Personal finance

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters in Washington on Feb. 23, 2022. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images Charles Schwab agreed to pay $187 million to settle an SEC investigation into alleged hidden fees charged by the firm’s robo-advisor, Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, according to an agency announcement on Monday. “Robo-advisor” is shorthand for a digital

A man shops for meat at a Safeway grocery store in Annapolis, Maryland, on May 16, 2022, as Americans brace for summer sticker shock as inflation continues to grow. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images The highest inflation in roughly 40 years is prompting people to shift their shopping habits, especially at the grocery

Prathanchorruangsak | Istock | Getty Images Maxing out your 401(k) isn’t easy, but if you reach the limit with money to spare, there may be a way to save more.  In 2022, employees can defer $20,500 plus $6,500 for investors 50 and older. However, after-tax contributions may bypass those caps up to $61,000, including company

Prasit photo | Moment | Getty Images If you are ready to jump into the market, there are a few things experts want you to know. Investing is a great way to grow wealth, but you have to be smart about it, said certified financial planner Cathy Curtis, founder and CEO of Curtis Financial Planning

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images Many workers are finding themselves in an office less often than before the pandemic, and some haven’t gone back at all. So what to do with all those office clothes hanging in your closet? Here are some ideas. Get cash for your clothes You can sell your work clothing

Jamie Linton landed a job in marketing before she graduated from University of Tampa in May. Jamie Linton Jamie Linton just graduated into a job market that hasn’t been seen in generations. Despite rumblings about a possible recession down the road, job openings are still near all-time highs. Millions of workers have walked away from

People rally during a demonstration in support of Covid-19 relief, organized by Shutdown DC, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25, 2021. Al Drago | Getty Images When the U.S. began to shut down the wake of the onset of Covid-19, it meant millions of families were suddenly without the income they

Fuel prices at a Shell station in Menlo Park, California, US, on Thursday, June 9, 2022. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Americans are still grappling with the worst inflation in roughly 40 years, and many are changing their spending habits to keep up. In May, prices were 8.6% higher than they were

Catherine Mcqueen | Moment | Getty Images Inflation is eroding the value of consumers’ savings at the fastest pace in four decades. The Consumer Price Index, which gauges how quickly costs are rising for a basket of goods and services, jumped 8.6% in May from a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday.

In the face of rising inflation, higher interest rates and slowing economic growth, there’s more competition than ever for consumers’ dollars — and even how their purchases are made. During the pandemic, most shoppers showed a preference for buy now, pay later when it came to payment and still do: Installment buying has exploded in popularity along with a

Kieferpix | iStock | Getty Images For retirees who want to put their charitable dollars to work right away but worry about giving away a large sum all at once, there’s a relatively easy strategy that may be a good fit. It’s called a charitable gift annuity. It’s basically is a contract with a nonprofit

Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images Saving in a 401(k) plan may be tough for workers who switch jobs frequently — a dynamic that’s come into greater focus amid the Great Resignation. In 2021, 14% of people saving in a 401(k) plan left their employer, according to a new report from Vanguard Group, which is

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., at the 10th Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season in Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 25, 2020. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced a new bill on Thursday that aims to extend Social

Governor of Michigan Gretchen Whitmer poses at an event where General Motors announced an investment of more than $7 billion in four Michigan manufacturing sites on January 25, 2022 in Lansing, Michigan. Jeff Kowalsky | AFP | Getty Images High school students in Michigan will soon be guaranteed a personal finance course before they graduate.

Allison Shelley | Getty Images News | Getty Images The clock is ticking when it comes to how long Congress has to act to repair Social Security’s trust funds. New projections from the program’s trustees show the combined trust funds will be depleted in 2035, at which point 80% of benefits will be payable. That’s

valentinrussanov When the stock market dips, a strategy known as tax-loss harvesting can be a silver lining. But it doesn’t make sense for all portfolios, financial experts say.   Here’s how tax-loss harvesting works: You can sell declining assets from your brokerage account and use the losses to offset other profits. Once losses exceed gains, you

Charnchai | Istock | Getty Images If you’re heading to a new job and still owe money on a 401(k) plan loan from your former employer’s retirement savings plan, be sure you know what will happen to that outstanding balance. While you may be permitted to continue paying off the loan in installments, most companies

Demonstrators participate in a protest asking U.S. senators to support the continuation of unemployment benefits on July 16, 2020 in Miami Springs, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images The nation’s unemployment system suffered multiple failures during the Covid-19 pandemic, including delayed payments, elevated fraud and “substantial” disparities in receipt of benefits along racial and ethnic

Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images If you’re still recovering from the tax sting of larger-than-expected mutual fund payouts in 2021, it’s never too early to prepare for future distributions, financial experts say. Mid-year capital gains distributions aren’t common, especially in a bear market year, said Russel Kinnel, director of manager research for

Westend61 / Josep Rovirosa | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries saw the biggest cost-of-living adjustment in about 40 years in 2022, when they received a 5.9% boost to their monthly checks. Next year, that annual adjustment may even go as high as 8%, according to early estimates. That is despite the fact the annual Social