Personal finance

Getty Images Consumers may feel their medical bills are unyielding, inflexible, set in stone. But that’s not always true: A new study shows patients can often reap financial benefits by disputing charges that seem erroneous or by negotiating for financial relief. Of consumers who don’t reach out to question a medical bill, 86% said it’s

Nitat Termmee | Moment | Getty Images There are few certainties when it comes to investing. The stock market can seem to gyrate with little rhyme or reason, guided up or down by unpredictable news cycles and fickle investor sentiment. Average stock returns have historically trended up over long time periods, but their trajectory is

Moyo Studio | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Reserve announced a half percentage point, or 50 basis points, interest rate cut at the end of its two-day meeting Wednesday. And, naturally, some Americans will want to make the most of the central bank’s first rate cut since the early days of the Covid pandemic.

Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images House lawmakers in Washington have the signatures they need to force a vote on a bill to eliminate rules that reduce Social Security benefits for certain retirees who also receive pension income. On Thursday morning, Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Garret Graves, R-La., marked the 206 signatures a

Andresr | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Reserve is poised to make its first interest rate cut in years on Wednesday. But homeowners shouldn’t bet on the move as an opportunity to immediately refinance their mortgage. That’s because “a lot of these rate cuts are already priced in,” Chen Zhao, the economic research lead

Chris Wattie | Reuters The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will lower its benchmark rate bya half percentage point, or 50 basis points, paving the way for relief from the high borrowing costs that have hit consumers particularly hard.  The federal funds rate, which is set by the U.S. central bank, is the interest rate

Solstock | E+ | Getty Images Victoria Szafarski currently has $10,000 in credit card debt.  The New Yorker’s outstanding balance peaked at $25,000 last year, before she took on a second job as a waitress for a few months. The extra cash Szafarski brought in helped her make headway paying down the debt and increase

Alistair Berg | Digitalvision | Getty Images Planning to work longer is a popular escape hatch for Americans who feel they’ve saved too little to support themselves in old age. About 27% of workers intend to work in retirement because they need to supplement their income, according to a new CNBC and SurveyMonkey survey. They

Greg Hinsdale | The Image Bank | Getty Images If you’ve inherited a pretax individual retirement account since 2020, you could face a sizable tax bill without proper planning, experts say.  Previously, heirs could take inherited IRA withdrawals over their lifetime, known as the “stretch IRA.” However, the Secure Act of 2019 enacted the “10-year

Luminola | E+ | Getty Images Four years after the Covid pandemic began, there are more than 900,000 fewer undergraduates enrolled in college. The overall rate of high school graduates choosing to enroll in college held steady in 2023, compared to a year earlier, according to a recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center — which Doug

In this article NAVI Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT jetcityimage The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last week said it had reached a $120 million settlement with student loan giant Navient that could lead to compensation for hundreds of thousands of borrowers. The CFPB accused Navient of steering student loan borrowers into expensive forbearances, miscalculating their

Yellow Dog Productions | The Image Bank | Getty Images No one likes a surprise tax bill, and there is still time to take action if you have not paid enough taxes for 2024, experts say.   Generally, employees pay taxes via withholdings from each paycheck. Other income requires quarterly estimated payments. Overpaying typically results in

Andreswd | E+ | Getty Images Open enrollment season can be a whirlwind for anyone. Being in a relationship adds an extra layer of complexity, especially when your workplace enrollment windows don’t align. Conflicting deadlines, varying benefits options and differing risk appetites make it challenging for couples to coordinate their choices. However, you can make

Rgstudio | E+ | Getty Images Owning a home makes some people feel more confident about their prospects for retirement — but that may be misguided, some experts say. About 37% of polled workers — including those with part- or full-time jobs, or who are self-employed or business owners — say they are “ahead of

d3sign | Moment | Getty Images If you want — or need — to travel this holiday season, start planning now because the ideal time to book Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s travel is fast approaching.  “The most important thing is for travelers to continue to think about planning now and booking in October,” said

Recent signs of cooling inflation are paving the way for the Federal Reserve to cut rates when it meets next week, which is welcome news for Americans struggling to keep up with the elevated cost of living and sky-high interest charges. “Consumers should feel good about [an interest rate reduction] but it’s not going to

Traders on the New York Stock Exchange floor on Sept. 9, 2024. Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images September historically hasn’t been kind to stock investors. Since 1926, U.S. large-cap stocks have lost an average 0.9% in September, according to data from Morningstar Direct.   September is the only month during that

Aire Images | Moment | Getty Images The third-quarter estimated tax deadline for 2024 is Sept. 16, and skipping a payment could trigger a penalty, according to the IRS. Typically, you need estimated payments for any income without tax withholdings, such as earnings from self-employment, contract or gig economy work and investment or retirement income. 

Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images Rare bipartisan momentum is growing in the House of Representatives to force a vote on a bill that would address a topic Congress typically avoids — Social Security. The bill — the Social Security Fairness Act — would repeal two rules that reduce Social Security benefits for workers and

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., questions IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig at a Senate Finance Committee hearing. Tom Williams | Pool | Reuters With trillions in tax breaks scheduled to expire after 2025, lawmakers are debating policy priorities that could impact millions of families and small businesses. Enacted by former President Donald Trump in