Personal finance

Manonallard | E+ | Getty Images Many Americans are capping off the holidays with new debt balances. This season, 36% of American consumers took on holiday debt, according to a new survey from LendingTree. Those who racked up balances this season took on an average of $1,181 in debt, up from $1,028 in 2023. However,

Janet Yellen, U.S. Treasury secretary, on a tour of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in Vienna, Virginia, on Jan. 8, 2024. Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images The U.S. Treasury Department has delayed the deadline for millions of small businesses to Jan. 13, 2025, to file a new form, known as a Beneficial Ownership Information

Fernando Gutierrez-Juarez | Picture Alliance | Getty Images It has been a banner year for spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds, with some of the biggest asset managers introducing ETFs that hold the flagship digital currency. But there are things to consider before adding these ETFs to your portfolio, experts say.   The U.S. Securities and Exchange

After a strong start to the holiday season, consumer spending is on track to reach record levels this year. But many of those purchases will soon be returned. December’s peak shopping days are closely followed by the busiest month for sending items back, which experts dub “Returnuary.” This year, returns are expected to amount to 17%

Home Alone (1990) 20th Century Fox The classic Christmas movie “Home Alone” tells the improbable tale of a family who leaves their 8-year-old son home when they leave for vacation. Yet in the years since the 1990 film was released, viewers have focused on another question — how wealthy was the fictitious McCallister family featured

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 9, 2024.  Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters The Biden administration has withdrawn two major plans to deliver student loan forgiveness. The proposed regulations would have allowed the U.S. Department of Education secretary to cancel

Ryanjlane | E+ | Getty Images The IRS plans to issue automatic “special payments” of up to $1,400 to 1 million taxpayers starting later this month, the agency announced last week. The payments will go to individuals who did not claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit on their tax returns for that year and who

Sdi Productions | E+ | Getty Images The U.S. job market has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, from one characterized by record levels of employee turnover to one in which there is little churn. In short, the “great resignation” of 2021 and 2022 has morphed into what some labor economists call the “great

Credit card rewards can go a long way toward attracting new customers and encouraging existing borrowers to spend. But whether they’re earning cash back, points or miles, most consumers end up leaving some reward dollars on the table. Now the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is cracking down on some issuers’ “bait-and-switch” rewards programs. The consumer

Mariah Carey performs “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards.  Gilbert Flores | Penske Media | Getty Images “I don’t want a lot for Christmas / There is just one thing I need / An answer to just one question / An estimate of Mariah Carey’s song royalties, please?”

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, U.S. December 10, 2024.  Kevin Lamarque | Reuters The Biden administration announced on Friday that it would forgive another $4.28 billion in student loan debt for 54,900 borrowers who work in public service. The relief is a result of fixes

A few years ago, Wes Bellamy, 38, took stock of his investment accounts in preparation to buy a home in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was then that he noticed significant gains in his 401(k). Although Bellamy, who is the chair of the political science department at Virginia State University, had been saving diligently for nearly a

Professionalstudioimages | E+ | Getty Images President-elect Donald Trump has been vocal about potentially raising tariffs on imported goods, which experts say could bump up car prices. Trump has talked about implementing an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imported goods, as well as adding tariffs of 25% on all products from Mexico and Canada. On

Richard Stephen | Istock | Getty Images As Congress scrambles to avoid a government shutdown, the Senate is also poised to consider another bill that would increase Social Security benefits for some public workers. But the bill, the Social Security Fairness Act, may undergo changes if some Senators’ efforts to add amendments are successful. Per

Homebuyers touring a house with a real estate agent. sturti | Getty The Federal Reserve on Wednesday cut interest rates for the third time in 2024. Despite the move, mortgage rates increased. The 30-year fixed rate mortgage spiked to 6.72% for the week ending Dec. 19, a day after the Fed meeting, according to Freddie

Drs Producoes | E+ | Getty Images The average 401(k) savings rate, including employee deferrals and company contributions, continued to climb in 2023, a new industry survey reported. In 2023, the average combined savings rate was 12.7%, up from 12.1% in 2022, with employees deferring 7.8% of pay and companies adding 4.9%, according to the

In this article NNI Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Chair Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., conducts the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth hearing titled Promoting Competition, Growth, and Privacy Protection in the Technology Sector, in Dirksen Building on Tuesday, December 7, 2021. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images A

The US Capitol building in Washington, DC, on November 24, 2024.  Daniel Slim | Afp | Getty Images The Senate is getting closer to a final vote on a bill that would increase Social Security benefits for an estimated 3 million people. The chamber voted Wednesday to let consideration of the bill — the Social

Filadendron | E+ | Getty Images High interest rates aren’t deterring many shoppers from store credit cards. When asked to choose between a store card or a buy now, pay later plan, 58% of surveyed shoppers prefer store cards, according to a new report by LendingTree. The remaining 42% picked BNPL loans. The site polled

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images Many investors are likely still deciding whether to stay in bitcoin or reduce their profits from the last bull run to new all-time highs. So, after a strong year for bitcoin, it could be time for investors to weigh rebalancing their portfolio by shifting assets to align with other