Personal Finance

Olezzo | iStock | Getty Images There’s no question 2022 was a rough year for investors. With record-high inflation, economic uncertainty and aggressive interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve to combat rising prices, stocks took a beating. All three of the major indexes had their worst year since 2008: The S&P 500 Index dropped

In this article LNC CVNA AUTO-GB CARS Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Craig Stowell loves what he does for a living. He gets to follow his passion and go car shopping as a profession. Stowell owns Flying Wheels, a car dealership in Danville, New Hampshire. The business, which is valued at an estimated $3

A shopper browses meat department at a Los Angeles supermarket on Feb. 13, 2023 in Los Angeles. Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty Images A recent Morning Consult survey recently found almost half of adults — 46% — think the U.S. is already in a recession. Such a downturn — traditionally defined as

Inflation is still taking a hefty toll on households, recent reports show. Prices continued their upward momentum in January, rising 0.5% for the month and 6.4% over the past 12 months, according to the latest consumer price index data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To make ends meet, 27% of Americans said they’ve had to

Pablo Rasero | Istock | Getty Images While those with federal student loans wait to see if the Biden administration’s sweeping loan forgiveness plan survives two Supreme Court challenges, another big change is also on the horizon for borrowers. The U.S. Department of Education is working to create a new repayment option for the tens

Daniel Swan, 26, started as an apprentice and now works full time as an HVAC technician in California. Courtesy: Lee’s Air For Daniel Swan, a 26-year-old father of two, it was simply a means to a well-paying job during an uncertain time. Armed with a technical degree, Swan joined an apprenticeship program with Lee’s Air

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky at the U.S. Capitol Building on Feb. 13, 2023. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images Dozens of Republican members of Congress have filed briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan should be ruled unlawful. “Congress authorized

Fotostorm | E+ | Getty Images The start of 2023 has seen a number of large companies announce deep cuts to their head counts, including Amazon, Dell, Google, Microsoft, PayPal and Zoom. Being laid off can be one of the most disruptive events in a person’s life, setting off a host of financial and existential

Collectively, Americans owe more on credit cards than ever before. Thankfully, 0% balance transfer credit card offers — which are “one of the best weapons Americans have in the battle against credit card debt” — are even more plentiful than they were a year ago, said Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree. Yet 37% of

Hobo_018 | E+ | Getty Images In August, when President Joe Biden rolled out his historic plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans, one of the policy’s stated goals was “to help narrow the racial wealth gap.” Shortly after the president’s announcement, critics of student loan

Sutthichai Supapornpasupad | Moment | Getty Images Consumers are paying record prices for eggs. But beyond the inflated sticker price for a dozen eggs, there’s also a hidden expense to the soaring costs. Elevated egg prices are trickling into food items across the grocery store — namely those in which eggs are a main ingredient,

Malaikacasal | Istock | Getty Images That heart-shaped box of chocolates may be only half full this Valentine’s Day. It is not the result of a manufacturing glitch. Instead, it is an effort by certain brands to use bigger boxes to prompt consumers to think they are getting more for their money than they really

Nearly 200 million people will watch the Philadelphia Eagles face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Feb. 12, which might be a good motivation to buy a brand-new television. While you might not see as many deals now as there are on Black Friday, prices, in general, have been steadily falling,

If picking a college comes down to the financial bottom line, then an in-state public school can look like a particularly good deal. “In-state tuition is half to two-thirds lower than out-of-state,” said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz and author of “How to Appeal for More College Financial Aid.” These days, that goes a long way

In his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden said his administration is cracking down on “junk fees“ — including those from banks as well as hotels, airlines and other service providers. The president said these unnecessary or hidden fees are weighing down families’ budgets and causing financial harm. “Junk fees may not matter to

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 7, 2023 Pool | Getty Images President Joe Biden used his State of the Union speech on Tuesday to get rare unanimity among Democrats and Republicans on one key issue: protecting Social Security and Medicare. For now,

Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images New York is the most rent-burdened metro area in the U.S., according to a new report from Moody’s Analytics. A household with the median income in the Big Apple would need to pay nearly 69% of earnings to rent the averaged-priced apartment there, the research division

Egg shelves in New York on Jan. 21, 2023 with a note apologizing to customers for the price increase. Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Wholesale egg prices have cratered in recent weeks from record highs, meaning consumers may soon see relief at the grocery store. But the dynamics of egg pricing from the wholesale

President Joe Biden speaks about protecting Social Security, Medicare, and lowering prescription drug costs, during a visit to OB Johnson Park and Community Center, in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on Nov. 1, 2022. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters In the runup to Tuesday’s State of the Union address, AARP has encouraged its members, ages 50 and over,

Delmaine Donson | E+ | Getty Images Getting divorced is often considered one of the most stressful life events. But, for some people, there could be an unintended positive outcome to splitting up: A boost in their work performance. In a study of people in the process of divorce, which is online in advance of

Xavier Lorenzo | Moment | Getty Images As interest rates go up, 2023 is shaping up to be a good time for savers who stand to earn more money on their cash. The Federal Reserve last week added a 0.25 percentage point rate increase in the latest in a string of rate hikes to combat

For most Americans, inflation and rising interest rates are a one-two punch. On the heels of another rate hike this week by the Federal Reserve, credit card annual percentage rates are already near 20%, on average, and set to climb even higher. At the same time, more consumers are leaning on credit to afford increasingly expensive

In this article DLTR DG Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT A man looks at frozen foods for sale at a Dollar Store in Alhambra, California on August 23, 2022. Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images Among all rising costs, sky-high grocery bills have been especially painful. Although the consumer price index, an inflation

Littlebee80 | Istock | Getty Images It’s been nearly three years since most people with federal student loans have had to make a payment on their education debt. The U.S. Department of Education has repeatedly cited specific dates for when the bills would resume, only to extend the pandemic-era break yet again. Most recently, amid

Fotostorm | E+ | Getty Images For a rising share of car owners, monthly auto loan payments appear to be evolving into a problem. While borrowers who are behind on their payments by more than 60 days represent a tiny portion of all outstanding auto loans — 1.84% — their ranks are growing, according to

Thomas Barwick | Digitalvision | Getty Images American workers are in the throes of a historic job market, characterized by low unemployment and layoffs, relatively fast-rising wages and a high degree of job-seeker confidence. Job trends in recent months reveal “a juggernaut” of a labor market, said Nick Bunker, head of economic research at the

Shapecharge | E+ | Getty Images As of this year, people new to Medicare won’t face big delays in coverage — an unenviable situation that some beneficiaries used to find themselves in. Thanks to legislation passed in late 2020, months-long delays in certain Medicare enrollment circumstances are now eliminated. Additionally, individuals who missed signing up

Simpleimages | Moment | Getty Images There’s a decent chance that your state is holding money or other assets that belong to you — and government officials want you to have it. About 1 in 7 people — 33 million altogether — collectively have an estimated $70 billion worth of unclaimed property being held by

Douglas Rissing | Istock | Getty Images Shortly after President Joe Biden announced an unprecedented plan to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars of the country’s outstanding federal student loan debt, the legal challenges piled up. Republicans and conservative groups have now brought at least six lawsuits against the president’s plan, arguing it is harmful

andresr | E+ | Getty Images More than 50 million workers quit their jobs in 2022, according to federal data, breaking a record set the year prior and demonstrating the resilience of a hot labor market characterized by ample job opportunity. The trend of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs began in early 2021, as the