Peter Cade | Getty Images Many people know about their 401(k) perks, but their plan may have a hidden feature that allows for even more savings. When someone maxes out their 401(k) — $19,500 in annual contributions for those under 50 in 2021 — some plans may permit them to stash more money into their
Personal finance
Image Source | Getty Images It’s not uncommon to want to return to work after retiring. Whether for financial reasons or personal fulfillment, many older Americans find that retirement isn’t working for them. Yet before you make the leap, it’s worth considering how that extra income could affect other parts of your financial life. Of
Tom Werner | DigitalVision | Getty Images Retailers are making it easier than ever to make purchases with “buy now, pay later” loans. Also known as point-of-sale installment loans, they are a type of short-term financing that allow you to divide your purchases into monthly installments. Services that offer them, like Affirm, Klarna, Afterpay and
ljubaphoto | E+ | Getty Images Like much of the travel and hospitality industry, travel agents took a huge hit when the pandemic struck in March 2020. However, after months of struggle and setbacks, a potential silver lining has emerged: Travel advisors’ effective advocacy for clients stranded or stymied during the global lockdown has now
Getty Images The other day I did something I haven’t done in over a year: I signed into my student loan account. Or, at least that’s what I tried to do. Turns out I’d forgotten my password and couldn’t get in. Instead of going through the steps to change it, I closed the browser and
Ungureanu Vadim | EyeEm | Getty Images In January, Anna Brekken had finally made 120 student loan payments, the number at which borrowers are supposed to get the rest of their debt cancelled under the public service loan forgiveness program. When she submitted her request for forgiveness, she looked forward to walking away from her
In this article AMZN Amazon driver Shawndu Stackhouse delivers packages in Northeast Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, April 6, 2021. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images It’s typically one of the biggest sales of the year. And in 2021, Amazon Prime Day could be even bigger. The annual two-day shopping event is set
Pedestrians wearing protective masks carry shopping bags in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images For many Americans, the post-pandemic normal is exciting. After more than a year stuck inside and forgoing travel, entertainment and more to curb the spread of Covid-19, many people are ready
For long-term investors, daily headlines are distractions. Westend61 / Josep Rovirosa | Getty Images It’s no secret that Social Security is underfunded, and many Americans are struggling to scrape by on their monthly benefit checks. Now, congressional leaders have raised a key question on reforming the program. “Should we vote now or should we kick
Anchiy | E+ | Getty Images The age when older Americans must start making withdrawals from retirement accounts could change yet again. Under a provision in proposed retirement legislation pending in Congress, required minimum distributions, or RMDs, would start at age 75 by 2032, up from age 72 — which only took effect last year
JGI/Jamie Grill | Tetra images | Getty Images Many workers who stash money in a 401(k) retirement plan get some sort of matching contribution from their employer — it just may be a while before that money is entirely theirs. While the majority (82%) of employers that offer traditional 401(k) plans say they match a
New York schoolchildren study at home during the coronavirus lockdown on April 6, 2020. Peter Titmuss | Education Images | Getty Images Parents without bank accounts, take note: The IRS will not send any of the upcoming enhanced child tax credit payments via debit cards, according to a Treasury spokesperson. The payments, which are set
Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards Rising consumer costs have helped push the latest estimate for next year’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment to 5.3%. Whether that will actually be the bump retirees see to their monthly checks in 2022 depends a lot on the economy, including whether the Federal Reserve decides to raise interest rates. The
Eric Holcomb, governor of Indiana, speaks at the White House on June 26, 2020. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images More than 400,000 people are poised to lose unemployment benefits this weekend as eight states withdraw early from pandemic-era programs. Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming are opting out of
maybefalse | E+ | Getty Images You probably can come up with many things you’d rather do than spend time planning for your own death. However, there’s part of creating an estate plan that experts say deserves thoughtful consideration: choosing the individuals who will carry out the wishes in your will and who will make
Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards For months, renter Sabrina Floyd waited with to hear if she and her family were approved for help from the Clark County rental assistance program in Las Vegas. She’d often ask her caseworker for updates, and would get the same reply: “Thank you for your continued patience during these hard
In this article IRSA3-AR Children line up to attend class at PS 361 in Manhattan on the first day of a return to class during the Covid pandemic in New York City on Dec. 7, 2020. Carlo Allegri | Reuters People who don’t generally file taxes but have children who are eligible for the new
shapecharge | E+ | Getty Images For workers who lose track of their 401(k) savings accounts, help may be on the way. Proposed retirement legislation that’s pending in Congress would create an online “lost and found” database to help locate those accounts, among a variety of other provisions. While lawmakers are in the early stages
Personal finance expert Suze Orman likes bitcoin. Not as a currency, but as a long-term investment, the best-selling author told CNBC’s “Power Lunch” Monday. Back in April, she said she told listeners of her podcast, Women & Money (And Everyone Smart Enough To Listen), “Any money that you can afford to lose, then I don’t
Miami Beach, Florida Artur Debat | Moment | Getty Images Interest in travel is picking up as the pandemic winds down, and cooped-up Americans are itching to hit the road again, two recent surveys have found. Travelers are thinking about booking trips to warm and sunny domestic climes — be they Sun Belt cities or