Personal finance

Inflation is weighing heavily on the holidays this year. Roughly half of shoppers will buy fewer things due to higher prices, and more than one-third said they will rely on coupons to cut down on the cost, according to a recent survey of more than 1,000 adults by RetailMeNot. Though the study found many consumers

Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot has a winner — well, two, if you count Uncle Sam. A single ticket sold in California matched all six numbers pulled in the delayed drawing, which was held Tuesday instead of Monday night due to one state needing additional time to

New laws are making it easier than ever to know how much a given job pays. Pay transparency legislation is gaining momentum in cities and states across the country, from New York City to California and Washington state. Being armed with information about the salary range for a position you’re interested in can be the

Mark Ralston | Afp | Getty Images Whoever is the next jackpot winner in Powerball will be looking at the largest lottery prize ever awarded. The tax bill will also be pretty impressive. After no one hit all six numbers drawn Saturday, the Powerball jackpot headed higher. For Monday night’s drawing, it’s now an estimated

courtneyk | E+ | Getty Images After a rough year for the stock market, investors may not expect to receive a surprise tax bill from year-end actively managed mutual fund payouts, experts say. When a fund manager sells underlying assets at a profit without losses to offset it, those gains are passed along to investors.

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images It’s open enrollment season, the time each year when millions of American workers and retirees must choose a health plan, whether new or existing. But picking health insurance can be a dizzying venture. Health plans have many moving parts — which may not come into focus at first

Gift buying and gift returning typically go hand in hand. On average, retailers expect about 18%, or $158 billion, of merchandise sold during the holiday shopping season to be returned, according to the National Retail Federation’s most recent data. For 2021 overall, the return rate was about 16.6% of total U.S. retail sales, or $761

Getty Images As Americans head to the polls, several key personal finance issues are weighing on voters’ minds and wallets. This week, the Federal Reserve enacted its fourth consecutive 0.75 percentage point interest rate increase to fight inflation, triggering further stock market losses. Meanwhile, recession fears are growing, with 84% of Americans worrying how a

In this article UAL AAL TSLA NFLX SHOP-CA LYFT Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Wanan Yossingkum | Istock | Getty Images The labor market is still strong, but layoffs are picking up. This year Peloton, Netflix, Shopify, Lyft, and, most recently, Twitter, all announced significant staff reductions. Meanwhile, executive outplacement firm Challenger, Gray &

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 Friday rejected a second request to block the Biden administration’s student loan debt relief program. Justice Amy Coney Barrett denied an emergency application to block the program

dowell | Moment | Getty Images As the year-end approaches, you may be looking for ways to lower your 2022 tax bill — and certain tax-saving moves have rules you must follow in order to qualify. One option, adding money to your pretax individual retirement account, may be attractive if you make too much for

Despite growing economic uncertainty, employers are still waging a war for talent, and employees are coming out ahead. Now, more businesses are expanding their benefit offerings with free college programs to attract and retain workers. Most recently, Fidelity Investments said it will offer fully funded undergraduate degrees to 18,000 employees, including entry-level customer service phone representatives.

Tim Boyle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Although prices for new cars are moderating a bit, financing a vehicle purchase hasn’t been getting any cheaper. With the Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate hike — the sixth this year — auto loans are poised to become even more expensive. The Fed’s move has a ripple effect,

SKLA | iStock | Getty Images Close to 26 million Americans have applied for student loan forgiveness, and the Biden administration has already approved 16 million of the requests, the White House said Thursday. Yet its entire loan cancellation plan could be in jeopardy due to the legal challenges brought by Republicans, it warned. “If

Martin Barraud | Caiaimage | Getty Images After another 0.75 percentage interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve, financial experts have tips for investors amid volatility in the stock and bond markets.   Continuing to fight inflation, the central bank on Wednesday announced its fourth consecutive three-quarters of a percentage point interest rate increase.  The

FatCamera | E+ | Getty Images For some Medicare beneficiaries, an Advantage Plan ends up not being a good fit. If you’re in this situation and are thinking about dropping your plan to return to basic Medicare — Part A (hospital coverage) and Part B (outpatient services) — there are some things to consider before

The Federal Reserve raised the target federal funds rate by 0.75 percentage point for the fourth time in a row on Wednesday, marking an unprecedented pace of rate hikes. The U.S. central bank has raised the benchmark short-term borrowing rate a total of six times this year, including 75 basis point increases in June, July and

The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Tuesday announced Series I bonds will pay 6.89% annual interest through April 2023, down from the 9.62% yearly rate offered since May. It’s the third-highest rate since I bonds were introduced in 1998, and investors may lock in this rate for six months by purchasing anytime before the end of

The U.S. Treasury Department in Washington. Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images Investors purchased Series I bonds in record numbers from the U.S. Department of the Treasury on Friday, just beating a key deadline to lock in a historically high rate of return. I bonds are a nearly risk-free asset tied to the rate of inflation.

Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images As inflation has pushed the cost of living higher, those eligible for Social Security retirement benefits may be tempted to claim benefits sooner than they had planned. Social Security beneficiaries stand to get a record 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment in 2023 that will help them contend with higher costs. But