Personal finance

Maskot | Maskot | Getty Images A new proposal by the U.S. Department of the Treasury would make it easier for consumers to get a tax credit when buying a new or used electric vehicle, according to tax and energy experts. Its proposed rules, issued Friday, would let car dealers offer the EV tax break

Kaiser Permanente employees, joined by Union members representing the workers, walk the picket line in Los Angeles on Oct. 4, 2023. Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images As 2023 proves to be a massive year for worker strikes, the push to provide people on the picket line with unemployment benefits is also heating

Sonoma State University Courtesy: Sonoma State University To help make college a reality, Sonoma State University is trying a relatively new approach: High school students who have completed the requisite coursework and have a minimum 2.5 high school GPA are now “guaranteed admission” to the Rohnert Park, California-based school. “We really wanted to provide a more

DjelicS | Getty If you filed a tax extension for more time on your 2022 return, the deadline is fast approaching. The federal tax extension deadline on Oct. 16 is the last chance to avoid a late filing penalty, according to the IRS. However, some filers in disaster areas may have additional time. “The best

Luis Alvarez | Digitalvision | Getty Images Some lawmakers and regulators are calling for interest rate caps and lower fees on credit cards as debt levels march higher. Total credit card debt topped $1 trillion in the second quarter of 2023 for the first time ever. The average interest rate for all cardholders jumped to

Marjorie Bloom was the victim of a “tech support” scam. She lost $661,000 in the fraud. Marjorie Bloom In the spring of 2021, Marjorie Bloom waited for a phone call that would never come. Over the course of the previous month, the retiree had wired hundreds of thousands of dollars into cryptocurrency per the suggestion

Astra Taylor Courtesy: Astra Taylor Early on in Astra Taylor’s new book, “The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart,” she tells a story set in the Brooklyn café where her sister worked until recently. On a quiet day, one of the baristas was talking with a regular customer, a specialist in medieval history,

In this article TGT AMZN Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Amazon‘s Prime Big Deal Days, kicks off Oct. 10, but competitor sales are already underway. This year, other big-name retailers are getting a head start by launching their own holiday sales earlier than ever, according to Katie Roberts, consumer analyst with DealNews.com. Consider it “the

The U.S. Department of Labor building in Washington, D.C. The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Labor is poised to issue a rule in coming weeks that’s likely to raise protections for investors who roll money from a 401(k) plan into an individual retirement account, according to attorneys

The Powerball jackpot soared to an estimated $1.4 billion as of Oct. 6, 2023, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. Justin Sullivan | Getty The Powerball jackpot has soared to an estimated $1.4 billion ahead of Saturday night’s drawing — and financial experts have tips for the lucky winner. As the third largest prize in

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images The end of the year doesn’t just bring autumn leaves and jack-o’-lanterns, then mistletoe and the chance of snow — it can also bring on financial distress. Nearly half of all consumers say their financial standing fluctuates seasonally, and December is the most cited month for experiencing

Wand_prapan | Istock | Getty Images The trust funds that Social Security relies on to pay benefits are “rapidly heading to zero,” according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Those funds, which are typically invested in Treasury securities, are projected to run out in 2034, at which point just 80% of benefits

Cecilie Arcurs | Getty Images There’s a staffing shortage in the accounting industry, and it’s not too early to lock in a tax preparer for next season. If you need someone with specialty expertise — such as the employee retention tax credit or cryptocurrency taxes — it may take longer to find a qualified match.

Prospective buyers attend an open house at a home for sale in Larchmont, New York, on Jan. 22, 2023. Tiffany Hagler-Geard | Bloomberg | Getty Images As high home prices and interest rates push up monthly mortgage payments, it’s harder for many consumers to even get a mortgage in the first place. Last year, lenders

President Joe Biden holds a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Oct. 2, 2023. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he’d approve $9 billion in student loan forgiveness for 125,000 Americans. The relief is a result of his administration’s fixes to a number of programs, including the income-driven

Brian Snyder | Reuters With competition at an all-time high and admissions practices increasingly unclear, it’s not an easy time for college applicants. As colleges are being forced to rethink their policies in the wake of the Supreme Court‘s ruling against affirmative action, more schools are also choosing to end legacy preferences, adding uncertainty to the process. “There’s

An activist at the offices of Rep. Michelle Park Steel in Cypress, California, on Feb. 24, 2023 Araya Doheny | Getty Images Social Security is essential to older Americans’ financial security, yet there always seems to be a new headline about how the benefits are at risk. Douglas Boneparth, a certified financial planner and president

In this article ZIP Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Hinterhaus Productions | The Image Bank | Getty Images The job market remains strong despite gradual cooling from pandemic-era highs, according to labor economists — but workers don’t seem to share that outlook. Employee confidence fell last month to its lowest level since 2016, according

Zoran Zeremski | Istock | Getty Images Retirees who rely on Medicare for health-care coverage may see those benefits diminish in as soon as eight years. “It’s life and death for millions of older Americans,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said last week during a Senate budget committee hearing titled “Medicare Forever: Protecting Seniors by Making

Image Source | Vetta | Getty Images Social Security retirement benefits provide guaranteed monthly income for the duration of your retirement. But when you die, your checks stop coming. “You only get Social Security while you’re alive,” said Bruce Tannahill, a director of estate and business planning with MassMutual. Surveys show retirees are tempted to