Personal finance

Despite higher prices, consumers are still spending, although not as much as they were a year ago, which is giving their budgets some breathing room. As of January, 60% of all U.S. adults, including 45% of high-income earners, were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a new LendingClub report. That’s down from 64% a year earlier,

Sneksy | E+ | Getty Images For some individuals, the solution for eliminating crushing debt is to file for bankruptcy. While the catalyst for going that route differs from person to person, it’s worth knowing which obligations can and cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. For instance, just last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in

A new Bankrate ranking found the Austin, Texas, metro area is the best for first-time home purchasers. Roschetzkyistockphoto | Istock | Getty Images Prospective buyers looking to secure the purchase of their first home this spring will still face a difficult market. Yet there are signs some areas of the country may provide more opportunity

College can be difficult and expensive for all students, but for many young people of color, those challenges can seem insurmountable. The Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn, New York, however, has created an alternative path — a one-year program to help students get lucrative tech jobs that typically go to college graduates with a four-year

Getting into college is hard enough, but figuring out how to pay for it is another hurdle altogether. Higher education already costs more than most families can afford, and college costs are still rising. Tuition and fees plus room and board for a four-year private college averaged $53,430 in the 2022-2023 school year; at four-year, in-state public colleges,

Damir Khabirov If you’re eager to capture higher yields amid rising interest rates, you may consider a Treasury bill ladder, depending on your goals, according to financial experts. Backed by the U.S. government, Treasury bills, or T-bills, are widely considered a relatively safe asset, with terms of four weeks to 52 weeks. You receive the

A renovated apartment in New York City after The Expert consultation sessions with designers Jessica Gersten and Athena Calderone. The Expert Aside from bingeing Netflix, creating the picture-perfect home may have been the pandemic’s most popular habit. Whether it’s organizing a pantry or adding on a home office, gym or spa-like bathroom, homeowners have been

Phiromya Intawongpan | Istock | Getty Images Anyone who’s exploring homeownership may know that rising interest rates and elevated home prices are making that goal challenging. The average rate on a typical 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage has been zigzagging between 6% and 7% for the last several months — down from above 7% in early November

People walk past a mural of George Floyd by the Cup Foods where he was killed by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images When George Floyd was murdered by police in 2020, the event brought a “scary” time for the Minneapolis neighborhood where it occurred. “Everything was

Newsday Llc | Newsday | Getty Images If you’re among the people who leased an auto in 2020 and are nearing the end of that agreement, you may want to check what the car is worth before turning it in. The average trade-in value of cars leased in 2020 is 19% more ($3,965) than the

Shoppers look at items displayed at a grocery store in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 15, 2023. Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images A new U.S. government reading showing persistent high inflation rattled Wall Street on Friday. Consumers can expect the rate of price growth will likely stay higher than average through 2023. “Inflation is

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Kent Nishimura | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images The Biden administration is currently blocked from carrying out its promise of canceling up to $20,000 in student debt for tens of millions of Americans while its relief plan heads to the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, the nine justices

Credit card providers are benefitting from post-pandemic travel and increasing card usage in general, with balances way up in recent months. Valentinrussanov | E+ | Getty Images Financial stocks were so out of favor for most of 2022 that perhaps their tickers should have been appended with a Nathaniel Hawthorne-esque “U” — for “unloved.” Yet

MStudioImages | E+ | Getty Images If you’re looking for a relatively safe place for cash, Treasury bills have recently become more attractive, experts say. Backed by the U.S. government, Treasury bills, or T-bills, have terms ranging from four weeks up to 52 weeks, and investors receive interest when the asset matures. Over the past

In this article FIS Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Fluxfactory | E+ | Getty Images In a year marked by stiff economic headwinds, retirement savers paid the price. Although the average 401(k) balance rose in the fourth quarter of last year, balances ended 2022 down 23% from a year earlier to $103,900, according to

Many Americans are feeling increasingly cash-strapped. An extra paycheck next month could help. If you are a W-2 employee and get paid biweekly, there are two months out of the year when you will receive three paychecks instead of the usual two. Depending on your pay schedule, your first three-paycheck month in 2023 could be

Pixelfit | E+ | Getty Images Falling behind on federal student loans is likely to trigger other major financial consequences for borrowers, according to new research by The Pew Charitable Trusts. More than 80% of borrowers who experienced default stated that they’d faced at least one additional consequence as a result. The most common impact

Citing inflationary pressures and sinking enrollment, more colleges are set to close in 2023. Already, Presentation College in Aberdeen, South Dakota; Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, New York; Holy Names University in Oakland, California; and Living Arts College in Raleigh, North Carolina announced they will shut down after the current academic year. The consequences of fewer students and less

Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images The pandemic-relief policy suspending federal student loan payments has now been extended eight times and spanned nearly three years. When will the payments actually resume? It’s still uncertain. Experts say the Supreme Court hearings on Feb. 28 over President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan will solidify the timeline.

Urbazon | E+ | Getty Images Democratic lawmakers in Washington are renewing a proposal to give every American child $1,000 at birth. The “baby bond” funds, called American Opportunity Accounts, would then be topped off with up to $2,000 per year, depending on a family’s income. The accounts would be federally insured and managed by