Personal finance

Americans are spending a little less this holiday season — but still more than they can afford. Total spending on Black Friday, both in stores and online, fell slightly from a year ago — the first decline on record — in part because holiday shoppers started their shopping earlier in face of supply chain setbacks

Reynisfjara is a world-famous black-sand beach located on the south coast of Iceland. Luis Cagiao Photography | Moment | Getty Images Iceland has been a focal point of my wanderlust for the better part of two years. The country is a dreamscape of natural beauty: the black sands of Reynisfjara, towering icebergs of the Jökulsárlón

The University of Maryland The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images Across the country, colleges are in crisis. Fewer students went back to school again this year, dragging undergraduate enrollment down another 3.5% from last year, according to a report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Combined with last autumn’s declines, the

Time is running out for families with kids to make any changes to information the IRS has on file for their last child tax credit payment of the year. Families have until Monday, Nov. 29, to reach out to the agency and have it reflected in the final monthly payment, set to go out on

David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images When it comes to shopping for a new car, this isn’t your typical Black Friday. Deals and discounts that were once plentiful this time of year are harder to come by. An ongoing global shortage of microchips — key components needed for today’s autos to operate —

A sign reading “Shop Local” with closed restaurants and shops on Main Street on April 10, 2020 in Livingston, Montana. William Campbell | Getty Images While Black Friday may be the biggest shopping day of the Thanksgiving weekend, about half of American consumers are expected to turn out for Small Business Saturday. A survey from

krisanapong detraphiphat | Moment | Getty Images Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost here — and consumers shopping for the winter holidays should be on the lookout for online scams. U.S. sales online are expected to hit $207 billion this holiday shopping season, between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, according to Adobe. That’s a

Alexi Rosenfeld | Getty Images As Democrats’ Build Back Better plan advances to the Senate, one key proposal — paid family leave — may be at risk of getting dropped from the $1.75 trillion package. But there is room for lawmakers to compromise and come up with a plan that costs less, according to a

A pizzeria in North Babylon, New York, advertises available positions for wait staff and delivery drivers. Newsday LLC | Newsday | Getty Images It turns out the “Great Resignation” is more of a “Great Reckoning,” according to a survey by consulting firm Mercer. In other words, the movement is more about who is quitting their

lisegagne | E+ | Getty Images Millions of American families with kids are set to receive the last of six advance monthly child tax credit payments Dec. 15. Yet, just a few days earlier, Dec. 3, the U.S. government is set to shut down if Congress doesn’t approve more funding to keep it open through

Second Harvest Heartland workers distribute food in a recent truck to trunk event. As Covid-19 cases in Minneapolis surge, so has the demand for food, said CEO Allison O’Toole. Courtesy: Second Harvest Heartland The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last year prompted millions of Americans to wait in long lines for food assistance in the

Tijana Simic | iStock | Getty Images Medical debt is a growing burden among Americans, with more than 1 in 3 U.S. adults carrying a balance, according to a 2021 Healthcare.com survey. The findings also revealed that more than 6 in 10 adults with overdue bills received care knowing they couldn’t cover the costs, and more

eyecrave | E+ | Getty Images Teachers who have spent their own money on masks, hand sanitizer or other Covid-19 related supplies this year will get a little help come tax time. Those costs can be deducted with other eligible out-of-pocket expenses on 2021 taxes filed next year. Teachers have been able to deduct up

Brothers91 | E+ | Getty Images If you lack health insurance, it may not be as out of reach as you might think. An estimated 10 million individuals who are uninsured could qualify for financial help with private insurance through the public marketplace, according to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Another 7 million could

JJFarquitectos | iStock | Getty Images The coronavirus pandemic brought unprecedented hardship to renters, at one point leaving as many as 40 million people at risk of losing their homes. That the situation got so bad, so quickly for tenants revealed long-lasting issues of housing instability in the U.S., caused by rapidly rising rents and

blackCAT | E+ | Getty Images It’s easy to ignore finances during the holiday season. But with five weeks left in 2021, there’s still time for year-end moves to slash tax bills or boost refunds, experts say. While tax planning is a year-round process, the last couple of months may offer the chance to finalize

katleho Seisa Despite the biggest cost-of-living adjustment in decades, Social Security beneficiaries may still find it challenging to make their monthly checks stretch farther next year. The reasons: Inflation is continuing to drive up consumer prices, while standard Medicare Part B premiums will rise by 14.5% in 2022 in a bigger-than-expected jump. The Consumer Price

President Joe Biden announced Monday that he is nominating Jerome Powell for a second term as chairman of the Federal Reserve, which means Americans can expect the U.S. central bank to maintain its patient stance on inflation and interest rates. Biden praised Powell and the Fed for “decisive” action that cushioned the impact of the

By nearly all accounts, this Black Friday could be bigger than ever. Nearly 2 million more people are expected to shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday (Nov. 29) this year compared to last year, according to the National Retail Federation. “We’re expecting another record-breaking holiday season, and Thanksgiving weekend will play a major role,”

Michael Tubbs, former mayor of Stockton, California. Nick Otto | AFP | Getty Images Michael Tubbs had the odds stacked against him while growing up in Stockton, California, as the son of a young single mother and an incarcerated father. Tubbs, 31, felt the expectations for his life as a Black man in America were