Personal finance

President Biden this week announced a long-awaited plan to forgive student debt for millions of borrowers — and criminals will likely leverage the news to steal from unsuspecting victims, the Federal Trade Commission warned on Friday. “Nobody can get you in early, help you jump the line or guarantee eligibility,” said a consumer alert issued

AntonioGuillem | Getty Images It’s something more than 40 million Americans have in common: They hold federal student loans. But the lending system is famously complicated, and these loans come with various names and terms depending on when they were taken out and for what purpose. What are usually just technical differences could now determine

Fast-food workers and supporters fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. James Leynse | Corbis Historical | Getty Images The Biden administration seems to have pegged a student loan policy announced Wednesday to its broader push for a national $15-an-hour minimum wage. The White House detailed a long-awaited plan to forgive up

Ekaterina Goncharova | Moment | Getty Images The IRS on Wednesday announced it will waive penalties for many Americans who late-filed tax returns during the pandemic. Nearly 1.6 million filers will automatically receive a collective $1.2 billion-plus in penalty refunds or credits, according to the federal agency, with many payments expected to come by the

For millions of Americans, learning Wednesday that the Biden administration plans to move ahead with sweeping student loan forgiveness likely sparked feelings of relief — followed by a lot of questions. The government has already made a surprising number of answers available, though time will tell how smoothly the cancellation unfolds between the U.S. Department

Supachok Pichetkul / Eyeem | Eyeem | Getty Images Some policy experts were quick to sound an alarm after President Joe Biden announced a sweeping new plan Wednesday to cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loans for borrowers with incomes under $125,000. Biden will cancel up to $20,000 for recipients of Pell Grants. The

A woman holds a sign during an Occupy Wall Street rally against the high cost of college tuitions April 25, 2012 in New York. Don Emmert | Afp | Getty Images For the millions of Americans with student debt who have been waiting to hear how the Biden administration would act — if at all

President Joe Biden could make his announcement on student loan forgiveness as soon as Wednesday, five sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News. Administration officials repeatedly said the decision would come before the end of August, when monthly loan payments are scheduled to resume after being paused for over two years as part

dowell | Moment | Getty Images After nearly eight months of market volatility, many investors still worry about rising interest rates and how those changes affect their portfolio. Some 88% of investors are concerned about rising inflation and interest rates, according to a J.P. Morgan Wealth Management study published Monday, polling more than 2,000 Americans,

Air conditioner units for sale during a heat wave in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Sergio Flores | Bloomberg | Getty Images Labor Day deals are already underway, with big discounts on summer clothing, appliances and outdoor furniture. “Sales have already started,” said Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst at DealNews.com. For cash-strapped consumers, this

A pedestrian carries shopping bags in San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, June 1, 2022. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Even as many people struggle to stretch their incomes amid high inflation, it turns out there’s money they already have they’re probably overlooking — unused gift cards. To that point, 47% of

Srdjanpav | E+ | Getty Images Many companies have announced layoffs in recent weeks, and others have hinted that cuts may be coming. Luckily, there are steps workers can take to prepare. “At the end of day, you can’t control what’s happening in the economy, but you can control building a strong professional resilience,” according

Credit cards are one of the easiest and most common ways to borrow money — but also one of the most expensive. Now the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is looking into just how much banks charge in credit card interest. With inflation surging, consumers have increasingly turned to credit cards to make ends meet, prompting the federal

andresr | E+ | Getty Images Medicare may seem like a maze when you first try to navigate it. After all, there are different “parts” to the federal health insurance program, which provides coverage for about 56.5 million individuals in the 65-and-older crowd. And, whether you’re reaching the eligibility age of 65 or you are

kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images The youngest workers entering the workforce — Gen Z, who range in age from 10 to 25 — showed dramatic adoption of individual retirement accounts, according to second quarter data released by Fidelity Investments this week. Fidelity IRAs owned by that generation increased 87% over the second quarter of

Impulse buys can quickly erode even the best financial plans. And yet, between sponsored posts on social media and “revenge spending,” they are nearly impossible to avoid. As the cost of living surges and more Americans say they are stretched too thin amid concerns about a possible recession, they’re dipping into their cash reserves and nearly half are falling

In this article FTCI Srdjanpav | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Trade Commission announced this week that it would send thousands of checks totaling more than $822,000 to student loan borrowers who lost money in a debt-relief scam. More than 14,500 consumers who paid money to a company that operated under the name Student

Getty Images As Generation X edges closer to retirement, inflation appears to be weighing more heavily on that age group than other adults. Compared with millennials (ages 26 to 41) and baby boomers (ages 58 to 76), a larger share of Gen Xers (ages 42 to 57) are concerned about the nation’s economic outlook, maintaining

Drazen Zigic | Istock | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education is giving federal student loan borrowers who’ve fallen behind on their debt a chance to get into current standing. As part of its “Fresh Start” initiative, the 7.5 million student loan borrowers who are in default will be able to return to repayment

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaking at a news conference on July 14. Made Nagi | Reuters With President Joe Biden‘s sweeping tax, health and climate package newly signed into law, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is asking the IRS to deliver a plan within six months for the agency’s nearly $80 billion in funding. “The Inflation