Personal finance

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 |

U.S. President Joe Biden 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 Around 813,000 student loan borrowers will soon receive an email from President Joe Biden notifying them that their debt has been

Tooga | Digitalvision | Getty Images Long delays to get a new U.S. passport have eased from earlier in 2023 but haven’t yet returned to their pre-pandemic baseline. As of Nov. 6, the U.S. State Department is processing routine passport applications in seven to 10 weeks, the agency said. It’s processing expedited applications — which

After falling sharply last year, retirement account balances bounced back in the beginning of 2023 — but slumped again in the most recent quarter. The average 401(k) balance fell 4% to $107,700 in the third quarter, due, in part, to volatile market conditions, according to a recent report by Fidelity, the nation’s largest provider of 401(k) plans. The financial

Recep-bg | E+ | Getty Images Now that federal student loan payments have restarted after a three-year reprieve, some borrowers may be wondering if it’s a good time to refinance. And companies haven’t been shy in pushing the option, said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz. “Some lenders seem desperate for origination and refinancing volume, so they

Matthew Perry attends the GQ Men of the Year Party 2022 at The West Hollywood EDITION on November 17, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Phillip Faraone | Getty Images A new foundation has been established in the late actor Matthew Perry’s name to help others who struggle with addiction. “Addiction is far too powerful for

In this article ZG Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT A couple assembling furniture. Drazen_ | E+ | Getty Images Gen Z and millennials are “hacking” the housing market as high prices and interest rates make affordability difficult. The term “house hacking” refers to the practice of renting out a portion of your home or

Fg Trade | E+ | Getty Images More investors are getting access to investments previously earmarked for the wealthiest members of society — but it may be risky for some to participate, experts said. Private investments — such as private equity funds, hedge funds, venture capital funds and stock in early stage companies — typically

U.S. President Joe Biden 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 President Joe Biden’s new plan to forgive student debt is likely to look much different than his first. After the Supreme