Personal finance

Caroline Purser | The Image Bank | Getty Images The Biden administration could start discharging millions of Americans’ student debt as soon as Sunday. This is possible as some of the legal challenges brought against the sweeping policy by critics have failed in courts. A taxpayers group in Wisconsin earlier this week requested that the

Xavierarnau | E+ | Getty Images Social Security benefits will go up by more than $140 per month on average in 2023, as a record 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment kicks in. Exactly how much of an increase the approximately 70 million Americans who rely on the program for income will see will vary. More than 65

Getty Images If you’re eager to save more for retirement in 2023, there’s good news from the IRS, which just announced higher limits for your annual 401(k) plan and individual retirement account contributions. The employee contribution limit for 401(k) plans is increasing to $22,500 in 2023, up from $20,500, and catch-up deposits for savers age

Getty Images If you’re planning to sell investments or rebalance your taxable portfolio, you may be less likely to trigger a tax bill in 2023, experts say. This week, the IRS released dozens of inflation adjustments for 2023, including higher income tax brackets, increased standard deductions, bigger estate tax exclusions and more.  The agency also

Stefani Reynolds | Afp | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education’s application for student loan forgiveness, which officially went live earlier this week, is surprisingly easy to fill out. Borrowers just need to provide some basic contact information and their Social Security number. That’s it. Well, for some. More from Personal Finance:How to save

Supreme Court nominee and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Capitol Hill in Washington, October 21, 2020. Ken Cedeno | Reuters The Supreme Court on Wednesday was asked to block the Biden administration’s student loan debt relief program, which is set to take effect this weekend. The request by the Brown County

Bernd Vogel | Getty Images Ultra-wealthy Americans can soon protect more assets from federal estate taxes, the IRS announced this week.  Starting in 2023, individuals can transfer up to $12.92 million to heirs, during life or at death, without triggering a federal estate-tax bill, up from $12.06 million in 2022.  Since married couples may share

Rising costs have chipped away at most Americans’ standard of living. As inflation pressures continue, two-thirds of working adults said they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, according to a recent report by Salary Finance. To make ends meet, many are dipping into their cash reserves or going into debt. Nearly three-quarters, or

Brandon Bell | Getty Images There’s no question that persistently high inflation is pinching household budgets across the nation. Yet, depending on variables such as location and spending patterns, your personal rate of inflation could be better or worse than the national average. In September, prices overall were 8.2% higher than they were a year

RyanJLane | E+ | Getty Images After a difficult year for the stock market, investors have poured money into Series I bonds, a nearly risk-free and inflation-protected asset that’s paying a record 9.62% annual interest rate through October. With the rate expected to drop to roughly 6.48% in November, there’s a brief window to secure

Workers are pushing for greater pay transparency, whether employers like it or not. Such conversations around income expectations used to be “the elephant in the room,” said Vicki Salemi, career expert at Monster.com. Now, 33% of job seekers said they would not even go to a job interview without first knowing the salary the employer

Wpadington | Istock | Getty Images President Joe Biden on Monday announced the official launch of the student loan forgiveness application. The news comes just days after the U.S. Department of Education made available on Friday evening an early version of its student loan forgiveness application. During the application’s short so-called beta period, Americans with

Student loan borrowers gather near The White House to tell President Biden to cancel student debt on May 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. Paul Morigi | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education has launched its official application for student loan forgiveness, meaning tens of millions of Americans can now request the financial relief. The

Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Cue the collective gasp of chefs, bakers and foodies: Food prices are up considerably — but none more so than for butter and margarine. Prices for these ingredients and spreads jumped 32% in September versus a year ago, the most among all grocery categories, according to

Emily the Criminal Courtesy: John Patton Ford In the new film “Emily the Criminal,” the title character, played by actress Aubrey Plaza, is almost always in a state of fear. There are moments where Emily’s dread lifts: after one of her successful heists, when she’s painting in her apartment to classical music or when she’s

A woman shops for chicken at a supermarket in Santa Monica, California, on September 13, 2022. Apu Gomes | AFP | Getty Images Despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to get the cost of living under control, prices just keep climbing — and the uptick is especially brutal at the supermarket. The cost of food overall

Tomekbudujedomek | Moment | Getty Images The historic climate legislation President Joe Biden signed in August offered a federal tax break — worth up to $7,500 — to households that buy new electric vehicles. But it may be tough for consumers to get the full value of the tax credit — at least initially. That’s

Wand_prapan | Istock | Getty Images Social Security’s average retiree benefit will go up by $146 per month in 2023, thanks to a record 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment prompted by high inflation. More than 70 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries will benefit from those higher payments. “It’s the highest COLA in 40 years,”

Student loan borrowers gather near The White House to tell President Biden to cancel student debt on May 12, 2020. Paul Morigi | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images The Education Department could begin beta testing the student debt forgiveness application as soon as Friday night, The Washington Post reported. The portal will be open

Geber86 | E+ | Getty Images As the U.S. economy attempts to find its footing as it emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, two looming uncertainties have emerged: persistent high inflation and a possible recession. So it’s no surprise that financial advisors who landed on the CNBC FA 100 list for 2022 are hearing about those