Personal finance

Alys Tomilson | Getty Images College students apparently have more to worry about these days than their grades and where to head for the weekend’s best party. A new form of financial fraud is exploiting college kids who own cars and are looking to make some extra cash, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Scammers

skynesher | E+ | Getty Images For millions of Americans, unexpected bills can be summed up in two words: medical debt. Surprise health-care costs have affected about 137.1 million adults in the past year, according to recent research. And many Americans are turning to credit cards to help manage those debt burdens, according to CompareCards.com.

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images The year is ending but, with a little ambition, you can still find some opportunities to cut your 2019 tax bill. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which went into effect in 2018, did away with several breaks filers could take prior to the end of the

Medicare beneficiaries would see expanded benefits, including dental and vision coverage, if the Senate passes a bill that cleared the House on Thursday. The measure, H.R. 3 — which funds the changes by giving the government the right to negotiate lower prices with drugmakers — would provide dental, vision and hearing coverage through original Medicare.

A sign of Saudi Aramco’s initial public offering (IPO) is seen during a news conference by the state oil company at the Plaza Conference Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia November 3, 2019. Hamad I Mohammed | Reuters Saudi Aramco set new records as the world’s biggest initial public offering. And, chances are, you’re shut out

Hiroshi Watanabe | Getty Images You’re probably already aware that wealth in America is a tale of haves and have-nots. But new research shows just how big the disparity is in 401(k) plan accounts — workplace retirement savings plans that were created to help all individuals get ahead. There are two main reasons why the

MoMo Productions | DigitalVision | Getty Images More than 2 million Americans could soon have access to mandatory paid parental leave. Senior congressional members have reached a bipartisan deal that would provide federal workers with 12 weeks of guaranteed paid time off for parents following the birth, adoption or fostering of a child. The proposed

The Federal Reserve‘s decision Wednesday to keep interest rates steady put the cap on a tumultuous year for consumers. After raising the federal funds rate nine times in three years, with the last hike just one year ago as financial markets were melting down, concerns about a slowing economy and a looming U.S.-China trade war

Space Needle and Mount Baker, Seattle. engelhardt.zenfolio.com | Moment Open | Getty Images The kids are all right in Washington state. At least that’s what Wealthfront, an investment management firm that provides robo-advisor services, found when it analyzed 201,486 of its clients across the country over the course of the year. Millennial investors — that

Alistair Berg | DigitalVision | Getty Images It’s officially crunch time for older savers who must take mandated withdrawals from their retirement accounts. Individuals who turned 70½ this year — and those who are older — are responsible for taking required minimum distributions from their individual retirement accounts and from each of their 401(k) plans.

New York, New York E+ | Getty Images There are three weeks left in the year, and House Democrats are taking a last shot at ending the $10,000 limit on state and local tax deductions. Rep. Thomas Suozzi, D-N.Y, along with Reps. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., and Mike Thompson, D-Calif., proposed the “Restoring Tax Fairness for

visualspace | E+ | Getty Images You probably have a financial junk drawer — a hodgepodge of incomplete financial projects, goals and even a few secrets. Lots of people have one, says Amanda Priebe, a certified financial planner and wealth strategist at PNC Wealth Management. But unlike that kitchen drawer filled with old packets of

Lauren Schaefer, 31, was managing events for the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism when she quit to start her own wedding coordination company. Source: Lauren Schaefer When Lauren Schaefer started planning weddings, she never imagined it would become a full-time job. The 31-year-old worked in the events management industry for 10 years before she

Jim McGuire | Getty Images A new proposal in Congress aims to resurrect an old tradition: mailing Social Security statements to your home. Since 2011, the Social Security Administration has cut back on the number of paper statements it puts in the mail in order to save money. A new bill, called the Know Your

Jordan Siemens | Getty Images When Tara Unverzagt started her own financial planning firm, South Bay Financial Partners, in 2014, she already had a head start. That’s because Unverzagt’s mother, Janet Tussing — one of the first female certified financial planners — was retiring and passed along her book of business. Those clients ranged from

The final few weeks of the year aren’t just for last-minute shopping and holiday parties. It’s also a crucial time for tax savings. While the 2017 tax overhaul did put a whole new spin on year-end planning, it did not eliminate the need to do it altogether. In fact, from making an 11th-hour charitable donation

Allison Shelley | Getty Images News | Getty Images When it comes to Social Security, the question on most people’s lips is: “Will it still be there for me when I retire?” The answer is generally yes. But the system will pay less in benefits if nothing is done to repair it. In April, the

College is a significant investment that comes with the hope of a better, richer life. It doesn’t always work out that way. Some experts say the value of a bachelor’s degree is fading. Starting salaries for new college graduates have grown less than 1% over the past two years, remaining at around $50,000. Worse yet:

Hero Images | Getty Images Add to your end-of-year to-do list: check your health flexible spending account. These accounts help you save money on some health-care costs, because you pay for them with pretax dollars, yet not everyone uses them. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 39% of workers in 2015 had access to

RubberBall Productions | Brand X Pictures | Getty Images At 2 a.m. on Oct. 17, Helen Ramos tried to wake up her son, Michael Bowen. Something about the 37-year-old looked strange. Ramos, 65, uses a wheelchair, and running errands can be a struggle. The day before, Bowen had gone grocery shopping for her. Later, Ramos