Personal finance

Ascentxmedia | Istock | Getty Images Washington lawmakers avoided touching Social Security when they crafted the recent bipartisan compromise to raise the debt ceiling. But the program may come under scrutiny as Congress continues to reevaluate federal spending. “This is the first step,” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Fox News shortly after the debt

Antonio Suarez Vega | Istock | Getty Images When it comes to how much they will need to comfortably retire, Americans have a “magic number” in mind — $1.27 million, according to new research from Northwestern Mutual. That’s up from $1.25 million last year, the financial services firm found, based on an online survey of

Prospective buyers are welcomed by real estate agents at an open house in West Hempstead, New York on April 18, 2021. Newsday LLC / Contributor It’s been a tough market for U.S. homebuyers with a limited supply of properties driving up prices nationwide. But another factor may have contributed to rising home costs in certain

The Publishers Clearing House offices in Jericho, New York on Jan. 30, 2019. Bill Perlman/Newsday RM via Getty Images) Publishers Clearing House will refund $18.5 million to customers and make changes to its online business practices as part of a settlement reached with the Federal Trade Commission, the agency said Monday. The FTC had sued

A lot of financial planning is, of course, about the future. But people’s goals can backfire if they neglect themselves in the present, says Preston Cherry, a certified financial planner and founder and president of Concurrent Financial Planning in Green Bay, Wisconsin. “Starving your current self … could be discouraging,” said Cherry, who is also

Images By Tang Ming Tung | Digitalvision | Getty Images Workers saw their buying power grow in May for the first time in two years, as inflation continues to fall from its pandemic-era peak. If the trend continues, it’d be welcome news for households, who could lean more on their paychecks instead of their savings

New York and London are some of the most desirable cities to live in due to the amount of job opportunities and the vibrant entertainment options — but residents are paying a premium. New York tied with Singapore as the most expensive cities in the world in 2022, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | Digitalvision | Getty Images Who’d think a little plastic rectangle could be associated with so much mystery and angst? When it comes to credit cards, 26% of Americans say they’re “dangerous” and another 9% call them “evil,” according to a NerdWallet poll. Credit card debt and interest rates are at

Blackcat | E+ | Getty Images Having ample cash set aside can help prevent an unexpected emergency from turning into a financial catastrophe. But when it comes to emergency savings, more than half of Americans — 57% — are uncomfortable with the level of money they have set aside, according to a new Bankrate survey.

Uber driver uses GPS navigation. Jaden Urbi | CNBC Workers have been picking up secondary jobs to help makes ends meet amid rampant inflation. That second stream of income can also be a smart move to help workers fill income gaps after they are laid off and looking for a new opportunity. “They pick up

Bret Shuford and Stephen Hanna knew from early on in their relationship they wanted to raise a child together. But the married couple didn’t think a biological child was a possibility. As freelancers in the creative arts, income isn’t always steady for Shuford and Hanna, even when working on Broadway. The Houston-based couple, known as

Marko Klaric / EyeEm | EyeEm | Getty Images Americans are eager to travel this summer despite inflation-strapped budgets. “They’re booking flights, hotels, rental cars, vacation homes,” said Hopper economist Hayley Berg. “They are also exhibiting deal-seeking behavior.” The overall price of travel is up 16% from this time in 2019, according to the NerdWallet

Jonathan Raa | Nurphoto | Getty Images Bitcoin has rallied amid news about possible spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds and other big names entering the digital currency space — and financial experts have tips for investors who want a piece of the action. The price of bitcoin topped $30,000 on Wednesday as traders grew bullish about

The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images Within two weeks, the Supreme Court justices should break for their summer recess. And yet there’s been no ruling on President Joe Biden’s sweeping student loan forgiveness plan. For many borrowers, it’s been an anxious wait. “Waiting to hear whether or not it will pass

More than half of Tal Thompson’s 46 employees are teenagers. The owner of the Art Factory in Midlothian, Virginia, said this summer, more than ever, she’s been inundated with applications from high school and college students looking for work. The pay for jobs at the studio and coffee shop, which hosts art classes, summer camps,

D3sign | Moment | Getty Images The recent tax season was relatively smooth compared with last year’s. But national taxpayer advocate Erin Collins still sees room for improvement as the IRS rolls out funding plan changes. “Overall, the difference between the 2022 filing season and the 2023 filing season was like night and day,” Collins

Gilaxia | E+ | Getty Images Humans use mental shortcuts in everyday life to help process information and make speedy decisions. But they can lead to bad choices when it comes to personal finance. Some of those poor outcomes are the result of “anchoring bias,” which can undermine a consumer’s rational thinking. This cognitive bias

Daniel Grill | Tetra Images | Getty Images The start of the year was plagued by waves of layoffs: through the end of May, companies announced plans to cut 417,500 jobs, up 315% from the same period last year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Big names like Disney, Google, Lyft and Meta were among

Erin M. Collins, National Taxpayer Advocate Source: IRS After a flood of business returns with a pandemic-era tax credit, the IRS is weighing guidance for those who wrongly claimed the tax break. The employee retention credit, or ERC, was created to support small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. There’s still time to amend returns and

The Manhattan skyline is shrouded in a smoky haze from Canadian wildfires as seen from the East River waterfront in Brooklyn, New York, June 6, 2023. Ed Jones | Afp | Getty Images Eight of the warmest years in history have all come since 2015. With an El Niño weather pattern developing, it could be