Personal finance

In this article ZG Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Vitapix | E+ | Getty Images People looking to buy or sell a home this spring are paying close attention to mortgage rates. The average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 7.17% for the week ended April 25, according to Freddie Mac data via the Federal

Delmaine Donson | E+ | Getty Images Wedding and engagement season is right around the corner and that means many couples will embark on a path toward marriage. One of the most important conversations newlyweds will need to have is figuring out how and who will pay the bills. The goal is to ensure the

Johner Images | Johner Images Royalty-free | Getty Images A new U.S. Labor Department rule will significantly change the advice many investors receive about rolling money over from 401(k) plans to individual retirement accounts, legal experts say. The so-called “fiduciary” rule, issued April 23, aims to raise the legal bar for brokers, financial advisors, insurance

Viewstock | View Stock | Getty Images Last year, Americans’ confidence that they would have enough money to live comfortably in retirement fell the most since the global financial crisis. New research shows both workers’ and retirees’ confidence has not recovered. But some signs of optimism have emerged, particularly as wage growth now outpaces inflation

Demonstrators attend a rally asking Rep. Kean to “Stop MAGA Cuts! Protect Social Security!” on Feb. 24, 2023 in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Dave Kotinsky | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Voters who show up at the polls this November may not just be choosing among Republicans, Democrats and third-party tickets — but also casting

A man stands outside his flooded home after heavy rain in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 13, 2023. Chandan Khanna | AFP | Getty Images The warming planet is already proving expensive. U.S. weather and climate disasters cost more than $617 billion between 2018 and 2022 — a record figure, according to the U.S. Department

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel testifies during the Senate Finance Committee hearing on the fiscal 2024 IRS budget and the IRS’ 2023 filing season, in the Dirksen Building in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2023. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images This season, more than 140,000 taxpayers successfully filed returns using IRS Direct

In this article ZG Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT While the spring housing market has been plagued with low supply, high prices and spiking interest rates, would-be homebuyers are focusing on new construction.  The reason? New homes have more incentives and availability than previously owned ones. “There’s more opportunity in new construction,” said Nicole

Taylor Swift accepts the Best Pop Vocal Album award for “Midnights” onstage during the 66th Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 4, 2024. Kevin Mazur | Getty Images When Taylor Swift on April 19 surprised the world with “The Tortured Poets Department,” a double album complete with 31 self-composed songs, there

Woman doing bookkeeping at home. Guido Mieth | DigitalVision | Getty Images Borrowers hoping for student loan forgiveness have just a few more days to act before an April 30 deadline. Those who request a so-called loan consolidation before the end of this month — which will combine their federal student loans into one new

Enes Evren When you receive equity compensation from an employer, it typically requires a comprehensive financial plan — and restricted stock units are no exception. In 2000, only 20% of public companies granted restricted stock or restricted stock units, primarily for senior executives or higher, according to the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals. That percentage, however, has

The Good Brigade | Digitalvision | Getty Images Health care, long an ailing stock market sector, has recovered over the past six months, with currently robust vital signs and strong growth projections. The recovery comes after the sector failed to make good on positive expectations for 2022 based on estimates of pent-up demand for physician

Morsa Images | E+ | Getty Images If you work for a publicly traded company, you may have access to discounted company shares via an employee stock purchase plan, or ESPP. While the benefit can be valuable, you need to know the rules and risks before opting into your company’s plan, financial experts say. In

If TikTok is any guide, more women are taking a traditional approach to romantic partnerships: Some say they are even opting out of the workforce entirely in favor of the so-called “soft life,” centered around their home, their family and their own wellbeing. (Re-)enter the “tradwife,” one of social media’s growing trends. It shows a

The U.S. Department of Labor headquarters in Washington. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Biden administration issued a final rule on Tuesday that cracks down on the investment advice that advisors, brokers, insurance agents and others give to retirement savers. The U.S. Department of Labor regulation — which follows a rule proposal in October —

US President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt relief at Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin, April 8, 2024.  Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images After the Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden’s first plan to forgive student debt last summer, his administration set out to create a relief package that would

Delmaine Donson | E+ | Getty Images The federal tax deadline was April 15 for most filers — and if you missed it, you should file your return and pay your balance as soon as possible, experts say. If you still owe taxes for 2023, you’ll continue racking up penalties and interest until you file

Jacob Wackerhausen | iStock / 360 | Getty Images If you’ve inherited an individual retirement account since 2020, you could have a shorter timeline to withdraw the money, which can trigger tax consequences. But there are a few things to consider before emptying an inherited account, experts say.  Under the Secure Act of 2019, so-called

Getty Images When it comes to teens and money, there is often a disconnect. Overall, teenagers are taking a greater interest in their long-term financial health — although far fewer understand basic retirement planning. A majority, or 83%, of 13- to 18-year-olds, said they had already thought about their retirement, according to the results of

Just an inch of floodwater can generate tens of thousands of dollars in property damage. Homeowners trying to move and start over after such a disaster might find a surprising buyer for their home: the government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has spent around $4 billion assisting in the purchase of about 45,000