Personal finance

Steven Heap / EyeEm | EyeEm | Getty Images It has been 39 years since Congress has taken action to change Social Security. Some House Democrats are hoping to change that with a bill to improve benefits that has been revamped and reintroduced in Congress. On Tuesday, a House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee

Getty Images A simple click or swipe on your laptop, tablet or smartphone to purchase a gift, buy sports and concert tickets, or book a trip may seem like the easiest way to shop this holiday season. Yet it’s important to protect your credit and your identity in the process.  Americans plan to spend just

Betsie Van Der Meer | Getty Images Struggling to find last-minute holiday gifts that won’t be delayed by supply chain issues? One simple way to help children or relatives start investing is to gift them stocks or other financial assets. “If you’re looking at it as a Christmas gift or a holiday gift for a

Petra Richli | iStock | Getty Images It’s a good time to make sure your house is ready for Old Man Winter to show up. Whether snow, ice, freezing or flooding, winter weather can cause a host of headaches for homeowners. And if you’re in a new house that you’re still getting to know, it’s

Maskot | Maskot | Getty Images For parents who have a child with special needs, planning for their loved one’s life after they themselves are gone can be overwhelming. Breaking the process down into manageable parts and working with specialized professionals and companies can help. “The three main structures a family should put in place

CandyRetriever | iStock | Getty Images Tens of millions of Americans should soon have access to free at-home Covid tests. The White House made the announcement amid fears of a new variant of the coronavirus. Cases of the variant, called omicron, have already popped up in California, Minnesota, Colorado and New York. Other countries have

Scarlet Poulet (right), pictured with wife Nadine Kujawa, before Poulet was diagnosed with cancer in 2019. Courtesy: Scarlet Poulet Medicare’s rules for signing up have put 68-year-old Scarlet Poulet in an unenviable situation. The New Orleans resident, who is recovering from cancer, has been enrolled in Medicare Part A (hospital coverage) since 2018 when she

Did your “Great Resignation” lead you to start a business or become your own boss this year? You may be able to write off the cost of your home office come tax time. “Knowing that you’re not a 9-to-5 [worker] anymore, you can now take advantage of the home-office deduction,” said Sheneya Wilson, CPA and

Xavier Lorenzo | Moment | Getty Images Some states are making it easier for Americans to collect unemployment benefits if they’re fired for being unvaccinated against Covid-19. The governors of Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Tennessee signed laws in recent weeks that change eligibility rules for jobless benefits. Workers in these states who lose a job

10’000 Hours | DigitalVision | Getty Images Americans opened their hearts and wallets for another record-breaking Giving Tuesday. It’s estimated that 35 million U.S. adults participated in 2021, with total gifts of $2.7 billion, a 9% increase from 2020. While most aren’t shelling out for tax purposes, they may not know there’s a special write-off

FatCamera | E+ | Getty Images Almost half of U.S. families with young children have faced a high risk of falling into poverty in the first six years of their children’s lives, according to new academic research. What put those families at risk? Insecure or precarious parental work, according to a study from experts at

Joe Raedle | Getty Images The number of long-term unemployed fell by 136,000 in November, continuing a downward trend since early 2021 as the economy and labor market have rebounded. However, the decrease was the smallest since April, when long-term unemployment fell by 35,000 people. Long-term unemployment is a period of joblessness that lasts more

Getty Images This January not only marks the start of a new year. It is also the two-year anniversary of the first identified case of Covid-19 in the U.S. At the time, the pandemic caught most people by surprise. Now, many of our lives do not look the same as they did before Covid-19. People

sturti | E+ | Getty Images As millions of Americans quit their jobs in favor of taking time off, finding a new job or even starting their own business, financial experts have a warning: Don’t lose track of valuable employer-sponsored retirement plans. Neglecting such a plan, which can hold thousands of dollars after just a

courtneyk | E+ | Getty Images With soaring home values, many sellers expect a sizable profit when listing their property. However, capital gains taxes may put a damper on their windfall.  Home sales profits are considered capital gains, taxed at federal rates of 0%, 15% or 20% in 2021, depending on income. The IRS offers

Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Alex Edelman/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is cracking down on banks charging fees for customers who overdraw their checking accounts, the bureau announced Wednesday. The financial watchdog is planning a “range of regulatory interventions” targeting firms that rely heavily on overdraft fees

Christine Schneider | Cultura | Getty Images A proposal for federal paid family leave is at risk of ending up on the chopping block as Washington lawmakers work to finalize new social spending legislation. Cutting the plan out of the Build Back Better package could cripple Democrats’ chances in key Senate races next year, advocates

SolStock | E+ | Getty Images Looking for a meaningful holiday gift? Consider putting money toward a child’s future education costs. Nearly half of parents (45%) may ask family and friends this year to contribute to a 529 college savings plan for their kids, according to a survey from the College Savings Foundation. That compares

Shoppers carry purchases from a Best Buy store on Black Friday in San Carlos, California, U.S., on Friday, Nov. 26, 2021. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Before you grab that great deal through a store’s special financing offer, make sure you know what you are signing up for. About half of retailers offer credit

Vladimir Vladimirov | E+ | Getty Images After a weekend of holiday shopping, Americans will be shelling out for charity on Giving Tuesday, which produced $2.47 billion from U.S. donors in 2020. But many don’t realize there’s a tax break for cash gifts in 2021, even if they don’t itemize deductions on their federal return.