Guido Mieth | Stone | Getty Images The thought of creating a budget may make you stressed. Add a spouse or partner and possibly children into the mix and you may want to go running for the hills. Yet it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, budgeting could help eliminate some anxiety in
Personal finance
Photo by Mike Kline (notkalvin) | Moment | Getty Images A package of social reforms Democrats are hashing out on Capitol Hill would pump federal money into the U.S. childcare system, with the aim of improving pay for workers and making care more accessible and affordable for all Americans. While the program is poised to
Getty Images Taxes are often a concern for employees with stock options, which is the right to buy company stock at a specific price for a set period. However, if someone earned less in 2021 or expects to make more in 2022, they may consider ways to accelerate stock-based income before year-end. For example, someone
College enrollment was supposed to bounce back this fall. Instead, more students opted out. Nationwide, fewer students went back to school again this year, dragging undergraduate enrollment down another 3.2% from last year, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center that’s based on early data from colleges. There were roughly 17.5
d3sign | Moment | Getty Images Democrats on Capitol Hill are reducing the total price tag for their social spending plan as they work to get it across the finish line in the coming days. One casualty is the duration of paid family leave. President Joe Biden had proposed federal 12-week paid family and medical
U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., questions IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig at a June 8, 2021 Senate Finance Committee hearing. Tom Williams | Pool | Reuters As Democrats inch closer to finalizing their social spending package, Senate Democrats are eyeing a tax on billionaires amid pushback on income and corporate levy hikes.
Getty Images The idea of making a budget may make your eyes glaze over. Yet it is fundamental to achieving financial wellness. “It’s really hard to make any plan or progress if you don’t know where your money is going,” said Chris Browning, creator and host of the podcast Popcorn Finance. In his short-form podcast,
The pause on federal student loan repayments ends in January. And, on Feb. 1, interest will start to accrue again. Those monthly repayments may come as a shock for many Americans, including older borrowers. While more than one-third of student loan borrowers are in their 20s and 30s, about 7% of those with student debt
The value of Bitcoin (BTC) has exceeded the threshold of 66,895 dollars for the first time in his history. Chesnot | Getty Images This week marked a milestone for cryptocurrency as investors started trading the first U.S. bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund, exceeding other ETF launches, and another followed Friday. These funds invest in bitcoin futures
In this article BAC andresr/Getty Images Even as prices for homes soar, the American Dream of owning a home is still alive and well. Yet that can be a high hurdle for first-time home buyers to reach. New data from the National Association of Realtors shows sales of previously owned homes rose by 7% in
In this article TREE Why pay now when you can pay later? Whether it’s holiday gifts or groceries, it’s easier than ever to postpone payments on purchases. “Buy now, pay later,” or BNPL, lets shoppers break their purchases into equal installment payments, often interest-free, which can make even the biggest-ticket items seem affordable and the
Dorie Clark, author of “The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World.” We spend our days replying to emails, going to meetings, checking off to-do lists and, as our careers zip by, sometimes we wonder if we picked the right profession, or if our lives wouldn’t have been better spent
As employers reimagine the workplace post-Covid, a four-day work week may become a new perk. Last month, technology company Bolt became one of the latest companies to jump on board. Earlier this year, New York-based crowdfunding platform Kickstarter announced it would pilot a four-day workweek. There’s a campaign now underway from 4 Day Week Global
XiFotos | E+ | Getty Images After the Social Security Administration announced a record-high cost-of-living adjustment for 2022, many beneficiaries are asking, “How much bigger will my monthly checks be?” People who receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, benefits will get a 5.9% boost to their payments next year. That is that
Most Americans see college as excessively expensive, but it wasn’t always that way. Over the last decade, the cost of attending a four-year public college or university has grown significantly faster than income. Deep cuts in state funding for higher education contributed to substantial tuition increases and pushed more of the costs of college onto students, according
Getty Images The enhanced child tax credit has sent monthly checks to millions of American families since July. Now, it’s one of the programs on the chopping block as Democrats slim down President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. Lawmakers are proposing to extend the benefit for only one year. Previously, the Biden Administration proposed
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks outside of the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 20, 2021. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images As Democrats wrestle over their spending package, key lawmakers are still fighting to change the $10,000 cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes. The measure, known as SALT, is a
Pedestrians carry Nike shopping bags in San Francisco on Sept. 16, 2021. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Nearly 1 in 3 Americans expect to take on debt this holiday shopping season, a survey from Credit Karma found. The Covid-19 pandemic took a toll on many people’s finances, leaving them financially unprepared for
RainStar | E+ | Getty Images For anyone nearing age 65 who gets health insurance through the public marketplace, it’s almost time to make the move to Medicare. Generally speaking, you must sign up when you reach that age unless you have qualifying coverage elsewhere. And health plans through the exchanges, whether federal or state,
Bitcoin on display. Chesnot | Getty Images Investors who are bullish on cryptocurrencies are betting more on the digital assets than stocks. In September, crypto investors put an average of $263 into accounts dedicated to coins, more than the average $250 they put in traditional brokerages during the month, according to a recent survey from