Personal finance

D3sign | Moment | Getty Images The recent tax season was relatively smooth compared with last year’s. But national taxpayer advocate Erin Collins still sees room for improvement as the IRS rolls out funding plan changes. “Overall, the difference between the 2022 filing season and the 2023 filing season was like night and day,” Collins

More than half of Tal Thompson’s 46 employees are teenagers. The owner of the Art Factory in Midlothian, Virginia, said this summer, more than ever, she’s been inundated with applications from high school and college students looking for work. The pay for jobs at the studio and coffee shop, which hosts art classes, summer camps,

Daniel Grill | Tetra Images | Getty Images The start of the year was plagued by waves of layoffs: through the end of May, companies announced plans to cut 417,500 jobs, up 315% from the same period last year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Big names like Disney, Google, Lyft and Meta were among

Erin M. Collins, National Taxpayer Advocate. Source: IRS After a flood of business returns with a pandemic-era tax credit, the IRS is weighing guidance for those who wrongly claimed the tax break. The employee retention credit was created to support small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. There’s still time to amend returns and claim the

Viktorcvetkovic | Istock | Getty Images Over the three-year-long pause on student loan payments, the U.S. Department of Education has repeatedly told borrowers their bills were set to resume, only to take it back and provide them more time. This time, however, the agency really means it. The Education Department posted on its website that

The Manhattan skyline is shrouded in a smoky haze from Canadian wildfires as seen from the East River waterfront in Brooklyn, New York, June 6, 2023. Ed Jones | Afp | Getty Images Eight of the warmest years in history have all come since 2015. With an El Niño weather pattern developing, it could be

brightstars | E+ | Getty Images Small businesses are facing an onslaught of ads, phone calls and emails to help them claim a pandemic-era tax credit. However, experts urge business owners to review eligibility with a qualified tax professional. The tax break — known as the employee retention credit, or ERC — was enacted in

Simon2579 | E+ | Getty Images Auto insurance premiums have been among the fastest-rising prices for consumers over the past year, according to federal data — a dynamic that might seem at odds with car prices, which are broadly trending lower. So, what’s going on? In short: Auto insurance prices generally track those in the

Westend61 | Getty As interest rates have climbed, homebuyers have been confronted with higher borrowing costs. That has led more home purchasers to opt for one strategy, purchasing mortgage points, as a way to defray higher monthly payments. Mortgage points let buyers pay an upfront fee to lower the interest rate on their loans. In

The United States Supreme Court Building Geoff Livingston | Moment | Getty Images The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan this month. That decision will play a role in shaping the financial futures of 40 million Americans. If the justices greenlight President Joe Biden’s relief,

swissmediavision | E+ | Getty Images For those who hit the road to travel this summer, there is good news: Gas prices are substantially lower than they were last year. “What a difference a year makes,” said Andrew Gross, a spokesperson for AAA, the motoring and leisure travel membership organization. As of Friday, the national

Kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images After the Federal Reserve’s interest rate pause on Wednesday, a fixed income expert covers what to know about bond allocations amid economic uncertainty.  “This is an attractive time to start looking at investment-grade credit,” which may provide “good income,” said Sonal Desai, executive vice president and chief investment officer

Ethan Miller | Getty Images News | Getty Images Mortgage rates are likely to remain high despite the Federal Reserve’s pause on interest rate hikes. While that may be good sign for fixed-income funds in California, the pause is a blow to affordable housing in the state, said Fiona Ma, California state treasurer, during the

Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images Saving enough money to comfortably retire later in life may seem like a daunting, out-of-reach goal. But some are challenging themselves to reach that goal even sooner than usual. The FIRE movement — which stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early — is built on the idea that handling

After more than a year of steady rate hikes, the Federal Reserve held its target federal funds rate steady Wednesday. For households, however, that offers little relief from record-high borrowing costs. “It’s not like rates will go down,” said Tomas Philipson, University of Chicago economist and a former chair of the White House Council of Economic

View Press | Corbis News | Getty Images Rent prices in the U.S. are now out of reach for many low-wage earners. A full-time worker in the U.S. needs to make $28.58 an hour, on average, to afford the rent on a modest two-bedroom apartment in their area. In California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York,

Couple talking to financial advisor at home Fg Trade | E+ | Getty Images After an interest rate pause from the Federal Reserve and predictions of future hikes, advisors are weighing bond allocation changes and portfolio opportunities. The central bank on Wednesday announced a break from raising interest rates, following rate increases during the last

Richard Newstead | Moment | Getty Images Housing is perhaps the most consequential category in the consumer price index, a key inflation barometer. As the largest expense for an average U.S. household, shelter accounts for more than a third of the CPI weighting, the most of any other consumer good or service. That gives housing

Djordje Krstic | Istock | Getty Images New government data shows the annual rate of inflation dipped to the lowest level in about two years as of May. But that may be bittersweet news for Social Security beneficiaries, as they may receive a much lower cost-of-living adjustment in 2024 than they did this year. The

Sam Edwards | Getty Images If you’re a freelancer, entrepreneur, or other worker who doesn’t have taxes withheld from your paycheck, a key deadline to make payments is approaching, according to the IRS. The due date for 2023 second-quarter estimated tax payments is June 15, which applies to income without withholdings, such as self-employment earnings,