Personal finance

Chappell Roan at the 67th GRAMMY Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 2, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Christopher Polk | Billboard | Getty Images With a Grammy win for best new artist, Chappell Roan is at a career high. A few years ago, she was one of the millions of Americans without

President Donald Trump takes questions during a press conference with unseen Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump on Thursday met with Republican lawmakers to outline his tax agenda, including plans to

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images College advocates breathed a sigh of relief when the U.S. Department of Education said the Trump Administration’s “federal funding freeze“ would not affect federal Pell Grants and student loans.  Nearly 75% of all undergraduates receive some type of financial aid, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. About 40%

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images Tax season has kicked off, and the IRS has issued roughly 3.2 million refunds this year as of Jan. 31, the agency reported.  This represents current-year returns filed. The average refund was $1,928 over the first four days of the filing season. However, the IRS expects more than 140

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Trump’s nominee to be secretary of Health and Human Services, testifies before a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., Jan. 29, 2025.  Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters Americans’ credit card balances soared to a record $1.17 trillion in 2024 — and even the wealthy are

A truck drives past shipping containers at the Port of Philadelphia, Nov. 6, 2024. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images As President Donald Trump begins imposing tariffs on imported goods, some experts question his revenue expectations — including the possibility of replacing the federal income tax.  During his presidential campaign, Trump floated an “all tariff

Oleh_slobodeniuk | E+ | Getty Images With tariffs ramping up, the prices on some everyday items will rise as well. That is weighing heavily on American consumers.  A recent consumer survey found that 86% of Americans expect price hikes from higher tariffs; and many already have a strategy to cushion the blow. Faced with higher

D-keine | E+ | Getty Images Many taxpayers qualify for credits worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars — even if you don’t have a federal filing requirement.   Generally, you must file a tax return with earnings over a certain threshold, depending on filing status. However, submitting your return can be beneficial, even when it’s not

Shipping containers are seen at the Port of Montreal in Montreal, Canada, on Feb. 3, 2025.  Andrej Ivanov | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump imposed broad tariffs on China on Tuesday, while tariff threats hang over other major trading partners like Canada, the European Union and Mexico. That may lead some to wonder:

Cabania | iStock | Getty Images Plus With tax season underway, the IRS expects more than 140 million returns from individuals through the April 15 deadline — and many early filers are already waiting for a refund. With taxpayers eager for updates, many have asked “where’s my refund?” online this week, according to Google Trends

A person walks past the New York Stock Exchange at Wall Street in New York on Feb. 3, 2025. Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images A “torrid two-year stretch” prompted the S&P 500 to gain around 70%, but that momentum is stalling, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management said in its investment strategy research this week.

By many measures, millennials are doing considerably well financially. Still, fewer younger adults are thinking about retiring in the traditional sense one day. “Retirement is becoming more deprioritized,” said Michael Liersch, head of advice and planning at Wells Fargo. “Ten or 15 years ago that was always the number one goal,” he said. Now, “actually

Many consumers are rightfully concerned about escalating trade tensions. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would impose 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, and 10% tariffs on goods imported from China. He also signaled that tariffs on the European Union could be next.  While Trump has agreed to halt the implementation of tariffs against Canada for at least 30 days

An American flag and a U.S. Department of Education flag fly outside the US Department of Education building in Washington, D.C., U.S., Feb. 1, 2025.  Annabelle Gordon | Reuters With the Trump administration looking for ways to close parts or all of the U.S. Department of Education, many of the country’s 42 million federal student

Vesnaandjic | E+ | Getty Images The cost to rent is coming down faster in some areas of the U.S. than others.  Overall, rent affordability is improving thanks to a combination of factors, said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin. One is, there’s more supply. “There are more apartments for rent now because there was

A truck drives on its way to enter the United States at a border crossing at the Canada-U.S. border in Blackpool, Quebec, Canada, on Feb. 2, 2025. Andrej Ivanov | Afp | Getty Images Tariffs set to take effect Tuesday may mean consumers won’t get a reprieve from high borrowing costs this year, according to

Trump administration tariffs set to begin on February 4th would affect prices and the availability of some products at grocery stores.  Nick Lachance | Toronto Star | Getty Images President Donald Trump’s new executive order issuing tariffs on goods entering the U.S. from Canada, China and Mexico sent markets falling early Monday. By midday, the

Remains of Karen Bagnard’s Altadena, California, house after it burned in the January 2025 Los Angeles-area wildfires. Courtesy: Chelsea On the night of Jan. 7, Karen Bagnard sat in her Altadena, California, house in the dark. Forceful winds had caused her home to lose power, and she also had no running water, save for one

Homes burn above Pacific Coast Highway during the Palisades Fire on Jan. 8, 2025, in Pacific Palisades, Calif.  Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images Alicia Kalvin awoke the morning of Jan. 7 to an urgent text from a friend: “There’s a fire on your street.” She hurried outside, alarmed to see

From Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter to Kendrick Lamar and SZA, 2025 promises to be another big year for live music events. That may also mean concertgoers will be shelling out more for their favorite shows. After rising steadily post-pandemic, admission to movies, theaters and concerts jumped 20% since 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor