Personal finance

Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images This tax-filing season is expected to be difficult, as the IRS works through millions of unprocessed returns, according to a report from the National Taxpayer Advocate. An error-free return may avoid delays, and IRS transcripts can help, tax experts say. While most who file electronically and use direct deposit will

Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images You may have discovered that Medicare doesn’t cover the cost of at-home Covid tests.  While there are ways for beneficiaries to get free tests, a Biden administration mandate that private insurers cover the cost of at-home tests — up to eight per enrollee per month — does not

Carlina Teteris | Moment | Getty Images If you’re a 401(k) plan saver, odds are you are getting a “match” from your employer. But there’s a catch — that free money may not belong to you yet. About 98% of companies that offer a 401(k) plan make regular contributions to workers’ retirement savings, according to

Oscar Wong | Moment | Getty Images The stock market’s newest investors appear to like what they’ve seen so far. Among individuals who began investing last year, 86% plan to increase their stock holdings in 2022, according to a recent survey from Investing.com. This is despite fewer of them (67%) making a profit in 2021

JGI/Jamie Grill | Tetra images | Getty Images Most Americans are still struggling to build solid savings accounts nearly two years into the coronavirus pandemic. Some 56% of Americans are unable to cover an unexpected $1,000 bill with savings, according to a telephone survey of more than 1,000 adults conducted in early January by Bankrate.

In this article WTY-FF U.S. employers expect to pay an average 3.4% raise to their workers in 2022, according to a Willis Towers Watson survey. That projected wage growth is faster than actual raises paid in the prior two years, amid a competition for workers and high inflation, according to the poll of 1,004 companies,

freemixer | E+ | Getty Images If you’re like most Americans, you do not have a formal plan for what will happen to your assets when you die. Just 46% of Americans have made provisions for how their money and estate should be handled, a 2021 Gallup poll found. Those results have been more or

Margaret Bailey, pictured with her son, works hybrid, spending some time at home and some time in the office. Source: Margaret Bailey The ability to work remotely has been a lifeline for Margaret Bailey during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bailey, the mother of two young children, splits her time between home and the office as vice

d3sign Robots want to be your next financial advisor. Not too long ago, that notion may have smacked of sci-fi whimsy — “Star Wars” cyborg C-3PO in a power suit on Wall Street, perhaps. But robots, or so-called “robo-advisors,” may soon manage more than $1 trillion of Americans’ wealth. These aren’t actually tangible robots; they’re

This image provided by Jeopardy Productions, Inc. shows game show champion Amy Schneider on the set of “Jeopardy!” Schneider is the first trans person to qualify for the show’s Tournament of Champions. Jeopardy Productions | AP Amy Schneider has been on a “Jeopardy!” roll. The Oakland, California-based software engineering manager recently surpassed $1.1 million in

miodrag ignjatovic | E+ | Getty Images It’s not just retirees who need to think about Medicare. Anyone who plans to keep working when they reach the eligibility age of 65 should evaluate how — or if — Medicare will fit into their health-care coverage. The program’s general rule is that unless you meet an

The Dyrt co-founders Kevin Long and Sarah Smith work out of their camper van while traveling around the country. The Dyrt Sarah Smith and Kevin Long have taken remote work to a new level. Their office is a camper van. The location varies. The married couple, co-founders of camping app The Dyrt, ditched their Portland,

In this article TROW Geber86 | E+ | Getty Images Saving for retirement can seem like a far-off goal when other priorities — from day-to-day expenses to managing debts — feel more urgent. But if you don’t consistently put money aside toward your so-called golden years, you could fall behind. There’s a $4 trillion difference

FluxFactory As you approach retirement, you may find that your ideal life no longer includes your current spouse. You’re not alone. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of people who have been divorced is highest among those ages 55 to 64. Even though you may want to end your marriage, there may be

The resignation rate has increased at large organizations and small businesses, with more than 4.5 million workers quitting their jobs in November, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you recently left your employer — or are planning to do so — here are your options to make

Getty Images The pension plans of big U.S. companies haven’t looked this good since before the 2008 financial crisis — and that’s good news for workers and employers. A pension’s “funded” status is a core gauge of its health. It’s a measure of plan assets relative to liabilities (how much money the plan needs to

FatCamera | E+ | Getty Images Last year’s child-care expenses may be worth more at tax time than you realize. The child and dependent care tax credit, as it’s called, was expanded in several ways for 2021 alongside other tax changes. This means many families will get a bigger tax break and the credit could

A San Francisco grocery store. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Inflation is taking a big bite out of workers’ paychecks, eroding many of the raises businesses have offered to attract and keep employees in a hot job market. But strong wage growth in certain sectors, such as hotels and restaurants, has eclipsed those consumer

Sinenkiy | iStock | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries are receiving the highest cost-of-living adjustment in decades, thanks to rising inflation. That 5.9% increase went into effect in January. Prices have continued to climb higher since that change was announced in October. The Consumer Price Index, a government measure for price changes for certain goods,

After his confirmation hearing Tuesday, Jerome Powell is likely set for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, which means Americans can expect the U.S. central bank to start raising interest rates to control inflation. In March 2020, the Fed first cut interest rates to near zero and has held them there ever since, along