Personal finance

Gasoline was priced from $4.29 a gallon at a fuel station in Virginia on Aug. 16, 2023. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Inflation jumped in August on the back of higher gasoline prices, according to the consumer price index. But there’s good news for Americans: That increase is likely temporary, economists said.

Lauren Rosenberg, right, of Portland, Maine, and her nanny, left, play set out toys for Rosenberg’s children. Portland Press Herald | Portland Press Herald | Getty Images Child care is already scarce and expensive — and the stakes are about to get higher. The federal government provided states with nearly $24 billion in stabilization funds

Jeffrey Coolidge | Photodisc | Getty Images The IRS is launching plans with boosted technology and artificial intelligence to collect unpaid taxes from higher earners, partnerships and large corporations, which could transform tax compliance or spark challenges for the agency, experts say.  After past criticisms of low audit rates among the wealthy, the IRS on

Squaredpixels | Getty Images When it comes to saving and investing, many investors tend to think of two key goals — funding emergencies that could crop up in the short term or retirement that may be years away. But as many individuals continue to reconsider their goals following the Covid-19 pandemic, experts say that that

Used car sales are soaring all over the U.S., and companies from Autonation to CarMax, Carvana and Buffalo, New York-based used car start-up ACV Auctions are benefitting. Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images During the pandemic, shoppers splurged on higher-end new cars. Now, given the current high car costs and interest rates, drivers

Xavier Lorenzo | Moment | Getty Images Not long ago, it was common to earn low returns on cash — less than 1%. But after the Federal Reserve embarked on a series of interest rate increases to tamp down inflation, that has changed. Now, investors may get as much as 5% or more interest on

Odilon Dimier | PhotoAlto | Getty Images Even though more students feel priced out of college entirely, there are efforts to improve access to higher education that seem to be working. In 2011, San Francisco made headlines when it became the first city in the nation to kick off a college savings account with $50

In this article WFC Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Jasondoiy | Istock | Getty Images Coming up with a large chunk of cash for a down payment is likely the first thing that comes to mind when people think of buying a house one day. But you probably don’t need as much money as

Getty Images There are two kinds of risk that investors should understand when building a portfolio: risk tolerance and risk capacity. They describe different aspects of a person’s risk profile — and ignoring them can put investors “in a really bad situation,” said Charlie Fitzgerald III, a certified financial planner based in Orlando, Florida. Asset

A sign posted outside a restaurant looking to hire workers in Miami, May 5, 2023. Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images The gap between wage growth and inflation is closing. But it may take time for workers to fully recover from the fastest jump in prices in 40 years. “Hopefully, before too

John M Lund Photography Inc | Digitalvision | Getty Images Most Americans will have to rely on their savings to fund their retirement, but financial stress makes it hard for many workers to save. A new CNBC Your Money Survey conducted by SurveyMonkey found that 74% of Americans are feeling financially stressed, up from 70%

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis laughs during a press conference in Auburndale, Florida, Jan. 30, 2023. Paul Hennessy | Lightrocket | Getty Images During a campaign event in Iowa in early August, Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis made it clear that he was against student loan forgiveness. Given broad criticism on the issue from Republicans, the

In this article WFC Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Senator Bill Cassidy, R-La., seen at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 11, 2021. Joshua Roberts | Reuters Republican senators Bill Cassidy, M.D., of Louisiana; John Thune of South Dakota and more than a dozen other GOP colleagues introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution this week

FG Trade | E+ | Getty Images “Know your worth,” career experts often say. But when it comes to salary expectations, American workers are already setting the bar high. What some labor economists are calling a “near-perfect” job market has helped propel the amount of money most job applicants would accept to a record this

Drazen Zigic | Istock | Getty Images It’s the end of an era for student loan borrowers. After a three-year reprieve, interest began accruing again on federal education debt as of Sept. 1. In October, millions of borrowers will make their first student loan payment since before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. The pause on student

Taylor Swift performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at SoFi Stadium on August 09, 2023 in Inglewood, California. Kevin Winter/tas23 | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images To quote Taylor Swift, “It’s a cruel summer” — especially for some consumers falling prey to common scams. Swift fans eager to buy tickets may

The battle against inflation is not over. As of July, 61% of adults still said they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a new LendingClub report, slightly more than last year’s 59%. Yet, recent releases show that, at least compared with the soaring inflation of a year ago, consumers who have been squeezed by

Monty Rakusen | Digitalvision | Getty Images Commodities aren’t for everyone, as they can be tricky investments. But for individual investors willing to learn the basics and accept volatility, a judicious allocation can make sense. This can diversify traditional portfolios of stocks and bonds, hedge against geopolitical risk and protect against sustained inflation. Yet buying

Srdjanpav | E+ | Getty Images Interest will start accumulating on student loans again starting Sept. 1, following a pause on interest accrual that has lasted for more than three years during the pandemic era. That imminent policy change puts a spotlight on a key difference between two types of student debt: subsidized and unsubsidized

Close up upset businesswoman in glasses having problem with laptop, broken or discharged device, confused unhappy woman looking at computer screen, reading bad news, unexpected debt or spam Fizkes | Istock | Getty Images The interest on federal student loans has started accruing again. Since March 2020, the interest rate on most government-owned education debt