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
Personal finance
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
Kate Quick, 43, said that her student loan debt causes stress and anxiety for her and her family. Courtesy: Kate Quick When Kate Quick, 43, finished her master of fine arts degree at the University of Alaska Fairbanks 22 years ago, she had taken out about $30,000 in loans. Now, she owes nearly $48,000, even
Anna Mascall pictured in front of the Easton, Pa., home she recently purchased. “To be able to say I own a home, I kind of did the American dream,” she said. Courtesy: Anna Lee Mascall After years of renting, Anna Mascall, 30, decided she wanted to buy her own home. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit,
US President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting with private sector CEOs in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 26, 2022. Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images The Biden administration has said that student loan payments will finally restart in May. Many people aren’t taking that message
urbazon | E+ | Getty Images An inflation gauge closely watched by the Federal Reserve has reached a record high. The core Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index climbed 4.9% from a year ago in December. The index measures the prices people pay in the U.S. for goods and services, excluding food and energy, which tend
Getty Images Nearly one-third of undergraduates borrow money from the federal government to pay for college. That’s about 43 million Americans who owe a staggering total of nearly $1.6 trillion in outstanding student loans. A new survey found that 54% of federal student loan borrowers said taking on that debt was not worth it. Overall,
Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images The pandemic has upended millions of American lives, and for many has made them reconsider priorities around work. That’s prompted many to quit jobs amid the so-called Great Resignation. In November, a record 4.5 million workers left their jobs, according to data from the Labor Department. There are also
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell Jan. 25, 2022. TIMOTHY A. CLARY | AFP | Getty Images The specter of rising interest rates is spooking the stock market. The Federal Reserve, the U.S. central bank, is expected to increase its benchmark rate several times this year
This image provided by Jeopardy Productions, Inc. shows game show champion Amy Schneider on the set of “Jeopardy!” Schneider is the first trans person to qualify for the show’s Tournament of Champions. Jeopardy Productions via AP Amy Schneider is out of “Jeopardy!.” She made history on the show nonetheless. Schneider, an Oakland, California-based software engineering
The Federal Reserve laid the groundwork for interest rate hikes Wednesday. At the conclusion of its two-day meeting, the central bank said it will aggressively unwind last year’s bond buying after a variety of inflation reports reached their highest levels in decades. Although interest rates will stay near zero for now, Fed officials set the stage
Marko Geber | DigitalVision | Getty Images The IRS has issued all third-round stimulus payments to eligible Americans, the agency said Wednesday. However, new parents and other recipients who added dependents in 2021 may still qualify for additional money. The payments, up to $1,400 a person, were authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act, a