Personal finance

D3sign | Moment | Getty Images With one week until the April 15 federal tax deadline, the IRS has released an “important update” for Direct File, the agency’s free tax filing program. Since March 12, the pilot program has been fully open for certain filers in 12 states, and Direct File now allows users to

[This stream is set to start at 2:15 p.m. ET.] President Joe Biden will announce on Monday the details of his new student loan forgiveness plan, which could impact tens of millions of Americans. Immediately after the Supreme Court rejected Biden’s first attempt at wide-scale education debt cancellation, the president said he would seek to

President Joe Biden on Feb. 21, 2024, visiting a library in Culver City, California. Irfan Khan | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images President Joe Biden will announce on Monday a new, sweeping student loan forgiveness plan, which could benefit tens of millions of Americans. Biden will share the details of the aid package at

Thomas Barwick A “silver tsunami” — with a record number of Americans expected to turn age 65 — is here. Americans who reach that milestone age face high-stakes financial decisions. Two of the most important choices retirees face — which Medicare health insurance coverage option to choose and when to claim Social Security benefits —

Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at State Farm Stadium. Kevin Mazur | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Revenge spending is not dead. Even as Americans owe $1.13 trillion on their credit cards, consumers are still willing to splurge on impulsive purchases. It’s a phenomenon also known as

Songsak Rohprasit | Moment | Getty Images The tax deadline is approaching and some filers are turning to chatbots powered by artificial intelligence for help with returns. But taxpayers should be wary of generative AI — which uses artificial intelligence to create content — for tax advice, experts say. Nearly 1 in 5 Americans would

Now Hiring sign in a supermarket window in Queens, New York.  Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images The U.S. job market continues to chug ahead without signs of overheating — a good sign for workers and the U.S. economy, according to economists. While the market has cooled from its breakneck pace of the “great

Justin Sullivan | Getty The Powerball jackpot hit $1.3 billion on Friday — the game’s fourth-largest prize. While most Americans still buy tickets in person, that could change as lottery apps emerge in more states. As for the next drawing, there are two payout options: a lump sum of $608.9 million or an annuity worth

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on canceling student debt at Culver City Julian Dixon Library on February 21, 2024 in Culver City, California.  Mario Tama | Getty Images The Biden administration will soon roll out a sweeping new student loan forgiveness proposal that could impact millions of Americans. Despite its smaller scope than President

Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images The tax deadline is approaching and there’s still time to score a deduction with a pretax individual retirement account contribution — if you qualify. For 2023, the IRA contribution limit was $6,500, plus an extra $1,000 for investors age 50 and older. That increased to $7,000 for 2024, with

Worried woman looking at her mobile phone. Srdjanpav | E+ | Getty Images There’s a student loan forgiveness opportunity available to many borrowers, but they’ll have to act by April 30 to qualify, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says. The U.S. Department of Education is conducting a one-time adjustment of borrowers’ payments this summer, and

Image Source | Image Source | Getty Images Managing one’s personal finances can seem like a hodgepodge of never-ending checklists and rules of thumb. With all sorts of financial considerations vying for attention — budgeting, saving, paying off debt, buying insurance, being savvy shoppers — consumers may inadvertently overlook some important nuggets. Here are some

The price tag for a college education has never been higher — and it’s only going up. The cost of attendance at some schools, including New York University, Tufts, Brown, Yale, and Washington University in St. Louis, is now nearing six figures a year, after factoring in tuition, fees, room and board, books, transportation and

Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty Images The Biden administration moved this week to limit how much rent can rise in certain affordable housing units across the country. While some housing experts criticized the move, tenant advocates said the new rule, which will cap rent increases at 10%, will help people to stay in their

Getting into college is one thing, staying in is another. Although college enrollment declines leveled off this year, the number of students who started but then withdrew has been on the rise, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. There are now more than 40 million students who are currently unenrolled. At the same time, roughly

As the April 15 federal tax deadline draws near, most taxpayers have less than two weeks to submit their 2023 individual tax return or file an extension — but for scammers, that’s still ample time to try to steal filers’ personal and financial information.  Last year, the IRS received 294,138 complaints of reported identity theft,

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images Some retirement savers can still snag an extra tax incentive for 2023. However, most eligible filers don’t claim it, according to the IRS. The retirement savings contribution credit, or “saver’s credit,” can help low- to moderate-income filers offset part of the funds added to an individual retirement account,

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow enters the courtroom for her trial in Park City, Utah, March 24, 2023. Rick Bowmer | Getty Images “Quiet luxury” is back under a new name: old money style. The quiet luxury trend, marked by expensive materials in muted tones, caught on in a big way after Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski accident trial last March,

Mstudioimages | E+ | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries who owe money to the Social Security Administration may see much lower default withholding rates from their monthly checks, thanks to new policies that are going into effect. As of March 25, the Social Security Administration will no longer collect 100% of a total monthly Social

Scott Olson | Getty The Powerball jackpot is officially $1 billion — the fifth-largest prize in the game’s history — without a winner from Saturday night’s drawing. If you win the grand prize by matching all six numbers, you’ll have two payout options: a lump sum of $483.8 Million or annuitized payments worth $1 billion.