Personal finance

Eva-katalin | E+ | Getty Images Retirees are still feeling the impact of higher prices. Yet one buffer for the effects of inflation — the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, — may be lower next year. As the rate of inflation moderates, the Social Security COLA for 2025 might be 3%, according to the

Tolgart | E+ | Getty Images Cybercriminals are targeting wealth accounts by tapping into a victim’s emotions. So-called romance scams involve building a relationship and trust with the victim so that the target willingly provides access to their accounts or transfers money to the criminal, explained Tracy Kitten, the director of fraud and security at

Johner Images | Johner Images Royalty-free | Getty Images Many retirees don’t think about taxes until it’s time to withdraw funds from a pretax account, which can be a costly mistake, financial experts say. Only 3 in 10 Americans have a plan to reduce taxes on retirement savings, according to a Northwestern Mutual study from January

Maryna Terletska | Moment | Getty Images Individual retirement accounts are getting bigger — and it can cause tax issues for retirees or their children who inherit the assets, experts say. The median IRA or self-employed Keogh balance was $87,000 in 2022, up from $81,144 in 2019, according to a June report from the Employee

Skaman306 | Moment | Getty Images It wasn’t long ago that investors earned practically 0% returns on cash. As the Federal Reserve has kept interest rates high to combat high inflation, you can easily earn 5% annual percentage yields on savings accounts and other low risk vehicles. Some experts are now warning it’s possible to

Taylor Swift performs on stage during The Eras Tour on June 28, 2024 in Dublin, Ireland.  Charles Mcquillan/tas24 | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Taylor Swift’s European tour was top of mind for Nikita Rao when planning where to go for her family’s annual summer vacation. Rao, her husband and two kids, who live

Recep-bg | E+ | Getty Images The U.S. Department of the Treasury and IRS on Friday released final tax reporting rules for digital asset brokers — and crypto investors have limited time to prepare, experts say. Mandatory yearly reporting will phase in starting in 2026, with digital currency brokers required to cover gross proceeds from

Klaus Vedfelt | Digitalvision | Getty Images Although the unemployment rate has spent 30 months at or below below 4% — a near record — not everyone who wants a job has one. And not everyone even wants a job at all. Some, referred to as “NEETs,” which stands for “not in employment, education, or training,” are

In this article META AMZN MSFT TSLA GOOGL AAPL NVDA Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer of Nvidia Corp., displays the new Blackwell GPU chip during the Nvidia GPU Technology Conference on March 18, 2024.  David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images The U.S. stock market has become dominated

A group of guys enjoy a dinner at Cassias outdoor patio as the much loved restaurant re-opens its indoor dining and continues outdoor dining on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 in Santa Monica, CA.  Jason Armond | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images Consumers aren’t sacrificing dining out, even with prices on the rise — but

Peopleimages | Istock | Getty Images To effectively plan for your retirement, experts say, you need to watch your savings rate and total nest egg. But how much you really need to have set aside depends on another number — your life expectancy. Yet that figure is also the most elusive — no one knows

Republican presidential candidate former U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic Party presidential candidate U.S. President Joe Biden speak during a presidential debate in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., June 27, 2024 in a combination photo. Brian Snyder | Reuters The future of Social Security and Medicare may be greatly impacted by whoever occupies the White House following

Some people could find themselves wrangling with summer travel bills well after Labor Day. To that point, 36% of Americans said they plan to take on debt in order to travel this summer, according to a March survey from Bankrate. The payment methods for summer travel expenses ranged from personal loans (5%) and buy now,

Spotmatik | Photodisc | Getty Images While lawmakers have a growing interest in taxing the ultra-rich, last week’s Supreme Court ruling could threaten future wealth tax proposals, experts say. In Moore v. United States, the Supreme Court blocked a challenge to the “mandatory repatriation tax,” a one-time levy on certain foreign investments enacted in 2017.

Nortonrsx | Istock | Getty Images If you buy health insurance via the federal marketplace, your premiums could increase significantly after 2025 — unless Congress takes action. The premium tax credit makes health insurance purchased via the marketplace more affordable. Participants can use the credit to lower insurance premiums upfront or claim the tax break

U.S. President Joe Biden is flanked by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona as he speaks about administration plans to forgive federal student loan debt during remarks in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., August 24, 2022. Leah Millis | Reuters The Biden administration is pausing student loan payments for about

Vladimir Vladimirov | E+ | Getty Images If you’re nearing retirement with a large pre-tax 401(k) plan or individual retirement account balance, you need a plan for managing future levies, financial experts say. Great savers could face a “tax time bomb” in retirement when required withdrawals kick in, said certified financial planner Scott Bishop, partner

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images A retirement savings crisis is looming for people who have 401(k) plans and other retirement balances woefully short of what they will need to live on. But some workers — called “super savers” — are managing to successfully grow their retirement nest eggs. Super savers are workers who are

Taylor Swift fans queue outside Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland, on June 6, 2024. Her fans, known as Swifties, had made the superstar $200 million in Eras merchandise sales as of November 2023. Jeff J Mitchell | Getty Images News | Getty Images Even while carrying $1.13 trillion in credit card debt, many Americans are still willing

Americans with about 10 years to go before reaching retirement age are “critically underprepared,” according to a new study by Prudential. The study found that 67% of 55-year-olds surveyed said they fear they will outlive their savings, compared with 59% of 65-year-olds and 52% of 75-year-olds. To that point, with just a decade until retirement,