Personal Finance

LeoPatrizi | E+ | Getty Images Rising inflation has Americans worried about purchasing power and their retirement plans. Yet there are some opportunities to make and save money in this environment, as well as protect your investments. “Now is a great time to review your portfolio to make sure your investment allocation is set up

RyanJLane Fewer than 1 in 5 women — 15% — worked for employers that provided emergency paid leave during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to research from Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. In contrast, 22% of male workers had access to this benefit, which includes sick time and family and medical leave. The results are based

Aimstock | Getty Images Social Security’s 5.9% cost-of-living adjustment for 2022 will be the biggest in decades. But those checks likely won’t go as far as inflation pushes prices higher on grocery store shelves and at gasoline pumps. Consumer Price Index data for October shows the cost of consumer goods climbed a record 6.2% from

A customer selects goods at a supermarket in New York, the United States, Aug. 11, 2021. Wang Ying | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images As inflation surges, the IRS has boosted federal income tax brackets for 2022, standard deductions, 401(k) contribution limits and more. But other provisions remain unchanged, leading to higher tax bills

Laura Howden / 500px | 500px | Getty Images The travel industry might get a much-wished-for gift this holiday season, if the latest predictions about year-end travel turn out to be true. Pandemic-weary Americans seem to be ready to take trips for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s and other winter celebrations, several studies have found. AAA

Antoine Walker, former professional NBA player Shareif Ziyadat | Getty Images In 2008, at the end of his 13-year basketball career, Antoine Walker had amassed $108 million. Two years later, he had nothing. “I came into the league at 19 years old,” he said. “I came from humble beginnings, so I was not used to

If Black Friday — the biggest shopping day of the year — is no longer the day after Thanksgiving, is it still considered Black Friday? This year, instead of one-day doorbuster deals, the discounts are rolling out well before Thanksgiving week, spurred by a number of challenges, including supply chain setbacks and a labor crunch. These

Morsa Images | DigitalVision | Getty Images The standard premium for Medicare’s outpatient care coverage will jump by 14.5% for 2022, far outpacing an earlier estimate of 6.7%, according to the government. The standard premium for Part B, which covers outpatient care and durable equipment, will be $170.10 next year, up $21.60 from $148.50 this

Corn muffin mix is stocked and on display for Thanksgiving dinner items at a Pete’s Fresh Market Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. John J. Kim | Chicago Tribune | Tribune News Service | Getty Images There’s going to be an extra guest at Thanksgiving dinner this year, making it more expensive than

An Everest College location in Woodbridge, Virginia. SIPA | AP Cerena Jones served in the U.S. Air Force from 2000 to 2005, and not long after used her G.I. Bill to attend Everest College in Dallas. Getting her associate’s degree in business administration, she hoped, would be the beginning of a long career. She soon

ronnachaipark | iStock | Getty Images You’re not imagining the growing pinch to your budget from the cost of your workplace health insurance. Over the last decade, family premiums for employer-sponsored coverage have jumped 47%, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. That rate outpaces both wage growth (31%) and inflation (23%) over

A Social Security Administration office in San Francisco. Getty Images If you plan properly, you may be able to boost your Social Security retirement benefits. And newly redesigned benefit statements from the Social Security Administration may help you do exactly that. That goes for workers of all ages who contribute to the program — from

During the Covid pandemic, home prices have shot up nearly nationwide while household income fell. As a result, homeownership became out of reach for many would-be buyers. However, affordability was a growing problem well before 2020 and the start of the pandemic. In the last decade, the median home price rose roughly 30% and incomes

skynesher | E+ | Getty Images It’s no secret that there is a gender pay gap in the U.S. Women earned just 84% of what men made in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. Consequently, it would take female workers an extra 42 days to make the same income men did that year. Now,

With the pause on federal student loan payments ending in less than 90 days, many workers are under growing financial pressure — and employers are taking notice. That’s driving more companies to enhance the benefits they offer, especially when it comes to college affordability. In fact, in today’s job market, student loan repayment and tuition

Pedestrians carrying shopping bags wait to cross a street in the SoHo neighborhood of New York on Oct. 24, 2021. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Most Americans say they don’t intend to spend more than last year this holiday season – yet that doesn’t mean they won’t go into debt. A survey from CreditCards.com

skynesher It’s been a banner year for actively managed stock mutual funds, with 21.1% average growth through October, according to Morningstar. However, year-end payouts may soon put a damper on double-digit returns, triggering tax bills for funds in brokerage accounts. When a fund manager sells underlying assets at a profit without losses to offset it,

katleho Seisa More employees will have access to retirement savings through Betterment’s 401(k) plans, thanks to rapid growth the online wealth advisor has seen in that part of its business. The company’s 401(k) business, Betterment for Business, has seen seen a 370% increase in year-over-year retirement plan adoption. In 10 of the states that are

MoMo Productions | DigitalVision | Getty Images Workers may funnel more money into 401(k) plans next year, according to the latest cost-of-living adjustment from the IRS.  The employee contribution limit for 401(k) plans is increasing to $20,500 in 2022, up from $19,500, and catch-up deposits for savers 50 and older will still be $6,500. The new amounts

New York, Chelsea apartments seen from the High Line park. pidjoe | iStock | Getty Images Months after the national ban on evictions expired, a number of states and cities have either kept in place or implemented their own policies to try to keep families in their homes. Despite heavy opposition by landlords, advocates say

peakSTOCK | iStock | Getty Images If Democratic lawmakers get their way, Medicare will start covering hearing services for the first time in the program’s history. The coverage, which would take effect in 2023, is included in Democrats’ proposed $1.85 trillion spending bill, dubbed the Build Back Better Act and aimed partly at strengthening the

skynesher | E+ | Getty Images Inflation is coming for your Thanksgiving feast. In September, the consumer price index — a basket of goods — rose 5.4% from a year ago, nearly hitting a 30-year high, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics. And under those headline numbers, food costs rose 4.6%,

Amid the ongoing pandemic, many high schoolers are rethinking their future plans, and whether that will still include college. A recent survey of high school students found that the likelihood of attending a four-year school sank more than 20% in the last year and a half — down to 48%, from 71%, according to ECMC

Gov. Mike DeWine, Republican of Ohio, on the campaign trail in 2018. DeWine just signed mandatory personal finance education for high schoolers into state law. Kirk Irwin | Getty Images News | Getty Images Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a bill mandating all high-schoolers in the state take a half-credit, standalone personal finance course

andreswd | E+ | Getty Images Inflation keeps rising and doesn’t look like it will be coming down anytime soon. Consumer prices jumped in September, a 5.4% increase from September — nearly hitting a 30-year high. That means you’re paying more for energy and housing costs, as well as groceries and other goods. With the

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks with reporters in the Senate Subway on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021 in Washington, DC. Kent Nishimura | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images House Democrats have proposed increasing the federal deduction for state and local taxes to $72,500 from $10,000, according to a draft of the bill released by the

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., attends an an all-day vigil for a national paid leave policy on Nov. 2, 2021 in Washington, D.C. Paul Morigi | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images A proposal for a national paid family leave program has been dropped from proposed Build Back Better legislation. But the fight for a policy

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., speaks during a news conference with the Problem Solvers Caucus on Dec. 3, 2020. Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images As Democrats iron out their $1.75 trillion social and climate spending package, the plan may still include relief for the $10,000 cap on the federal deduction for state and local

Open enrollment season is underway. With millions of employees reevaluating their job or considering a change, employer-sponsored benefits are an even greater consideration heading into 2022. About 157 million Americans rely on employer-sponsored health insurance coverage and yet, before the Covid-19 pandemic, many people spent very little time reviewing their workplace health-care plan during the

HOUSTON, TEXAS – JUNE 09: Employees speak together at a Chipotle Mexican Grill on June 09, 2021 in Houston, Texas. Menu prices at the Chipotle Mexican Grill have risen by roughly 4% to cover the costs of raising its’ minimum wage to $15 an hour for employees. The restaurant industry has been boosting wages in