Personal finance

Inflation dropped slightly in April, yet it’s still close to a 40-year high, with consumer prices rising at an annual rate of 8.3%. Rising costs for housing, food, airfares and new cars were the biggest contributors to that key gauge of inflation. The typical American family is spending about $450 more per month for goods

A shopper at a San Francisco grocery store on May 2, 2022. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Inflation is a growing concern as Americans spend hundreds more every month. But some retirees may avoid the sting of price hikes for gasoline, groceries and other costs.   Annual inflation rose by 8.3% in April,

Steve Debenport | E+ | Getty Images When it comes to negotiating a job offer, if you don’t ask — you won’t receive. It turns out many don’t ask, according to a survey from Fidelity Investments. Some 58% of Americans accepted the initial offer at their current position without negotiating, the survey found. Yet negotiating

Piksel | Istock | Getty Images Older Americans lose an estimated $2.9 billion per year to financial scams. The House of Representatives is moving forward with an initiative aimed at helping stem those losses. On Wednesday, the chamber passed the Empowering States to Protect Seniors from Bad Actors Act by a vote of 371-48. The

Win McNamee | Getty Images As spring warmth takes hold, homeowners may want to make sure they’re prepared for the severe weather that will likely soon follow. That preparation should include checking your insurance coverage. Whether you live in an area prone to hurricanes, tornados, flooding, hail, wildfires or severe storms — all of which

Foto Sipsak | Getty Images For decades, a college education was the “golden ticket” to the American Dream, translating into higher lifetime earnings and better job security. To that point, the median college graduate makes a total of $2.8 million throughout their career, compared to $1.6 million (a 70% difference) earned by their high school

Luis Alvarez | Digitalvision | Getty Images Inflation is hovering near 40-year highs. The Consumer Price Index, a key inflation metric, increased 8.3% in April from a year ago, the largest jump since the summer of 1982, the U.S. Department of Labor said Wednesday. While a slight reduction from the 8.5% rate in March, the

Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries could see another record cost-of-living adjustment in 2023, based on the latest government data showing persistent high inflation. But that increase may not be enough to pare the loss in buying power recipients have experienced over the years, according to a new analysis

To keep up with rising prices, many consumers are leaning on their credit cards. Credit card balances rose year over year, reaching $841 billion in the first three months of 2022, according to data released Tuesday from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Although balances fell slightly from where they stood at the end

Sarote Pruksachat | Moment | Getty Images The stock market has been off to a rough start this year. The S&P 500 Index is currently down more than 16% year to date through Monday’s close. That’s sparked worry for some investors. Some 43% said they’re too nervous to invest in the market right now, according

Hero Images | Getty Images Deciding when to claim Social Security retirement benefits is a complicated decision. But when two people are in the mix — particularly a couple where one spouse is the primary breadwinner — the decision may be even more complex. New research from Lafayette College takes a look at how Social

Jessie Casson | DigitalVision | Getty Images Stocks are sliding. But there may be a silver lining for investors. An investment loss poses an opportunity to trim your annual tax bill, via a mechanism called tax-loss harvesting. Here’s the basic premise: You sell an investment that’s in the red, and then use that investment loss

Kevin Dodge | The Image Bank | Getty Images About 14,470 students may have been underpaid $59.5 million in Social Security benefits, according to estimates from the Social Security Office of the Inspector General in a recent audit. The organization, which provides independent oversight of the Social Security Administration’s programs and operations, conducted an investigation

Sam Edwards | Getty Images Those annoying required minimum withdrawals from retirement accounts that kick in at age 72 may come with a silver lining: helping you make your money last through your lifetime. Generally speaking, if you were to take only your yearly RMDs it would mean those accounts wouldn’t be depleted in your

Nirat | Istock | Getty Images It’s no secret the Covid-19 pandemic has been tough on millions of moms. Trying to juggle work amid ongoing child care uncertainties has left many mothers frustrated into the third year of the pandemic. While tough choices between work and parenting were a shock for middle- and upper-income women,

Jeff Farschman, 72, is a serial cruiser from Delaware who spends months at sea in retirement. Jeff Farschman For nearly two decades, Jeff Farschman, 72, has spent his golden years like many other adventurous retirees — enjoying leisure cruises to exotic ports of call. But unlike many of his fellow cruise passengers, Farschman basically lives

Guido Mieth | DigitalVision | Getty Images Banks are starting to pay a higher return on your cash — good news for savers who’ve seen their stockpiles languishing from a gruesome combination of low interest rates and high inflation. However, some banks are moving faster than others. Some, particularly traditional brick-and-mortar shops, may not budge

For decades now, the country’s outstanding student loan debt balance has only trended in one direction: Up. Today, around 44 million Americans owe a combined $1.7 trillion for their education. But it didn’t have to be this way. Legislation like the GI Bill, the National Defense Education Act, and Higher Education Act of 1965 paved the way for

Bymuratdeniz | E+ | Getty Images Workers continue to see pay increases at a fast clip, but there are signs of a slowdown ahead. Average earnings for all workers grew by 0.3% in April, to $31.85 an hour, the Labor Department said Friday. That’s a modest reduction from the 0.4% pace in March. It also

Tom Werner | DigitalVision | Getty Images The IRS may have the ability to automate nearly half of tax returns, according to a working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. The agency could correctly auto-fill an estimated 62 million to 73 million returns with information it already has, covering 41% to 48% of