.  The program, IRS Free File, is a public-private partnership between the agency and the Free File Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of tax software companies. “Over the

On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump promised lower taxes, lower prices and a stronger economy in his second term. On Day One of his second term, Trump signed a flurry of executive orders — including a regulatory freeze pending an administration review and a directive to members of his administration to assess trade relationships