Personal finance

Momo Productions | Digitalvision | Getty Images Mergers and acquisitions happen all the time between companies of varying size and notoriety. These can be a great opportunity for businesses and owners to achieve their strategic or long-term goals, but often leave employees feeling uneasy and confused about what the deal means for them — especially

Maskot | Getty Images More than 3.2 million people will see increased Social Security benefits, under a new law. However, individuals who are affected may have to wait more than a year before they see the extra money that’s due to them from the Social Security Fairness Act, the Social Security Administration said in an

The White House is pausing federal grants and loans, according to a memo sent out Monday night, but the freeze will not impact student loans or financial aid for college. The freeze, which could affect billions of dollars in aid, noted an exception for Social Security and Medicare. The pause “does not include assistance provided directly

Rockaa | E+ | Getty Images As tax season opened on Jan. 27, the IRS received millions of returns, with many filers eager for a refund. Nearly 40% of taxpayers will rely on refunds this year to make ends meet, according to a Credit Karma survey that polled 1,000 adults in late December and early

Andreswd | E+ | Getty Images It’s official: Tax season is open for individual filers and the IRS has started to process 2024 tax returns. If you’re expecting a refund, there are key things to know, according to tax experts. “There are some very simple tips to get the fastest refund possible,” said Mark Steber,

Jeffrey Hamilton | DigitalVision | Getty Images When it comes to money, couples face one question: should we keep our money separate, combine it or some combination of both? A December Bankrate survey finds 62% of couples who are in a committed relationship keep at least some money separate from each other. Of those couples,

Millennials have come a long way since their days of being called lazy or entitled. Despite reaching key milestones later than their parents once did, they are now wealthier than previous generations were at their age. “Younger families in the U.S. made remarkable gains,” according to an analysis of 2022 data by the St. Louis Federal

Sporrer/Rupp | Image Source | Getty Images Millions of Social Security beneficiaries have now received their first benefit checks for 2025. The new 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment — which adds $50 per month to retirement benefits on average — marks the lowest increase since 2021, when inflation spiked shortly thereafter. With prices still high, many beneficiaries

Eleganza | E+ | Getty Images It’s exciting to find a new place to rent in your neighborhood or in a new city. That is, of course, unless you get duped. In so-called rental listing scams, scammers will make up listings that aren’t available for rent or simply do not exist in order to fraudulently

Miniseries | E+ | Getty Images As President Donald Trump kicks off a second term, many older investors are focused on how shifting policy could affect their wallets. But some key changes for near-retirees were already enacted for 2025. These updates could have a big impact on your finances — and may easily be missed,

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images Many young adults have financial stress, and experts say there’s a simple safety net that could help. About 61% of surveyed Americans of ages 18 to 35 are financially stressed, according to a new Intuit survey. About 21% of respondents say their stress has gotten worse over the past year.

Jose Luis Pelaez | Getty Images For roughly the past five years, federal student loan borrowers who fell behind on their bills didn’t need to worry about the usual consequences, including the garnishment of their wages and retirement benefits. That will soon change. In a U.S. Department of Education memo obtained by CNBC, dated Jan.

The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady at the end of its two-day meeting next week, despite President Donald Trump’s comments on Thursday that he’ll “demand that interest rates drop immediately.” So far, the central bank has moved slowly to recalibrate policy after hiking its key benchmark 5.25 percentage points between 2022 and 2023 in an

Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images By now, you’ve probably seen the green badges splashed all over LinkedIn, advertising that person is #opentowork. Whether unemployed and actively seeking a new position, or quiet quitting in their current role, more people are choosing to make their job-seeking status known on the career site. Globally, more than

Justin Paget | Digitalvision | Getty Images Many workers hate the prospect of returning to the office five days a week — so much so that they’d quit their jobs if told to come in full-time. To that point, 46% of workers who currently work from home at least sometimes would be somewhat or very

The rich are getting richer. The combined wealth of the world’s most wealthy rose to $15 trillion from $13 trillion in just 12 months, according to Oxfam’s latest annual inequality report — notching the second largest annual increase in billionaire wealth since the global charity began tracking this data. Last year alone, roughly 204 new

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images When it comes to retirement savings, surveys often point to a big magic number you will need to have set aside to live well. Yet retirement experts say to focus on another number — your personal savings rate — to make sure you achieve your retirement savings goals. “Early

Greg Hinsdale | The Image Bank | Getty Images Inheriting an individual retirement account is a windfall for many investors. However, a lesser-known change for 2025 could trigger a costly surprise penalty, financial experts say. Starting in 2025, certain heirs with inherited IRAs must take yearly required withdrawals while emptying accounts over 10 years, known

Rockaa | E+ | Getty Images This season, the IRS expects more than 140 million individual tax returns — and most qualify for a lesser-known free tax filing option.  The program, IRS Free File, is a public-private partnership between the agency and the Free File Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of tax software companies. “Over the

US President Donald Trump holds up outgoing President Joe Biden’s letter as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the WHite House in Washington, DC, on Jan. 20, 2025. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images With President Donald Trump back in the White House and Republicans in control of Congress, experts worry