Personal finance

A simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid is set to roll out by the end of the month. However, the new FAFSA may launch with outdated inflation figures, which could mean many students “will get less financial aid than they deserve,” according to higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz. “It is a pretty big deal,” he said. “We are

itsskin | Getty High interest rates have pushed many would-be home sellers and buyers to the sidelines in 2023. Yet there are signs both sides may be more willing to take on a high-rate mortgage if other key factors aligned. More than half — 54% — of homeowners said they would move if they found

Luis Alvarez | Digitalvision | Getty Images The U.S. economy inched closer to a so-called “soft landing” after a new batch of labor data, economists said. A soft landing is a good thing. It would mean the Federal Reserve has accomplished the difficult task of taming inflation without triggering a recession. Job openings, a barometer

People exit the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Minh Connors | The Washington Post | Getty Images The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments Tuesday on a case that could affect broad swaths of the U.S. tax code and federal revenue. The closely watched case, Moore v.

Young people using cellphones. Filippobacci | E+ | Getty Images Gen Z women are driving spending trends on TikTok. Women in their 20s spend more time on the short-form video app than male peers of their generation, and it’s exposing them to a financial risk. “TikTok is a Gen Z women-centric app and it is

Eric Audras | PhotoAlto Agency RF Collections | Getty Images If you’ve poured cash into money market mutual funds, you could see a higher 2023 tax bill in April. But other investments could reduce your 2024 taxes, experts say. Investors and institutions have funneled cash into money market funds amid rising interest rates, and balances

For many families, financial aid is key when it comes to paying for college. But students must first fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to access any assistance. And this year, the FAFSA has been significantly delayed. For the 2024-2025 school year, a new, streamlined FAFSA form will be available on or before

Vesna Andjic | E+ | Getty Images With roughly one month left in 2023, there’s still time to reduce your tax bill or boost your refund, experts say. Typically, you can expect a federal refund when you overpay annual taxes or withhold more than the total owed. The average refund for 2023 was $3,054, as

A US Air Force (USAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft flies over during the 2023 Dubai Airshow at Dubai World Central – Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on November 13, 2023.  Giuseppe Cacace | Afp | Getty Images In times of war, investors’ thoughts naturally may turn to defense stocks.

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images Even before the Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive student debt, fewer students were enrolling in college. Nationwide, enrollment has lagged since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when a significant number of students decided against a four-year degree in favor of joining the workforce or completing a certificate

Richard Stephen | Istock | Getty Images When Joyce Debnam’s husband passed away, she began receiving $1,400 a month in Social Security survivor benefits. Eight months later, that income unexpectedly changed. The trigger: Debnam retired from her job at the United States Postal Service in 2013 after four decades of service. That life change prompted

A modern office space with a variety of plants on display and some employees working together at computer desks. Tom Werner | Digitalvision | Getty Images If you elected not to participate in your company’s 401(k) plan, your employer may have other ideas. The concept of 401(k) plan “reenrollment” has been gaining traction. That means

JGI/Jamie Grill If you funneled cash into money market mutual funds in 2023 amid rising interest rates, you may have a surprise tax bill in April, experts say. Investors and institutions have piled $5.84 trillion into money market mutual funds, as of Nov. 29, according to the Investment Company Institute, and many funds are paying

Tom Werner | Digitalvision | Getty Images As 2023 comes to an end, you may have just a few weeks left to use any leftover money in your health-care flexible savings account.  Employer-sponsored FSAs allow you to save pretax dollars and use the funds for qualified medical expenses. An individual can save up to $3,050

A higher cost of living and growing savings shortfall has many Americans worried about their retirement security. Those financial strains also make it harder for many workers to fund a retirement account.  To that point, 41% don’t contribute any money at all to a 401(k) or employer-sponsored plan, according to a CNBC Your Money Survey

Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images The share of workers being called back to the office has flatlined, suggesting the pandemic-era phenomenon of widespread remote work has become a permanent fixture of the U.S. labor market, economists said. “Return to the office is dead,” Nick Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University and expert

Pedestrians walk in front of the IBM building in New York. Scott Mlyn | CNBC IBM, which decades ago helped lead the shift from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans, recently told U.S. employees it will be scrapping its 401(k) match in favor of funding what it calls a “retirement benefit account.” Other companies

Antonioguillem | Istock | Getty Images It has been a frustrating and confusing time for many student loan borrowers. President Joe Biden promised millions of Americans up to $20,000 in debt forgiveness, but then the Supreme Court blocked the program, and the relief never came. As payments restarted in October after a three-year break, borrowers

AleksandarNakic | E+ | Getty Images Women have a complicated relationship with money. That may start with how they feel about their finances. While men most commonly say they are “hopeful” when it comes to money, women’s No. 1 word for their financial feelings was “stress,” according to a 2023 Fidelity Investments survey. “Women’s No.

Black Friday shoppers leave the Nike store as other shoppers wait in line to shop as retailers compete to attract shoppers and try to maintain margins on Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, at Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, U.S. November 24, 2023.  Vincent Alban |