Advisors

Medianews Group/orange County Register Via Getty Images | Medianews Group | Getty Images It’s easy to swipe your credit card or send a check when donating to charity. But you could score a bigger tax break by gifting another asset. Some 34 million U.S. adults gave $3.1 billion for Giving Tuesday 2023, up by 0.6%

Fotostorm | E+ | Getty Images If you need to get a mortgage to buy a house, make sure your finances are in order — especially your debt-to-income ratio. Your debt-to-income ratio is all your money debt payments divided by your gross monthly income. It’s the “number one way” lenders measure your ability to manage

Artistgndphotography | E+ | Getty Images There’s soaring interest in donating cryptocurrency to charity as digital currency investors seek to maximize their tax break and impact. “A lot of folks have begun to realize that crypto giving is hugely beneficial,” said Kyle Casserino, vice president and charitable planning consultant for Fidelity Charitable, a public charity

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images If you’re planning a gift to charity this holiday season, you could score a tax break by donating cryptocurrency. But there are some key things to know before making the transfer, experts say. In 2024, there’s been a significant jump in crypto gifts to charity, according to Fidelity Charitable,

Grace Cary | Moment | Getty Images After decades of building your nest egg, you will eventually have to start taking required minimum distributions, or RMDs, from pretax retirement accounts. The first RMD can be tricky, according to financial experts. Since 2023, most retirees must begin RMDs at age 73. The first deadline is April

Srdjanpav | E+ | Getty Images If you are considering a year-end Roth individual retirement account conversion, you’ll need to plan for an upfront tax bill. Roth conversions move pretax or nondeductible IRA funds to a Roth IRA, which can kick-start tax-free growth. It’s a popular strategy among investors with large pretax balances, particularly in

An exterior view of the New York Stock Exchange on September 18, 2024 in New York City.  Stephanie Keith | Getty Images As the calendar turns to a New Year and a new presidential administration, many investors are wondering where they can earn above-average returns. The current outlook is positive, with continued interest rate cuts

Peter Kramer/NBC via Getty Images U.S. consumers would likely see prices increase if President-elect Donald Trump follows through with a plan to levy import tariffs, experts said Tuesday during CNBC’s Financial Advisor Summit. “Either way, there is a cost to consumers,” said Erica York, senior economist at the Tax Foundation. A tariff is a tax

Home Alone (1990) 20th Century Fox The classic Christmas movie “Home Alone” tells the improbable tale of a family who leaves their 8-year-old son home when they leave for vacation. Yet in the years since the 1990 film was released, viewers have focused on another question — how wealthy was the fictitious McCallister family featured

David Zervos, Jefferies Scott Mlyn | CNBC The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates by another quarter point at the conclusion of its two-day meeting next week. “Two years ago … three out of four economists were saying we’re going into a recession,” David Zervos, chief market strategist for Jefferies LLC, said during CNBC’s

Laylabird | E+ | Getty Images Most Americans will have a lower tax burden in retirement than during their working years. However, that may not be the case for some retirees, especially for higher earners and big savers, which could have a significant impact on their financial plans, according to financial advisors. “Substantial evidence” suggests

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024. Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images President-elect Donald Trump‘s victory means higher individual taxes, including levies on investments, are less likely for top earners, experts say. Vice President

Nopphon Pattanasri | Istock | Getty Images Investors have been able to get the best returns on cash, as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to bring down the pace of inflation. Now that the central bank is lowering rates — with a new quarter point rate cut announced by the Fed on Thursday —

dowell | Moment | Getty Images Before the election, some advisors increased Roth individual retirement account conversions for clients amid the threat of higher taxes after 2025. Now, tax hikes are less likely under President-elect Donald Trump. However, demand for Roth conversions will continue as investors seek long-term tax planning strategies, experts said. “In general,

Bernd Vogel | Stone | Getty Images Brad Klontz was drawn to financial psychology after the tech bubble burst in the early 2000s. Klontz had tried his hand at stock trading after seeing a friend earn more than $100,000 in one year. But he felt immense shame after the market crashed and his investments evaporated.

  A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Money 101 newsletter with Sharon Epperson, an eight-week series to improve your financial wellness with monthly updates. Sign up to receive these editions, straight to your inbox.  Stocks soared in the days after President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 election, and the Federal Reserve announced

Trump supporters take photographs near the U.S. Capitol building as the sun sets the day U.S. President Elect Donald Trump was declared the winner of the presidential election in Washington, U.S., November 6, 2024.  Leah Millis | Reuters Now that Donald Trump has been elected president, many individual investors are wondering what that means for

Baona | E+ | Getty Images Many Americans haven’t saved enough for retirement. However, a big change to 401(k) plans could provide a boost for older workers. The IRS in November unveiled higher 401(k) contribution limits for 2025, with employee deferrals jumping to $23,500, up from $23,000 in 2024. While the catch-up contribution remains unchanged

Mixetto | E+ | Getty Images The share of Americans with credit-card debt in retirement has jumped considerably — a worrisome financial trend, especially for those with little wiggle room in their budgets, experts said. About 68% of retirees had outstanding credit-card debt in 2024, up “substantially” from 40% in 2022 and 43% in 2020,

Author Stephanie Dhue’s difficult-to-repair microwave. Courtesy Stephanie Dhue I bought a General Electric microwave oven in 2020 for $355. Recently, I noticed the interior light was out. I told my husband, since he’s the one who takes care of repairs in our house. He took a look, only to learn that this wasn’t going to