Personal finance

In this article NRDS Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Getty Images Both retail credit cards and buy now, pay later programs can offer opportunities to spread out payments for high-priced purchases, especially during the year-end holiday shopping season. Buy now, pay later, or BNPL, is like a new form of old-school layaway plans, except

Hoozone | E+ | Getty Images Health savings accounts have powerful tax benefits that make them an efficient way to save for future medical costs. But to harness their full potential, HSA funds must be used for qualified medical expenses. There’s a long list of qualifying costs — from artificial limbs to birth control pills,

Thirty European nations have delayed implementing the ETIAS travel authorization scheme for U.S. and other foreign visitors until 2025. Pictured, Krakow, Poland. Martin-dm | E+ | Getty Images A new requirement for American travelers bound for Europe slated to take effect next year was delayed — again — to 2025. The requirement — an online

Twenty/20 American cardholders paid $130 billion in interest and fees in 2022, according to a new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Cardholders were charged more than $105 billion in interest last year, and $25 billion in fees. The tally represents “the highest amount of interest and fees ever measured by the CFPB’s data,”

In this article RDFN Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Thomas Barwick / Getty As home prices and interest rates rise, would-be home buyers need a salary of $114,627 to afford a median-priced house in the U.S., according to a recent report by real estate site Redfin. If you want to buy in one of the most

Daniel Grill | Getty Images These days, savers can get better returns on their cash than they have in nearly two decades. After a series of interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve, top-yielding online savings account rates are now more than 5%, according to Bankrate.com. “Moving your money to a high-yield savings account is the easiest money you are

Douglas Sacha | Moment | Getty Images When Covid-19 stimulus checks were deployed to millions of Americans, the government reassured Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries they were eligible for payments. But some beneficiaries, who include retired and disabled Americans, may have gotten more than they bargained for — lost benefits. Some SSI recipients

Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona speaks during the National Action Network National Convention in New York, April 12, 2023. Jeenah Moon | Reuters The Biden administration announced on Tuesday a finalized plan to improve its oversight of higher education institutions and to bolster consumer protections for student loan borrowers. “We are raising the bar

In this article NRDS Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images As the average interest rate on retail store credit cards near 30%, many holiday shoppers could be in for even more financial strain this year if they carry a balance. The average annual percentage rate for merchant cards reached

In this article US10Y Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury topped 5% again Monday, a key level that could impact mortgage rates, student debt, auto loans and more. Last week, the 10-year yield crossed the 5% threshold for the first time in 16 years after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, at rear, listens as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in Washington, D.C., June 2, 2022. Olivier Douliery | Afp | Getty Images Amberlee McGaughey, a librarian in Pennsylvania, was not worried about the restart of student loan payments. She was done with her debt, or so she thought. In August, she

Dardespot | E+ | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries stand to get a boost to their benefits next year, based on a 3.2% cost-of-living adjustment. But there are several thresholds workers should keep in mind, based on new numbers for 2024 that were recently announced by the Social Security Administration. If you’re a worker who

In this article US10Y Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury crossed 5% for the first time in 16 years on Thursday, causing a ripple effect that could raise rates on mortgages, student debt, auto loans and more. After Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said ”inflation is still too high,” expectations that the U.S.

Lifestylevisuals | E+ | Getty Images The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate just hit 8% for the first time since 2000, putting housing financing costs at historically high levels. Given high prices and high interest rates, homebuyers must earn $114,627 to afford a median-priced house in the U.S., according to a recent report by Redfin,

Getty Images Your earnings potential largely depends on your choice of major in college, many studies show. And when it comes to the highest-paying bachelor’s degrees, engineering and other STEM-related fields of study continue to dominate. (STEM is shorthand for “science, technology, engineering and mathematics.”) Students are taking note, according to Eric Greenberg, president of Greenberg Educational Group, a

A woman planning a budget. Rockaa | E+ | Getty Images Federal student loan bills resumed this month after a pause of more than three years. Yet, some borrowers may not plan on making a payment for some time. That’s because the Biden administration has announced a 12-month “on-ramp” to repayment, during which borrowers will

Wand_prapan | Istock | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries can expect to get official notice of the size of their 2024 benefit checks from the Social Security Administration. But if you want to know now about how much you are set to receive, you can calculate the figure on your own. Social Security benefits will

Oscar Wong | Moment | Getty Images American cardholders paid $163.89 billion in credit card interest and fees in 2022, according to a WalletHub analysis of data from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. From 2018 to 2020, such charges were roughly $120 billion per year, according to a report from the Consumer Financial Protection

President Joe Biden is joined by Education Secretary Miguel Cardona as he announces new actions to protect borrowers after the Supreme Court struck down his student loan forgiveness plan, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on June 30, 2023. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Nearly 40 million Americans stood to benefit

Andreswd | E+ | Getty Images Medicare beneficiaries have until Dec. 7 to change their Medicare health and prescription drug coverage for the coming year through open annual enrollment. This year, there’s even more reason to pay attention, as financial assistance for prescription drug coverage is set to expand starting Jan. 1, according to Meena