Personal finance

In this article FIS Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT In a year that defied most economists’ expectations, retirement savers reaped the benefits. Retirement account balances, which took a sharp nosedive in 2022 due to market volatility, have now started to bounce back, according to the latest data from Fidelity Investments, the nation’s largest provider

In this article HRB Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT An H&R Block tax preparation office is seen on Flatbush Avenue in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City on Feb. 6, 2024. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images After cracking down on TurboTax maker Intuit, the Federal

Fg Trade | E+ | Getty Images Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Paramount are among a long list of companies with recent layoffs. Many of those unemployed workers are now trying to figure out how to get by without a paycheck. CNBC spoke to financial experts on the best way to use your financial resources while

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images As thousands of layoffs make headlines, experts say there is a silver lining — a resilient job market. But to find your next position faster as companies cut costs, you may have to take a new approach. In January, companies cut a record 82,307 positions, the highest number of

Alistair Berg | Digitalvision | Getty Images A record 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment helped Social Security beneficiaries stave off the effects of inflation in 2023. But as they file their federal returns this tax season, they may be surprised to find more of their benefit income has been taxed. Capitol Hill lawmakers on both sides of

Payment apps have come under scrutiny by lawmakers and regulators as their usage skyrockets. It only takes a tap to instantly send money to friends and family. Customers also use them to quickly buy goods online. That ease of use has 80% of Americans using mobile payment apps, according to a recent survey by NerdWallet.

Runstudio | The Image Bank | Getty Images Credit card interest rates have ballooned to record highs in recent years — and the growing portion of the formula that generates profit for card issuers is partly to blame, according to a new analysis by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The average consumer paid a 22.8%

Maskot | Digitalvision | Getty Images Several factors may affect your path towards homeownership — one may be your parents. “If your parents are homeowners, you’re more likely to be a homeowner,” said Susan M. Wachter, a professor of real estate and finance at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Homeowner parents are

Getting into college is hard enough, but figuring out how to pay for it is even trickier. Problems with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid only add to the stress this year. “All of these different pieces create a concern about placement and affordability,” said Eric Greenberg, president of Greenberg Educational Group, a New

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at an event at Culver City Julian Dixon Library, in Culver City, California, U.S. February 21, 2024.  Kevin Lamarque | Reuters When Marlon Fox, a chiropractor in North Charleston, South Carolina, got his student debt forgiven last year, he was thrilled. His $119,500 balance was reset to zero. But the

Eclipse_images | E+ | Getty Images Many near retirees expect Social Security to be their largest source of income when they stop working. Yet those who are on the brink of their so-called golden years fall short when it comes to knowledge about the program’s rules and what they can personally expect, according to a

For a growing number of families, financial aid is crucial when it comes to paying for college. But students must first fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to access most forms of assistance. And this year, the new 2024-25 form has been plagued by problems. There is a bit of good news for families who have saved,

  Sturti | E+ | Getty Images The cost of housing is generally expensive across the board for Americans, whether you’re a renter or an aspiring homeowner. While both home prices and rent have outpaced wage growth in most areas, renting can be the smarter financial choice in many markets, said Susan M. Wachter, a

President Joe Biden takes questions from reporters, after he delivered remarks in the State Dining Room, at the White House on November 09, 2022 in Washington, DC.  Samuel Corum | Getty Images The Biden administration said on Wednesday that it would forgive $1.2 billion in student debt for nearly 153,000 borrowers enrolled its new repayment

President Joe Biden speaks about his economic plan at the Flex LTD manufacturing plant in West Columbia, South Carolina, on July 6, 2023. Sean Rayford | Getty Images Since the Biden administration’s first student loan forgiveness plan was rejected at the Supreme Court, it has been working on creating a new, legally viable relief package.

A Johnson, Vermont, resident removes items destroyed in flooding of a finished basement in 2023. Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images American basements are a hodgepodge of personal property, leveraged as storage units, man caves, game rooms, wine cellars, home bars and secondary living rooms. The problem is: If your basement floods, your flood

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc With consumer prices still rising due to higher inflation, there is one way to save money that you may be overlooking: raising your credit score. Increasing your score from fair (580 to 669) to very good (740 to 799) may help you save $22,263 over the life of your credit and

  Klaus Vedfelt | Digitalvision | Getty Images This year, I want to be more intentional with my money. A lot of uncertainty lies ahead, especially as a Gen Z adult. We often “doom scroll” and read headlines about how the globe is becoming more uninhabitable with every passing day. While I sometimes question if

Taking a financial education class in high school does pay off. In fact, there is a lifetime benefit of roughly $100,000 per student from completing a one-semester course in personal finance, according to a recent report by consulting firm Tyton Partners and Next Gen Personal Finance, a nonprofit focused on providing financial education to middle and

Marlon and his dog, George. Courtesy: Since 1988, Marlon Fox has been paying down his federal student debt. He didn’t see an end in sight. Then, on Aug. 25, 2023, an email popped up in his inbox with the subject line: “Your student loans have been forgiven!” His $119,500 balance was reset to zero. “I