Personal finance

Andreswd | E+ | Getty Images Open enrollment season can be a whirlwind for anyone. Being in a relationship adds an extra layer of complexity, especially when your workplace enrollment windows don’t align. Conflicting deadlines, varying benefits options and differing risk appetites make it challenging for couples to coordinate their choices. However, you can make

Rgstudio | E+ | Getty Images Owning a home makes some people feel more confident about their prospects for retirement — but that may be misguided, some experts say. About 37% of polled workers — including those with part- or full-time jobs, or who are self-employed or business owners — say they are “ahead of

d3sign | Moment | Getty Images If you want — or need — to travel this holiday season, start planning now because the ideal time to book Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s travel is fast approaching.  “The most important thing is for travelers to continue to think about planning now and booking in October,” said

Recent signs of cooling inflation are paving the way for the Federal Reserve to cut rates when it meets next week, which is welcome news for Americans struggling to keep up with the elevated cost of living and sky-high interest charges. “Consumers should feel good about [an interest rate reduction] but it’s not going to

Traders on the New York Stock Exchange floor on Sept. 9, 2024. Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images September historically hasn’t been kind to stock investors. Since 1926, U.S. large-cap stocks have lost an average 0.9% in September, according to data from Morningstar Direct.   September is the only month during that

Aire Images | Moment | Getty Images The third-quarter estimated tax deadline for 2024 is Sept. 16, and skipping a payment could trigger a penalty, according to the IRS. Typically, you need estimated payments for any income without tax withholdings, such as earnings from self-employment, contract or gig economy work and investment or retirement income. 

Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images Rare bipartisan momentum is growing in the House of Representatives to force a vote on a bill that would address a topic Congress typically avoids — Social Security. The bill — the Social Security Fairness Act — would repeal two rules that reduce Social Security benefits for workers and

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., questions IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig at a Senate Finance Committee hearing. Tom Williams | Pool | Reuters With trillions in tax breaks scheduled to expire after 2025, lawmakers are debating policy priorities that could impact millions of families and small businesses. Enacted by former President Donald Trump in

D3sign | Moment | Getty Images Inflation cooled in August and fell to its lowest level since February 2021, which was around the time the consumer price index began to climb during the pandemic era. This broad trend in the U.S. economy — a declining but still-positive rate of inflation — is known as “disinflation.”

Thanks to the run up in housing prices, homeowners now have more than $32 trillion in home equity as of the first quarter of 2024, according to the St. Louis Federal Reserve — an all-time high. “It’s one of the very few things we can say about today’s housing market that is, more or less, positive,” said

People watch the presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at a watch party hosted by the New York Young Republican Club, in New York City, U.S., September 10, 2024.  Adam Gray | Reuters With fewer than 60 days until

Patchareeporn Sakoolchai | Moment | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries have seen higher cost-of-living adjustments in recent years, prompted by record high inflation. Yet next year’s increase may not be as generous. Based on new government inflation data, beneficiaries may see just a 2.5% increase to benefits in 2025, estimates Mary Johnson, an independent Social

Terry Vine | Getty Images As “DormTok” social media posts entice college students to design elaborate dorm rooms — “the stakes of dorm decor have never been higher,” according to House Beautiful — parents may be wondering if they have the right insurance coverage to protect all those purchases. Enter: “dorm insurance.” Before signing up,

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. August 20, 2024 and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Bedminster, New Jersey, U.S., August 15, 2024 are seen in a combination of file photographs.  Marco Bello | Jeenah Moon | Reuters As the election ramps up, many investors are focused on capital gains taxes and

Raising kids is expensive. Of course, many believe that the rewards far outweigh the financial cost. However, others are opting for a life without children, largely because of affordability constraints. Now, nearly a quarter, or 23%, of millennials and Generation Z without children do not plan to become parents, primarily due to financial reasons, according

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he announces a new plan for federal student loan relief during a visit to Madison Area Technical College Truax Campus, in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S, April 8, 2024.  Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Earlier this summer, millions of federal student loan borrowers got a promising email. The Biden administration informed them that debt forgiveness

For months, economists have wrestled with the disconnect between how well the economy is doing and how badly people feel about their financial standing. Now, evidence suggests that the so-called “vibecession,” or that prolonged period of negative sentiment about the economy, appears to be ending, according to Michael Pearce, deputy chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics.  As inflation cools

With the presidential election approaching, experts are sounding alarms about the upcoming expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA. Without action from Congress, trillions in tax breaks enacted by former President Donald Trump via the TCJA will expire after 2025. The outcome of the 2024 election will determine which political party

George Kinder Kinder Institute George Kinder wants everyone to be free. At first blush, that concept of personal fulfillment or enlightenment may seem better suited to the realms of religion or spirituality than personal finance. But Kinder, who’s recognized as the father of the “life planning” branch of financial advice, has preached the interconnection of

Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at Portsmouth International Airport in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Sept. 4, 2024. Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images Vice President Kamala Harris is calling for a higher capital gains tax rate, and financial advisors have tips for top earners who could be affected. The Democratic presidential nominee