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,”
Personal finance
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
Families, parents and caregivers call on Congress to include paid family and medical leave in the Build Back Better legislative package during an all-day Nov. 2, 2021 vigil in Washington, D.C. Paul Morigi | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images It’s been a contentious battle to get paid family leave included in social spending legislation
A worker helps a customer at the Presidente Supermarket in Miami on April 13, 2020. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Workers across the U.S. are wondering how rising inflation might be impacting their take-home pay. Inflation has risen more than expected. In October, consumer prices increased 0.9% and pushed the year-over-year gain to 6.2%, hitting
Chesnot | Getty Images As the end of the year approaches, there are still ways to reduce cryptocurrency tax bills, financial experts say. The IRS generally defines cryptocurrency as property for tax purposes, and investors must pay levies on the difference between the purchase and sales price. If there’s a profit on assets held for less than
Student debt balances among 2020 graduates remained at an all-time high. Last year’s borrowing graduates in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Delaware owed close to $40,000 for their bachelor’s degree, on average, according to a report by the Institute for College Access and Success. More from Personal Finance:How to shop early and still get the best
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks at a press conference, along with House Democratic leadership, after the House passed the Build Back Better Act on Nov. 19, 2021. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images The House of Representatives passed legislation Friday that would make the child tax credit fully refundable
House Democrats on Friday passed their $1.75 trillion spending package with a temporary increase for the limit on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT. The bill would boost the limit to $80,000 from 2021 through 2030 before dropping it back to $10,000 in 2031. Without changes, the current $10,000 cap
lechatnoir | E+ | Getty Images Signing up for Medicare at age 65 doesn’t have to be a forever thing. If you’re among the retirees who are “unretiring” to rejoin the workforce and you are on Medicare, you may have a choice of whether to keep that health-care coverage or drop it until you need
Getty Images Many Americans are having a crisis of confidence when it comes to whether their savings will meet their retirement goals. To that point, 52% of working Americans feel they are behind on their retirement savings, according to a new survey from Bankrate.com. They may be on to something. There’s a $4 trillion difference
David Espejo | Moment | Getty Images Many Americans are suffering from sticker shock after seeing prices rise in recent months. A new survey from Country Financial finds that 88% of Americans are highly concerned about inflation. That’s as consumer prices soared to a more than 30-year record high in October, as measured by a
XiFotos | E+ | Getty Images Millions of Americans are quitting and finding new jobs as the pandemic-fueled “Great Resignation” continues. Many are probably leaving retirement plans with thousands of dollars behind. More than 25 million people who switched jobs between 2004 and 2014 left one or more employer-sponsored retirement accounts at their former
MoMo Productions | DigitalVision | Getty Images Retirees are coming out of retirement, and that’s a good sign for the labor market. Early retirements among older Americans were among the many labor distortions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to economists, as health risks and other factors led many to leave their jobs. But there’s
Marko Geber | DigitalVision | Getty Images As investors flock to municipal bonds, also known as muni bonds, the tax-free interest may trigger a costly surprise for higher-income retirees. There’s been record demand for U.S. municipal bond funds in 2021, with an estimated $85.36 billion in net inflows through September, according to Refinitiv Lipper data.
MoMo Productions The child tax credit is poised to get a significant haircut by mid-decade, even if Democrats pass the most recent version of their $1.75 trillion social and climate plan. Starting in 2026, the value of the tax break for parents would plunge by more than two-thirds relative to current law, to $1,000 per
Ty Wright | Bloomberg | Getty Images If you’re nearing the end of your car lease, don’t assume another one is your best option this time around. While many consumers go from lease to lease — which puts them in a new vehicle every few years — the pandemic has upended the auto industry. This
Most people are used to living with debt. Retiring in the red is another story. Maintaining enough cash on hand to cover recurring bills with interest is harder on a fixed income and adds another obstacle to the challenge of living comfortably. And yet, 46% of all Americans expect to retire in debt, according to
Ben Hasty | MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle | Getty Images Thinking of quitting your job soon? It may help you find a better gig. Many Americans are leaving their current employers in hopes of finding better jobs. In September, a record 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs, eclipsing the previous high set in August. At the
RyanJLane Fewer than 1 in 5 women — 15% — worked for employers that provided emergency paid leave during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to research from Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. In contrast, 22% of male workers had access to this benefit, which includes sick time and family and medical leave. The results are based
Corn muffin mix is stocked and on display for Thanksgiving dinner items at a Pete’s Fresh Market Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. John J. Kim | Chicago Tribune | Tribune News Service | Getty Images There’s going to be an extra guest at Thanksgiving dinner this year, making it more expensive than