Getty Images Money has piled into municipal bonds, known as muni bonds or “munis,” as investors aim to lower risk and reduce taxes. But some may worry about price drops amid rising interest rates. Investors funneled a record-breaking $96.8 billion of net money into U.S. muni mutual and exchange-traded funds in 2021, according to Refinitiv
Personal finance
By many measures, 2021 saw a record-spending holiday season despite ongoing supply chain problems, inflation and a new Covid-19 variant. Holiday sales are on track to grow as much as 11.5% over 2020, according to a projection by the National Retail Federation. About 30% of Americans said they overspent during the gift-giving season, according to
Warren-Pender | iStock Editorial | Getty Images Yes, you have another chance to win a ton of money in Powerball. No, you probably won’t win. The jackpot jumped to $630 million from $610 million ahead of Wednesday night’s drawing due to strong ticket sales. The amount — which has been growing for three months —
New Yorkers queued for Covid-19 testing in Times Square on Dec. 26, 2021, as the omicron variant continued to spread. Andrew Kelly | Reuters Omicron is wreaking more disruption on the American economy. That could prompt Washington lawmakers to revisit relief strategies from earlier in the Covid-19 pandemic. Conversations on Capitol Hill have turned to
The Canadian province of Alberta came in at No. 5 for cheap flights thanks to low average airfares to and from Calgary. AJ_Watt | E+ | Getty Images So you haven’t taken a vacation to a long-haul destination since Covid first hit nearly two years ago. You’re itching to get out — despite recent disruptions
A healthcare worker administers a Covid-19 swab test at the Boulder County Fairgrounds testing site in Longmont, Colorado, on Dec. 14, 2021. Chet Strange/Bloomberg via Getty Images Covid-19 infections are ballooning, and sick Americans who miss work due to the virus may wonder if they qualify for unemployment benefits. The short answer: They don’t. There
An employee watches as checks are run through a printer at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia. William Thomas Cain | Getty Images The new year will usher in bigger Social Security checks for many beneficiaries starting this month. That’s as a record 5.9% cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, takes effect. It marks the biggest
Clemens Porikys | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Many workers look forward to the day when they can retire. A recent survey from Natixis Investment Managers set out to find out exactly when most Americans hope to stop working. The average age is 62, the research found. However, it turns out when people to
Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images Filing 2021 taxes will look slightly different for families who received the enhanced child tax credit last year. That’s because the monthly payments that were sent to millions of families with eligible children from July to December only accounted for half of the credit. Now, those who
Oscar Wong | Moment | Getty Images Planning to save more this year? There’s a higher 401(k) employee deferral limit for 2022, and now’s the time to boost contributions, financial experts say. Employees may funnel $20,500 into 401(k), 403(b) and other plans for 2022, up from $19,500 in 2021, thanks to cost-of-living adjustments from the
The new year offers opportunities for many Americans in their careers and financial lives. The “Great Reshuffle” is expected to continue as employees leave jobs and take new ones at a rapid clip. At the same time, many workers have made a vow to save more this year, yet many admit they don’t know how
Flashpop | Stone | Getty Images Getting impatient waiting to hear if your student loans will be forgiven? Millions of other borrowers are in the same spot. The topic of loan cancellation has been floated for years now. On the campaign trail, President Joe Biden promised to forgive at least $10,000 of the debt for
Gaviota Azul beach in Cancun, Mexico. Getty Images Just as countries have started to lift pandemic travel bans and Americans begin to at least think about booking vacations abroad, the spread of the delta and omicron variants of Covid-19 has thrown the tourism industry’s fortunes to the wind again. That said, hope springs eternal and
A young woman walks past a Bitcoin symbol in the window of a company that offers blockchain application services. Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images Bitcoin took a beating in December — but that price plunge opens a tax loophole for investors. The cryptocurrency lost about 18% this month through Thursday, with
One thing is for sure: 2022 is going to cost you. Between inflation and ongoing supply chain issues, prices are rising on consumer goods nearly across the board. “I really don’t think there’s any way to escape,” said Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst with DealNews.com. But that doesn’t mean you can’t shop smarter for the
MilosStankovic | E+ | Getty Images People have the best of intentions. At the start of a new year, millions make resolutions — goals they want to reach throughout the upcoming months. Getting a handle on money issues is usually near the top of many such lists. The most financial popular goals are paying down
Ariel Skelley | DigitalVision | Getty Images Looking to be happier with your life and finances in 2022? The answer may be finding professional help. People who worked with a financial advisor were found to be nearly three times happier than those who didn’t, according to a study by Herbers & Company. Predictors of happiness
Phynart Studio | E+ | Getty Images When the calendar flips to 2022, certain Medicare costs will creep higher. For the program’s 63.6 million beneficiaries — most of whom are 65 or older — annual adjustments can affect premiums, deductibles and other cost-sharing aspects of Medicare. While each change doesn’t necessarily involve a huge dollar
d3sign | Moment | Getty Images Has your grocery bill been making you do a double take? You’re not to blame. Inflation is. Rising prices are hitting almost every aisle in supermarkets across the U.S. The cost of steaks swelled by 25% between November 2020 and November 2021. Eggs and fish were up 8%, to
Marko Geber If you couldn’t max out your individual retirement account in 2021, don’t despair. There’s still time to make a contribution to traditional and Roth IRAs. The deadline for putting money into IRAs for this year is April 15, 2022, giving savers an additional four months to contribute. For 2021, the maximum contribution to