Personal finance

If you are a W-2 employee and get paid biweekly, there are two months out of the year when you will receive three paychecks instead of the usual two. August may be one of those months. This is a great opportunity to give your financial standing a boost, experts say. “Receiving three paychecks in August

Even as home prices hit new highs, experts say there are signs that the housing market is becoming better for buyers in some locations. The median cost of an existing, single-family home in the U.S. was $426,900 in June, a new all-time high, according to the National Association of Realtors. About 3.89 million homes were

A development towers over the Lyric Theater in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood. Greg Iacurci MIAMI — Nicole Crooks stood in the plaza of the historic Lyric Theater, a royal blue hat shielding her from the midday sun that baked Miami. In its heyday, the theater, in the city’s Overtown neighborhood, was an important cultural hub for

We Are | Digitalvision | Getty Images Federal student loan payments are on pause for millions of borrowers while the Biden administration defends its new relief program in court. Here’s what to know. Who doesn’t have to make payments? The U.S. Department of Education is placing federal student loan borrowers enrolled in the Biden administration’s

US Vice President and Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris delivers keynote speech at Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.’s Grand Boulé event at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, on July 24, 2024.  Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images Financial experts describe Vice President Kamala Harris‘ investment style in one word: Boring. For a

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks during a campaign event at West Allis Central High School in West Allis, Wisconsin, on July 23, 2024. Kevin Mohatt | Reuters “Building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency,” Vice President Kamala Harris said at a political event in West Allis, Wisconsin, on Tuesday

Simpleimages | Moment | Getty Images With interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve on the horizon, it could be a good time to shift cash, experts say.   Traders expect a rate cut in September, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, which could lower the target range for the federal funds rate by a quarter percentage

The Charging Bull in the Financial District in New York City. Mairo Cinquetti | Nurphoto | Getty Images After weeks of hitting new highs, the S&P 500 index on Wednesday suffered its worst trading session since 2022. The market broadly began to recover Thursday amid a sell-off in technology stocks. Experts say those stock moves

Man sits on a sofa in his living room and uses a credit card to pay online. Stefanikolic | E+ | Getty Images When a product you ordered online arrives and it’s not up to par, you might contact the merchant to address the problem. However, what happens if you skip that step and just

Institut auf dem Rosenberg, a private boarding school in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Courtesy: Institut auf dem Rosenberg With a sticker price of more than $160,000 a year, Institut auf dem Rosenberg in St. Gallen, Switzerland, may be one of the most expensive boarding schools in the world. So, it’s only fitting that students learn about

Nitat Termmee | Moment | Getty Images Workers are souring on the state of the job market. Job seeker confidence in Q2 2024 fell to its lowest level in more than two years, according to a quarterly survey by ZipRecruiter, which has tracked the metric since Q1 2022. That decline suggests workers are more pessimistic

Hinterhaus Productions | Stone | Getty Images Many workers will see their annual raise shrink next year as the job market continues to cool from its torrid pace in the pandemic era. The typical worker will get a 4.1% pay raise for 2025, down from 4.5% this year, according to a new poll by WTW,

Two renters pose in front of their new home that they’re renting from Roots, a program that helps renters invest in real estate. Courtesy: Katie Curran When Will Hunnicutt was searching for an apartment in Atlanta earlier this year, pricey leases and application rejections left him feeling defeated. “The three-and-a-half times income-to-rent ratio is kind

Martin-dm | E+ | Getty Images The IRS has finalized rules on required withdrawals for certain inherited individual retirement accounts and other plans. But heirs could owe more taxes later by only taking minimums now, experts say. In final regulations last week, the agency confirmed most non-spouse beneficiaries have 10 years after the original owner’s

By most measures, the U.S. economy is doing well. And yet, many people would argue otherwise. Roughly 3 in 5 Americans believe that the U.S. is currently in a recession, according to a new survey of 2,000 adults by Affirm. Of those respondents, most said a recession started roughly 15 months ago, in March of

KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN – JULY 17: US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a moderated conversation with former Trump administration national security official Olivia Troye and former Republican voter Amanda Stratton on July 17, 2024 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Harris’ visit, following the attempted assassination of former President Trump, makes this her fourth trip to Michigan this

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at Westover High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on July 18, 2024. Allison Joyce | Afp | Getty Images With President Joe Biden officially out of the election, experts are watching for tax policy from Vice President Kamala Harris, the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination.

Fg Trade | E+ | Getty Images Gen Xers are starting to reach age milestones that give them penalty-free access to certain retirement funds. The eldest members of that generation will be turning 59 this year. And once they reach a certain milestone — age 59½ — they can withdraw money from their individual retirement

Taylor Swift performs at Friends Arena on May 17, 2024 in Stockholm, Sweden. Michael Campanella/tas24 | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Pop singer-songwriter and cultural phenomenon, Taylor Swift, is one of the most in-demand acts today, with the iconic Eras Tour the first to cross the $1 billion threshold. There are so many impactful

Taylor Swift performs during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at the National Stadium on March 02, 2024 in Singapore.  Ashok Kumar | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images In good times and in bad, pop music reflects the world around us. Although now that times are seemingly good — data shows the economy is