Personal finance

ozgurcankaya Filing taxes is more expensive this year as the industry raises prices to combat a growing accountant shortage. The cost of tax preparation and accounting fees grew 8.3% in November 2023 compared to the previous year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Taxpayers typically spend an average of $140 to file taxes

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images There’s no place like home — especially as you age. Most adults ages 50 and up — 77% — want to stay in their homes long term, according to AARP. Yet many are putting off the necessary improvements and upgrades to their homes to make that possible. “People might

James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano and Edie Falco as Carmela Soprano seek counseling in HBO’s hit television series, “The Sopranos” (Year 3).  HBO | Hulton Archive | Getty Images Quiet luxury is out and the ‘mob wife’ era is in, according to Kayla Trivieri’s viral TikTok video. “Bold glamour is making a comeback,” she says. Think:

Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images New government data shows a surprisingly strong job market for the month of January. But there are signs of weakness in the labor market, based on tens of thousands of workers who have been laid off since 2024 started. U.S. employers announced 82,307 job cuts in January, up from

The job market looks solid on paper. Over the course of 2023, U.S. employers added 2.7 million people to their payrolls, according to government data. Unemployment hit a 54-year low at 3.4% in January 2023 and ticked up just slightly to 3.7% by December. “The labor market has been fairly strong and surprisingly resilient,” said

In an already tumultuous year for college hopefuls, news that financial aid award letters will likely be late is the latest blow. The delay puts high school seniors under pressure to decide on a college with little or no time to weigh the most important factor: cost. The U.S. Department of Education said rolling out the

Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images “Financial sextortion,” a type of cybercrime that targets teens and tweens, is on the rise. Reports of financially motivated sextortion involving minors increased at least 20% from October 2022 to March 2023 relative to the same six-month period the prior year, the FBI said in January.  “Sextortion is

J_art | Moment | Getty Images House lawmakers on Wednesday night passed a $78 billion bipartisan tax package, including a child tax credit expansion that could benefit millions of children in low-income families, according to policy experts. If enacted, the bill would expand access to the child tax credit, or CTC, and retroactively boost the

Photoattractive | E+ | Getty Images Building wealth may feel like a struggle for today’s younger generations who grapple with student loan balances and high home prices. Now, a new bill introduced in Congress aims to make it so wealth creation starts from birth. The proposal — called the 401Kids Savings Act — is led

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to United Auto Workers members at the UAW’s Community Action Program legislative conference in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2024. Leah Millis | Reuters The Biden administration announced on Wednesday that it will try to deliver student loan forgiveness to borrowers experiencing financial hardship. After the Supreme Court struck down

The U.S. Department of Education says it recently updated a key part of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid formula, but, as a result, colleges won’t receive FAFSA applicant information until early March, instead of late January as initially estimated. “Our ‘North Star’ here is trying to make sure that students get the help they need for college,”

Hiraman | E+ | Getty Images It wasn’t so long ago that workers had the power to “quiet quit” or join the great resignation. That is no longer quite so easy. Some laid-off employees report they are having a hard time in their job search or making it through hiring processes. In fact, 55% of

Travelcouples | Moment | Getty Images Jan. 30 is National Plan for Vacation Day — and travelers mapping out their next excursion have a few reliable money-saving hacks at their disposal. Total travel costs — including airfare, hotels, rental cars, dining out and entertainment — are down an average 2% in the past year, according

Between girl math, loud budgeting and cash stuffing, the trendiest financial advice is increasingly born on TikTok. That’s helped financial TikTok, also known as FinTok, take off. Now it’s one of the most popular sources for financial information, tips and advice, particularly among Generation Z. The hashtag #FinTok, representing just the financial TikTok community, has more than 4.7

Medium shot of smiling woman trying on sunglasses while shopping in boutique during vacation Thomas Barwick | Digitalvision | Getty Images Currently trending on TikTok: digital cameras, Jellycat plush toys and lip oils. But the bigger trend? Not buying any of it. “Loud budgeting,” which emphasizes being vocal about wanting to save money, is a

Maskot | Digitalvision | Getty Images Workers are sour on the job market — but that pessimism may be somewhat misplaced. The Glassdoor Employee Confidence Index in January fell to its lowest level since 2016, when the career site began tracking the metric, it said Monday. The index measures how workers feel about their employer’s

Sdi Productions | E+ | Getty Images Humans like choice. Indeed, it’s a bedrock principle of autonomy and freedom. But when it comes to investing, having too many choices can be bad. “Most likely, it will hurt you rather than help you,” said Philip Chao, a certified financial planner and founder of Experiential Wealth, based

Fotostorm | E+ | Getty Images Millions of American workers are paying for early access to their paychecks. In some cases, it can come with a steep price. So-called “earned wage access” programs, which operate either directly to the consumer or through employers, let workers tap a portion of their wages before payday, often for

Kseniya Ovchinnikova | Moment | Getty Images The opening of tax season is approaching — and experts have a few reminders before you file. The IRS expects to receive more than 128.7 million individual tax returns before the deadline for most filers, which is April 15. Generally, the best way to avoid a delayed refund

By many measures, Generation Z is doing well. Compared with their parents at this age, young adults are more likely to have a college degree and work full time — particularly women, who are not only achieving increasing levels of education but also earning more.    However, Gen Z adults are also less likely to own a