Personal finance

Muhammad Yungai’s ‘We Shall Always March Ahead’ mural is displayed on the side of Privado Grooming Barbershop in Atlanta’s Vine City neighborhood. Raymond Boyd | Michael Ochs Archives | Getty Images Legendary civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., grew up and preached in the Old Fourth Ward of Atlanta. Soon, that neighborhood will

Steve Debenport | E+ | Getty Images People who got raises last year might not see their paychecks stretch much farther. That’s because those increases in pay are up against the worst inflation in 40 years. Employers struggling to retain talent amid the so-called Great Resignation anticipated giving out larger pay increases and bonuses in

PeopleImages | E+ | Getty Images Millions of Americans are quitting their jobs and rethinking what they want when it comes to work and work-life balance. Companies are responding, meeting their employees’ needs in areas like remote work, flexible hours, four-day workweeks, compensation and more. This story is part of a series looking at the

JGI/Jamie Grill If you save for retirement through a 401(k) plan, you may have noticed changes to it over the years — for example, automatic increases in your contributions and “catch-up” amounts for the over-50 crowd. A couple more tweaks, which were included in a 2019 retirement bill called the Secure Act, could also become

Pekic | E+ | Getty Images The $1.7 trillion outstanding federal student loan market tends to get most of the headlines, but another type of education debt has also been on the rise: private student loans. Many college students have likely heard about the financing option. “Private lenders advertise all over, including on TV, radio

A job seeker receives information from a recruiter during a job fair in Miami on Dec. 16, 2021. Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images Long-term unemployment fell significantly in January, continuing a downward trajectory from its pandemic-era peak after having plateaued in recent months. The number of Americans out of work for at least six

courtneyk | E+ | Getty Images The IRS has warned about “challenges” this tax season, and a slew of automated notices are already causing distress for filers. Some taxpayers who sent last year’s return and paid their balance have received a CP80 notice saying they may lose their credit for payment if they don’t file

Chile requires visitors furnish proof of insurance coverage for Covid-19 and related conditions. Pictured, capital city Santiago. Oleh_Slobodeniuk | E+ | Getty Images Are you planning a trip abroad? You may need to buy travel insurance to visit your destination country. Many countries had insurance requirements even before the pandemic. But about a dozen more

Getty Images The roughly 50 million American consumers who either don’t have credit history or have a limited record are in luck.   In recent years, many financial services companies have come out with programs to establish and build credit for those who have struggled to access the traditional banking system. There are even ways

damircudic | E+ | Getty Images The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a decline in U.S pregnancies and prompted a number of women to opt out of the workforce. Now, a bipartisan proposal in Congress aims to alleviate the hurdles pregnant women face so that they can stay in their jobs. On Wednesday, Sens. Bob

Even cupid is coming out of quarantine. Valentine’s Day spending is expected to reach $23.9 billion in 2022, the second-highest year on record, according to the National Retail Federation. On average, Americans will spend $175.41 on candy, cards, flowers and other romantic gifts, up from $164.76 in 2021. Those in a relationship will shell out

Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images This tax season, millions of American families who received advance child tax credit payments are calculating what they got in order to submit their 2021 returns. Some may be worried that they were sent more money than they were owed in the monthly payments from July to

designer491 | iStock | Getty Images By the looks of it, state-run retirement programs for private-sector employees are generally working as intended. Those with no access to a 401(k) plan or similar workplace option have collectively saved more than $400 million in individual retirement accounts through such programs. To date, there are three states that

Kwangmoozaa | iStock | Getty Images Student loan payments have been on pause for nearly two years. Come May, they’re scheduled to resume. Many of the tens of millions of borrowers will find themselves in a different financial situation then they were in March 2020, and a different payment plan may make more sense for

pixelfit | E+ | Getty Images Women earned just 84% of what men made in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. And that difference — dubbed the gender wage gap — has stayed consistent for about 15 years. The discrepancy is often attributed to education, occupation and experience. However, research from economists at the

bymuratdeniz | iStock | Getty Images Starting in December, the IRS began sending families who received the child tax credit letters to reconcile the benefit on their 2021 tax returns. For some, those forms, called a Letter 6419, contained incorrect information. That could be an issue for families when they file their 2021 taxes. That’s

A woman shovels her car out of the snow during a major snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022 in Stony Brook, New York. Andrew Theodorakis | Getty Images After a few months of winter and two major snowstorms pounding much of the eastern U.S. in January, many Americans may be realizing they’re in for elevated heating

Jamie Grill | Getty Images In a competitive job market, equity compensation such as stock options — the chance to buy stock in the company that employs you at a specific price — can be an incentive to sign on and stick around. It can also be nerve-wracking when these assets underperform.  “Part of the

More than 45 million Americans collectively owe over $1.7 trillion in student debt.  Economists say this mounting total worsens generational inequality, slows economic growth and exacerbates racial disparities. On a micro-economic level, borrowers also face serious consequences in their day-to-day lives.  According to CNBC + Acorn’s recently released Invest in You Student Loan Survey conducted

U.S. President Joe Biden returns to the White House on Jan. 24th, 2022. Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images More than a year into his first term, Loren Ewing is disappointed that President Joe Biden hasn’t moved to forgive student debt. She remembers his vow on the campaign trail to deliver “immediate