Personal finance

marekuliasz | iStock | Getty Images As conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues to send shock waves through the markets, many investors may be questioning what, if anything, they should do next. The most common advice is to stay the course. That can be difficult on days like Tuesday, when fresh losses prompted both the

Anchiy | E+ | Getty Images Lawmakers are considering a proposal to let 401(k) plans include annuities as a “default” investment option. Under a bill in the House, as much as 50% of a participant’s contribution could be put in an annuity, under certain circumstances. The idea, said supporters of the provision, is to help

The U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. Caroline Brehman | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education has directed the companies that service federal student loans not to send out notices about payments restarting in May, according to two people familiar with the matter. Servicers that would have sent out

Nine-year-old student Roberto Nieves Fernandez studies personal finance topics on his laptop using online resource center SmartPath. SMARTPATH Florida is poised to become the largest state to make a financial literacy course mandatory for high school graduation. The Florida Senate on Friday unanimously passed SB 1054 and sent it to the state House of Representatives,

Richiesd | E+ | Getty Images If you want to change careers, you are not alone. It turns out the “Great Resignation,” also known as the “Great Reshuffle,” has many Americans rethinking the type of work they are doing. Some 53% of employed U.S. adults who quit their job in 2021 changed their occupation or

Getty Images Interest rates are almost undoubtedly going up this month, for the first time in three years. The Federal Reserve is expected to raise its benchmark interest rate by 0.25% next week to curb inflation, which is running at a 40-year high. Additional hikes are likely later this year. American households will feel that

With gasoline prices at a 14-year high, it’s hard to imagine paying even more at the pump. Yet prices are only heading higher. On Sunday, the national average for a gallon of gas hit $4.009, the highest since July 2008, according to data from AAA.  An increase in demand along with a reduction in supply

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | DigitalVision | Getty Images If you have a flexible savings account for health-care expenses, it’s probably worth checking whether any of that money is on the verge of disappearing. An estimated $1 billion in those accounts could be forfeited in 2022, according to an estimate from FSAstore.com. Some forfeitures could

kali9 | E+ | Getty Images You may want to consider some financial issues before walking down the aisle again. When it comes to tackling those financial issues around remarriage, financial advisors recommend couples look at the past — for example, how each person handled finances, and their pre-marital liabilities and assets — the present

LinkedIn employees are treated to “surprise and delight” moments through the tech company’s LiftUp program. LinkedIn 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.

Bloom Productions A retirement-savings option that can be smart at the outset of your career probably needs to be reexamined down the road. Target-date funds, as they’re called, offer a way to put your savings on autopilot: Holdings gradually shift away from riskier assets like stocks and toward more conservative investments (bonds and, perhaps, cash)

The Internal Revenue Service headquarters building in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images The IRS on Friday unveiled a new Taxpayer Experience Office as part of a long-term plan to improve customer service issues. The office will focus on “all aspects of taxpayer transactions,” working closely with the Taxpayer Advocate

A ‘help wanted’ sign is posted in front of restaurant on Feb. 4, 2022 in Los Angeles. Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images The big raises that many Americans got over the past year are starting to get smaller. Workers in the private sector saw average wages grow by 5.1% in the past

Getty Images Federal student loan payments are currently set to resume in May after a pause that’s been extended for more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, borrowers might not be ready to restart payments and could therefore fall behind on their loans, according to a recent blog post from the Federal

Thomas M. Barwick | Getty Images Social Security benefits make up about 30% of elderly Americans’ incomes, according to the Social Security Administration. For some beneficiaries, it can be 90% or more. Yet many people do not think of those earned benefits, and the monthly checks that come with them, as a personal financial asset,

Jbyard | Istock | Getty Images President Joe Biden made no mention of student loan forgiveness at his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Yet a spokesman for the administration says cancellation remains on the table. White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said a decision on whether to forgive student debt through executive

Cabania | iStock | Getty Images Plus Despite ongoing challenges, the IRS has sent nearly 30 million tax refunds, worth about $103.2 billion, the agency reported Friday. While 29% of Americans worry about a smaller refund, according to a Bankrate survey, the average is currently $3,473 through Feb. 25, which is $658 larger than last

The four-day workweek is gaining traction. It also has a lot of fans. A whopping 92% of U.S. workers are in favor of the shortened workweek, a survey from cloud-software vendor Qualtrics found. The findings come on the heels of an announcement by Belgium’s federal government that it will allow workers in the country’s public

Morsa Images | DigitalVision | Getty Images Today’s teens are thinking differently about their future employment, and many have decided they don’t want to work for anyone else. About 60% of teenagers are more interested in someday starting their own business instead of working a traditional job, according to a March 1 survey from Junior

Whyframestudio | Istock | Getty Images Anyone who has felt burdened by medical debt may be familiar with that initial bout of panic when a big bill arrives. What may be worse, though, is what can happen to your long-term financial picture if you disregard it. Generally speaking, that debt can end up haunting you.