Personal finance

Caroline Purser | The Image Bank | Getty Images The Biden administration is firing back at Republicans considering bringing a legal challenge against President Joe Biden’s historic move to forgive the student debt of tens of millions of Americans. A White House spokesman, Abdullah Hasan, accused the GOP of double standards that punished the middle

Sebastian Rothe / Eyeem | Eyeem | Getty Images Households may soon be able to claim thousands of dollars in tax breaks and rebates if they take steps to reduce their carbon footprint. But eco-friendly consumers must wait until 2023 — perhaps even 2024 or later — to see many of those financial benefits. The

Jose Luis Pelaez | Getty Images Married women may want to make sure they consider the possibility of unplanned singlehood when it comes to retirement preparations. Among women retirees, 51% of those who are divorced or widowed stepped away from the workforce earlier than planned, according to a new report from the Employee Benefit Research

In this article ZG A for-sale sign in front of a home listed for more than $1 million on April 29, 2022 in San Francisco. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Grocery shoppers aren’t the only ones who have to contend with the phenomenon known as “shrinkflation,” which is what happens when the price of something

Newsday Llc | Newsday | Getty Images In pre-pandemic years, Labor Day sales events offered generous discounts on new cars as dealerships aimed to clear out current-year models and start selling the next year’s versions. These days? Not so much. related investing news Goldman Sachs says brace for an even bigger housing downturn Carmen Reinicke

In this article BAC Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images To help narrow a homeownership gap among Black and Hispanic-Latino communities, Bank of America is launching new zero down payment, zero closing cost mortgage products to help people in minority communities buy their first homes. The program — called the Community Affordable Loan Solution

dmphoto | E+ | Getty Images There’s good news if you’re eligible for student loan forgiveness: It won’t trigger a federal tax bill. And while some may still owe state taxes, it may be fewer borrowers than expected. It depends on whether and when states conform to federal tax laws, including the American Rescue Plan

Fg Trade | E+ | Getty Images Depending on your financial picture, you might qualify for either free or reduced-cost high-speed Internet service under a new federal initiative. The Affordable Connectivity Program, as it’s called, provides a monthly discount of up to $30 for eligible households (up to $75 for those on qualifying tribal lands)

RossHelen | Getty Images If you’re not careful how you manage your money, you could be incurring hefty bank fees that may be otherwise avoidable. Between overdraft or non-sufficient fund fees, charges for interest and non-interest checking accounts and ATM fees, a substantial bite could be taken out of your budget, according to Bankrate.com‘s latest

d3sign | Moment | Getty Images Identity crime involving government benefits, social media accounts and other scams jumped by 36% in 2021 to an all-time high, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. The good news is that there are several ways individuals can protect themselves. About 15,000 people reported an identity-related crime or attempted

zimmytws | iStock | Getty Images As the November elections midterm elections approach, leaders on both sides of the aisle are trading barbs on one key program that affects millions of Americans — Social Security. Over the weekend, President Joe Biden called out certain lawmakers on Twitter, including Republican Senators Rick Scott of Florida and

Luis Alvarez | Digitalvision | Getty Images Employer demand for workers remains historically strong — and that means workers have the power to negotiate for better pay, benefits and other aspects of their jobs, according to economists. There were more than 11.2 million job openings in July, an increase of 199,000 from June, according to

In this article F HOUSTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 29: Students study in the Rice University Library on August 29, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Brandon Bell | Getty Images News | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education could have its application for student loan forgiveness up and running as soon as within the next few

Consumers are increasingly relying on credit cards to make ends meet, but it hasn’t significantly impacted their financial standing — at least when it comes to their credit rating. The national average credit score sits at an all-time high of 716, unchanged from a year ago, according to a new report from FICO, developer of one of

The Good Brigade | Digitalvision | Getty Images Mortgage rates are projected to decline next year — but that doesn’t mean prospective homebuyers should necessarily delay a purchase for the prospect of lower financing costs. The rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage will fall to an average 4.5% in 2023, according to a recent housing

A customer shops in a Kroger grocery store on July 15, 2022 in Houston. Brandon Bell | Getty Images Many consumers have suffered sticker shock at the grocery store due to record high inflation. But another surprise that’s grabbing consumers’ attention — and even trending on TikTok — is “shrinkflation.” Almost two-thirds, 64%, of all

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images September has historically been the worst month for stocks. To that point, just two months have delivered an average negative return for stocks since 1945, according to market research firm CFRA: February and September, with the latter being the worst. The Stock Trader’s Almanac reports that, on average, September is

Cyano66 | Istock | Getty Images With much fanfare, President Joe Biden has signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act. Historians may one day say this legislation did more to complicate an already too complicated tax code than any tax bill in the past 50 years. It is now up to the Internal Revenue Service

Camille Tokerud Photography Inc. | Stone | Getty Images Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries will get two checks in September, for a maximum sum of $1,682. But the second check is no reason to celebrate, as it is not extra money. In months where bank holidays occur, that pushes up the distribution date for payments. In

In this article TREE Mark Hunt | Disabilityimages | Getty Images Owning a home is one of the key ways to build wealth. But for aspiring Black homeowners, that can be a difficult milestone to reach, according to a new report from LendingTree. Research from the online loan market company finds the mortgage denial rate