Personal finance

The Federal Reserve raised the target federal funds rate for the eighth time in a row on Wednesday, in its continued effort to tame persistent inflation. At its latest meeting, the central bank approved a more modest 0.25 percentage point increase after recent signs that inflationary pressures have started to cool. “The easing of inflation pressures

Moyo Studio | E+ | Getty Images The first Social Security check was issued 83 years ago. The check, for $22.54, went to retired legal secretary Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont. Today, in 2023, the average retirement benefit is $1,827 per month, according to the Social Security Administration. The maximum Social Security benefit for

Milan2099 | E+ | Getty Images For Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in an Advantage Plan, now’s the time to change your 2023 coverage if it’s not a good match. Each year between Jan. 1 and March 31, beneficiaries unhappy with the choice they made during Medicare’s annual open enrollment period — which ended Dec. 7 —

Westend61 When homeowners look for ways to fund home improvement projects or other expenses, sometimes a home equity line of credit emerges as an option. HELOCs, as they’re called, let you borrow money against a portion of your home’s equity — the difference between your mortgage balance and the house’s appraised value — up to

Shoppers in San Francisco on Dec. 21, 2022. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Months of high inflation have weighed heavily on households. As of December, 64% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent LendingClub report — up from 61% a year earlier and in line with the historic high first

Simpleimages | Moment | Getty Images Long Covid is keeping people out of work and may reduce on-the-job productivity for others, contributing to a labor shortage and weighing on the U.S. economy at large, according to a new study. Long Covid — also known as long-haul Covid, post-Covid or post-acute Covid syndrome — is a

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., conducts a news conference in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall on Thursday, January 12, 2023. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Social Security and Medicare should be “completely off the table” when it comes to debt ceiling negotiations, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said in a

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to announce its eighth consecutive rate hike at this week’s policy meeting.  This time, Fed officials likely will approve a 0.25 percentage point increase as inflation starts to ease, a more modest pace compared with earlier super-size moves in 2022. Still, any boost in the benchmark rate means borrowers

Bloomberg Creative | Bloomberg Creative Photos | Getty Images It’s possible that the U.S. Supreme Court will strike down the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan, leading to a reversal for the millions of Americans who had been expecting the debt cancellation. President Joe Biden in August announced that he’d forgive at least $10,000, and

People wait in line to attend a job fair at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 9, 2021, in Inglewood, California. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty Images These days the U.S. unemployment system is somewhat of an anomaly. Almost three years after the Covid-19 pandemic caused the worst jobless crisis in the U.S. since the

Wirestock | Istock | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education has “fully approved” more than 16 million people for federal student loan forgiveness and sent their applications to loan servicers, the Biden administration announced Friday. The administration gave a state-by-state breakdown of the number of borrowers who have applied and been approved for its

John Miller | iStock | Getty Images A group of House Republicans is revisiting the Fair Tax Act, which would replace certain federal levies with a national sales tax and decentralize the IRS. While the plan may not get a floor vote and wouldn’t make it through the Democrat-controlled Senate, policy experts say the plan

By most measures, the U.S. economy is in solid shape. Although the first half of 2022 started off with negative growth, a strong labor market and resilient consumer helped turn things around and give hope for the year ahead. Gross domestic product, which tracks the overall health of the economy, rose more than expected in

Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images As congressional lawmakers in the House slog through the early stages of negotiating over the debt ceiling — the amount of money the U.S. government can borrow — there’s been concern that those discussions could include spending cuts to Medicare. However, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has now made assurances

A woman shops for chicken at a supermarket in Santa Monica, California, on Sept. 13, 2022. Apu Gomes | AFP | Getty Images For those who fear a recession may be coming, the only question is when. Many economists and CEOs, in fact, expect a recession may be on the horizon this year A recession

Bill Oxford | E+ | Getty Images If you’re banking on a tax refund, it may be “somewhat lower” than last year’s payment, according to the IRS. Typically, you can expect a federal refund if you’ve overpaid yearly taxes or withheld more than what you owe. One of the big reasons for smaller payments this

Housing rights activists and tenants protest against evictions and the poor condition of their apartments outside the offices the landlord Broadway Capital in Chelsea, Massachusetts on April 25, 2022. Brian Snyder | Reuters The Biden administration announced on Wednesday new actions to protect renters across the U.S., including trying to curb practices that prevent people

Suze Orman speaks during AOL’s BUILD Speaker Series at AOL Studios In New York. Jenny Anderson | WireImage | Getty Images An unexpected bill is never convenient. But there are even more reasons now that an unforeseen event — such as a car repair or medical expense — could put Americans on unstable financial footing.

Lifestylevisuals | E+ | Getty Images It may come as no surprise that among millennials who have intended to buy a house this year, 92% said in a recent survey that inflation has impacted their goal. Yet most of them aren’t letting it serve as a roadblock, according to the survey from Real Estate Witch,

In this article AAPL Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT In the face of inflation, rising interest rates and slowing economic growth, there’s more competition than ever for consumers’ cash — and even how their purchases are made. Now, several of the large banks behind Zelle are teaming up to create their own digital wallet in a bid to