Personal finance

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images There’s still time to boost 401(k) contributions and max out your plan account for 2024, but not everyone should, according to financial advisors. For 2024, employees can defer up to $23,000 into 401(k) plans, up from $22,500 in 2023, with an extra $7,500 for workers age 50 and older. Some

Stefanie Kiser Book: “Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant”. Cover design by Jillian Rahn/Sourcebooks. Courtesy: Stefanie Kiser Stephanie Kiser came to New York City in 2014 as a new college graduate, hoping to become a screenwriter. Instead, she spent the next seven years as a nanny for wealthy families. Kiser’s new memoir, “Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant: How

Glowimages | Getty Images You may have never heard of National Public Data, yet your personal information may have been compromised in the company’s recent massive data breach. The background check company, which is owned by Jerico Pictures Inc., recently released details of the breach after a proposed class action lawsuit alleged 2.9 billion personal

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on Friday gave the clearest indication yet that the central bank is likely to start cutting interest rates, which are currently at their highest level in two decades. If a rate cut comes in September, as experts expect, it would

Taiyou Nomachi | Digitalvision | Getty Images Remote work, a trend that sprang to prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic, appears to be an entrenched fixture of the U.S. labor market, according to economists. The work-from-home revolution is “one of the major shifts in the U.S. labor market in the last couple decades,” said Nick Bunker,

Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz at the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. Charly Triballeau | AFP | Getty Images Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night. In his speech, Walz credited

Yale University. Yana Paskova / Stringer (Getty Images) The cost of attendance at some colleges is now nearing six figures a year, after factoring in tuition, fees, room and board, books, transportation and other expenses. Among the schools appearing on The Princeton Review’s “The Best 389 Colleges” list, eight institutions — including New York University, Tufts, Brown,

Aire Images | Moment | Getty Images Retirees may have income from Social Security, a pension, a retirement plan or other sources — and they typically must either withhold taxes or make quarterly payments to avoid IRS penalties. For 2024, the quarterly estimated tax deadlines are April 15, June 17, Sept. 16 and Jan. 15,

Although the fate of federal student loan forgiveness is up in the air, college students may be borrowing more for the coming year in part because of the expectation that their debt may get forgiven, recent research suggests. With few families able to shoulder the sky-high tuition tab, students and their parents are increasingly leaning

Richard Drury | Digitalvision | Getty Images After funneling money into pretax retirement accounts, you will eventually face mandatory withdrawals in retirement known as required minimum distributions, or RMDs. Since RMDs can trigger higher taxes, the withdrawals can be a nuisance for some retirees who do not need the money. But the yearly activity could

Kathryn Bracho, 48, with her husband, Michael, and their two sons, Declan and Taran. Courtesy: Kathryn Bracho With federal student loan forgiveness in jeopardy and the rising cost of college now a top concern for students and their families, more Americans are prioritizing saving for higher education. In 2024, 74% of parents surveyed have started

Vice President Kamala Harris, left, and former President Donald Trump Reuters As former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris unveil their economic agendas, both presidential candidates have called for tax changes that could affect millions of Americans. Taxes will be a key issue for the next president. Without action from Congress, trillions in

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks at an Aug. 10 campaign rally in Las Vegas. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images Affordable housing is a cornerstone of the “opportunity economy” that Vice President Kamala Harris sketched out last week. Harris’ economic policy pitch included proposals to lower the costs

Will & Deni Mcintyre | Corbis Documentary | Getty Images The notion of offering free school meals could become a policy issue in the U.S. presidential race, experts say — especially given Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on the Democratic ticket. The federal government offered K-12

A Target store in Queens, New York. Lindsey Nicholson | UCG | Universal Images Group | Getty Images The back-to-school shopping season is in full swing, with the hefty bills to prove it. Nearly one-third — 31% — of back-to-school shoppers said that buying supplies for the new year will put them into debt, according to a

JGI/Jamie Grill | Blend Images | Getty Images Higher prices have made it more difficult for Americans to stretch their paychecks. Yet new research finds a bright spot: Most households have enough liquidity to cover “moderate expense shocks,” according to a recent JPMorgan Chase Institute analysis of a sample of 5.9 million households through anonymized

Kumikomini | Istock | Getty Images In 2004, Sabrina Finch returned to school to become a nurse. Her mother, Rebecca, was excited for Sabrina, then in her early 30s, to finally have a career. She’d watched for years as Sabrina struggled to get by working low-wage jobs, including in fast-food restaurants and factories. As a

Activists demonstrate in support of a $15-per-hour minimum wage and tips for restaurant workers in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 8, 2022. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images The federal minimum wage recently marked a new anniversary. But for affected workers, that may not be something to celebrate. The federal minimum wage has now been

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at an event with U.S. President Joe Biden (not pictured) in Prince George’s County, Maryland, U.S., August 15, 2024.  Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday unveiled an economic plan, including an expanded child tax credit worth up to $6,000 in total tax relief for families

Klaus Vedfelt | Digitalvision | Getty Images From leggings to lip gloss, there’s a dupe for almost any brand-name product. Buying a knockoff used to be a consumer’s dirty little secret, largely because a “fake” was considered inferior to the real thing, not to mention the economic cost and intellectual property rights infringement. But brand imitators,