Personal finance

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

Source: Getty Images Rising credit interest rates have made it even more expensive to carry debts. But a proposal in Congress that would cap rates on consumer loans at 36% may not be an effective way of curbing those higher costs of borrowing, according to new research from the Urban Institute’s Financial Well-Being Data Hub.

pcess609 If you’re expecting a refund this season, it’s critical to file a complete and accurate tax return to avoid “extensive processing” and delays, according to the IRS.    One of the keys to error-free filing is including all your required tax forms, known as information returns, which employers and financial institutions send yearly, with copies

Eggs for sale at elevated prices in New York on Jan 21, 2023. Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Egg prices soared to historically high levels in 2022 — and one group is alleging the trend is due to something more nefarious than simple economics. Across all egg types, consumers saw average prices jump 60%

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., speaks to the cameras about the reconciliation bill in the Hart Senate Office Building on Monday, August 1, 2022. Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Now that the U.S. has hit the debt ceiling, lawmakers need to revisit the federal budget and find ways to make cuts,

Source: Getty Images If you made a Roth individual retirement account conversion in 2022, you may have a more complicated tax return this season, experts say.  The strategy, which transfers pretax or non-deductible IRA funds to a Roth IRA for future tax-free growth, tends to be more popular during a stock market downturn because you

The clock is ticking for the U.S. to avoid a default on its debt, and some are sounding the alarm about potential disruptions to Social Security and Medicare. On Thursday, Jan. 19, the U.S. outstanding debt hit its statutory limit. The debt limit or debt ceiling is the total amount of money the U.S. can

Whether by choice or necessity, many workers will change jobs in the months ahead. Some companies, particularly tech giants, have been announcing deep cuts to their workforces as they face ongoing challenges due to rising interest rates and inflation. Most recently, Google said that it will lay off 12,000 people, Amazon announced a fresh wave of job

Mstudioimages | E+ | Getty Images To maintain your standard of living in retirement, the rule of thumb is you need to be able to replace at least 70% of the income you had while you were working. But many retirees fall short of that retirement income goal, according to research from Goldman Sachs Asset

Iona Studio | Istock | Getty Images More people in the U.S. are deciding to hold off on medical care for financial reasons. The share of Americans who say they or a family member delayed medical treatment due to cost rose to 38% in 2022 from 26% in 2021, according to the results of a

Allison Michael Orenstein | Getty Images Social Security recipients are just starting to see the record 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment in their monthly checks. But come tax time, they could see surprises resulting from last year’s 5.9% increase, which at the time was the biggest COLA in four decades. Last year’s 5.9% cost-of-living adjustment was like

Prasit Photo | Moment | Getty Images Your investment ego may be costing you big bucks. “Overconfidence bias” is the behavioral principle of overestimating one’s own abilities, including financial acumen. And while confidence isn’t a bad thing, it can have damaging results — if you don’t have the chops to back it up. “It should

Generally speaking, the higher your credit score, the better off you are when it comes to getting a loan. FICO scores, the most popular scoring model, range from 300 to 850. A “good” score generally is above 670, a “very good” score is over 740 and anything above 800 is considered “exceptional.” Once you reach that 800