Personal finance

Unexpected medical bills are doing more than driving up debt. For many Americans, those debts are also making it more difficult to get a mortgage. Buyers with medical debt are more likely than others to be denied a mortgage, according to a report on consumer housing trends by online real estate marketplace Zillow. Zillow’s survey

Drazen | Getty Images For many people, it’s a call they’re not expecting. An unknown caller tells you that your Social Security number has been suspended or cancelled. If it happens to you, it’s likely the latest iteration of a robocall scam the IRS warned individuals about earlier this year. Still other calls try to

For some, 2020 will be the year that retirement becomes a reality. For others, it will be a financial improbability. Retirement readiness nationwide is shaky overall. Only 23% of men and just 12% of women are “very confident” in their ability to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle, according to recent research from the Transamerica

There’s one form of discrimination that the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act didn’t fix: economic. Until recently, people who were eligible for federal assistance programs such as Medicaid and SSI still faced an uneven playing ground. Using these programs meant you could not have assets over $2,000, a paltry amount when you consider life’s various

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images Whether it’s a lemonade stand, mowing lawns or even — these days — developing a new app, there are plenty of ways kids can become entrepreneurs. They don’t even necessarily have to be a big success. Just developing an entrepreneurial mindset can help them form necessary life

Technology firms dominate your online activity, so why not your wallet, too? Most recently, Google has announced it will offer checking accounts as part of a project code-named Cache, notching the boldest move yet by tech into consumer banking. In fact, the company is just the latest Silicon Valley leader to make a bid to

I had just turned 21 and was celebrating my first legal drink when my friend pointed out that this was my last big birthday for a long time. I remember feeling a little sad. Now I’d add: Not long enough. Five years later, we find ourselves drinking to — if not celebrating — another turning

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