Personal finance

In this photo illustration a man looks at the post by Taylor Swift endorsing Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris on the online social media and social networking site Instagram displayed on a smart phone on September 12, 2024 in Bath, England.  Matt Cardy | Getty Images News | Getty Images The stigma of the “childless

Woman at home looking at the bills and taxes.  Hirurg | E+ | Getty Images The tax extension deadline is Oct. 15, but you have options if you still can’t pay your balance, experts say. This year, the federal tax deadline was April 15. Those struggling to meet that due date could submit Form 4868

Courtesy: Wojciechowski Family Real estate is a key puzzle piece in achieving the U.S.’ climate goals, according to federal officials. Residential and commercial buildings account for 31% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, after accounting for “indirect” emissions like electricity use, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That’s more than other economic sectors like transportation

The U.S. has experienced an unprecedented wealth boom. Yet, few Americans — including millionaires— feel confident about their financial standing. Only 12% of Americans consider themselves wealthy, according to a new report by Edelman Financial Engines. Despite their high net worth, just 33% of millionaires said the same, the report found. Edelman Financial Engines polled more than

The Federal Reserve slashed interest rates by a half percentage point, or 50 basis points, on Wednesday, its first rate cut since March 2020. Even before the Fed rate cut, some homeowners had already taken advantage of recent declines in mortgage rates to refinance. Refinance activity increased to 46.7% of total applications during the week

Jgi/jamie Grill | Tetra Images | Getty Images In January, experts said 2024 would be a “very good year for savers.” And it still is, despite the Federal Reserve’s recent 50 basis point rate cut, which will push record returns on cash lower. “Those rates aren’t going to go from awesome to awful overnight,” said

Steve Smith | Tetra Images | Getty Images Handling the estate of a deceased parent can be an emotional process for children already dealing with grief.  Those emotions can become more complicated if the estate plan doesn’t unfold as expected — say, if there is an uneven split of assets among children or a previously

Mari Pepin and Kenny Braasch got engaged on season 7 of “Bachelor in Paradise” and married in 2023. Photo: Dolce Amor Co. Theoretically, contestants on ABC’s “The Bachelor” are looking for love. What they often find are business opportunities. Mari Pepin, 28, got both. Pepin was a participant on “The Bachelor” season 25, which aired

Getty Images Consumers may feel their medical bills are unyielding, inflexible, set in stone. But that’s not always true: A new study shows patients can often reap financial benefits by disputing charges that seem erroneous or by negotiating for financial relief. Of consumers who don’t reach out to question a medical bill, 86% said it’s

Nitat Termmee | Moment | Getty Images There are few certainties when it comes to investing. The stock market can seem to gyrate with little rhyme or reason, guided up or down by unpredictable news cycles and fickle investor sentiment. Average stock returns have historically trended up over long time periods, but their trajectory is

Moyo Studio | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Reserve announced a half percentage point, or 50 basis points, interest rate cut at the end of its two-day meeting Wednesday. And, naturally, some Americans will want to make the most of the central bank’s first rate cut since the early days of the Covid pandemic.

Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images House lawmakers in Washington have the signatures they need to force a vote on a bill to eliminate rules that reduce Social Security benefits for certain retirees who also receive pension income. On Thursday morning, Reps. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., and Garret Graves, R-La., marked the 206 signatures a

Andresr | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Reserve is poised to make its first interest rate cut in years on Wednesday. But homeowners shouldn’t bet on the move as an opportunity to immediately refinance their mortgage. That’s because “a lot of these rate cuts are already priced in,” Chen Zhao, the economic research lead

Chris Wattie | Reuters The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday it will lower its benchmark rate bya half percentage point, or 50 basis points, paving the way for relief from the high borrowing costs that have hit consumers particularly hard.  The federal funds rate, which is set by the U.S. central bank, is the interest rate

Solstock | E+ | Getty Images Victoria Szafarski currently has $10,000 in credit card debt.  The New Yorker’s outstanding balance peaked at $25,000 last year, before she took on a second job as a waitress for a few months. The extra cash Szafarski brought in helped her make headway paying down the debt and increase

Alistair Berg | Digitalvision | Getty Images Planning to work longer is a popular escape hatch for Americans who feel they’ve saved too little to support themselves in old age. About 27% of workers intend to work in retirement because they need to supplement their income, according to a new CNBC and SurveyMonkey survey. They

Greg Hinsdale | The Image Bank | Getty Images If you’ve inherited a pretax individual retirement account since 2020, you could face a sizable tax bill without proper planning, experts say.  Previously, heirs could take inherited IRA withdrawals over their lifetime, known as the “stretch IRA.” However, the Secure Act of 2019 enacted the “10-year

Luminola | E+ | Getty Images Four years after the Covid pandemic began, there are more than 900,000 fewer undergraduates enrolled in college. The overall rate of high school graduates choosing to enroll in college held steady in 2023, compared to a year earlier, according to a recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center — which Doug

In this article NAVI Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT jetcityimage The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last week said it had reached a $120 million settlement with student loan giant Navient that could lead to compensation for hundreds of thousands of borrowers. The CFPB accused Navient of steering student loan borrowers into expensive forbearances, miscalculating their

Yellow Dog Productions | The Image Bank | Getty Images No one likes a surprise tax bill, and there is still time to take action if you have not paid enough taxes for 2024, experts say.   Generally, employees pay taxes via withholdings from each paycheck. Other income requires quarterly estimated payments. Overpaying typically results in