Personal Finance

maybefalse | E+ | Getty Images You probably can come up with many things you’d rather do than spend time planning for your own death. However, there’s part of creating an estate plan that experts say deserves thoughtful consideration: choosing the individuals who will carry out the wishes in your will and who will make

Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards For months, renter Sabrina Floyd waited with to hear if she and her family were approved for help from the Clark County rental assistance program in Las Vegas. She’d often ask her caseworker for updates, and would get the same reply: “Thank you for your continued patience during these hard

Personal finance expert Suze Orman likes bitcoin. Not as a currency, but as a long-term investment, the best-selling author told CNBC’s “Power Lunch” Monday. Back in April, she said she told listeners of her podcast, Women & Money (And Everyone Smart Enough To Listen), “Any money that you can afford to lose, then I don’t

In this article IRSA3-AR Children line up to attend class at PS 361 in Manhattan on the first day of a return to class during the Covid pandemic in New York City on Dec. 7, 2020. Carlo Allegri | Reuters People who don’t generally file taxes but have children who are eligible for the new

People and students from Worker’s Circle of Boston and members of City Life Vida Urbana protest to rally support behind house bill HD3030, which seeks to stop evictions during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, at the Massachusetts State House in Boston on March 14, 2021. Jim Davis | Boston Globe | Getty Images Sabrina Floyd doesn’t

nortonrsx | iStock | Getty Images Not all debt is the same. So how should you decide which to repay first? Amid the coronavirus pandemic last year and ensuing economic recession, debt grew for many Americans. In 2020, consumer debt ballooned to a new high of $14.88 trillion, a 6% increase from the previous year,

kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images Before you take out a mortgage or car loan, check your credit report. It may have a mistake that could cost you. It’s not as uncommon as you may think. More than one-third, or 34%, of Americans found at least one error on their credit report, according to a

Charlie Eaton Courtesy: Charlie Eaton The odds of student loan forgiveness happening have never been greater, experts say. Yet a number of large obstacles stand in the way, some practical and others ideological. Does the president have the authority to cancel the debt? Officials at the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of

Icicles hang off the State Highway 195 sign on Feb. 18, 2021 in Killeen, Texas. Joe Raedle | Getty Images The threat of climate change is shifting some older Americans’ retirement plans. Extreme weather such as hurricanes, flooding, freezing temperatures and wildfires has prompted some to rethink where they will spend their golden years. “Clients

The beach at Wildwood, New Jersey, on the Jersey Shore on May 27, 2021. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Certified public accountants have a message for New Jersey-based clients: It’s time to move to a lower-cost state. That’s according to a recent survey from the New Jersey Society of CPAs, which found that 70% of

Jack Taylor | Getty Images News | Getty Images Cryptocurrency is known for volatility and some experts say crashes tend to happen on weekends. “This has been a phenomenon in crypto for several years,” said Stephen McKeon, associate professor of finance at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, and partner at Collab+Currency, a cryptocurrency-focused

Women would be among the biggest winners of student loan forgivness. Ines Fraile | iStock | Getty Images Certain critics of student loan forgiveness have argued that the policy would largely benefit the relatively well-off, pointing out that college degrees lead to higher earnings. However, new research finds that the biggest benefits of cancelling student

Samuel Corum | Getty Images News | Getty Images The top 1% would see their federal taxes rise by more than $213,000, on average, next year as a result of President Joe Biden’s tax plan, according to an analysis published Wednesday by the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Such households, which earn about $800,000 or more

Blasius Erlinger | The Image Bank | Getty Images The Labor Department determined it can’t legally stop states from opting out of pandemic-era unemployment programs supporting millions of Americans, according to an agency official. The labor bureau also can’t keep federal unemployment benefits flowing to affected individuals via an alternative mechanism, the official said. “We

d3sign | Moment | Getty Images Individual investors glued to social media helped push the shares of one new company name — Clover Health — up more than 100% on Tuesday. Yet when it comes to the broader markets, the question on many people’s lips now is, “What’s the next big story?” according to JJ

Martin Dimitrov | E+ | Getty Images It’s tempting to go on a post-pandemic shopping spree. After a year of hunkering down, skipping vacations and restaurant dining, many Americans can’t wait to start spending again. Just over 50% of U.S. consumers plan to spend extra money splurging or treating themselves, according to a May survey

Uwe Krejci | DigitalVision | Getty Images The IRS on Monday announced it has started sending letters to more than 36 million American families who may be eligible for the expanded child tax credit and monthly payments set to begin in July. The maximum enhanced credit, which was established by the American Rescue Plan in

A Help Wanted sign in the Queens borough of New York on June 4, 2021. Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images There are 25 states ending their participation in federal unemployment programs early — some as soon as this week. Alaska, Iowa, Mississippi and Missouri will be the first to opt out

Lee Jimenez, a teacher at Indian Hill Elementary School in Cincinnati, Ohio, discusses credit cards and methods of payments with his 3rd grade class using online financial education curriculum SmartPath. SMARTPATH There’s been an extra push to get personal finance education into high schools across the country this year, following the coronavirus pandemic. So far

MoMo Productions | DigitalVision | Getty Images More than two dozen states are opting out of federal unemployment programs early, meaning nearly 4 million Americans will see their benefits reduced or cut entirely. But monthly payments of the child tax credit, slated to start July 15, may offer a financial lifeline to parents who lose

The Money Plot by Frederick Kaufman Source: Other Press What is money? Why do we need it? These are some of the big questions writer Frederick Kaufman explores in his book “The Money Plot: A History of Currency’s Power to Enchant, Control, and Manipulate,” which was published in the thick of the pandemic. Kaufman, a

Chef Matt Bolus Source: Kelli LaMatia Like many restaurant owners, Matt Bolus, executive chef of The 404 Kitchen in Nashville, had to get creative when the city shut down due to Covid-19 mandates last spring. He kept some of his core staff busy by cooking meals for the local food bank, private dinners and other

Geber86 | E+ | Getty Images After Janell Ivy lost her job at a daycare center because of the pandemic, she fell behind on her $890 rent. The single mother feared that she and her four children, all under the age of 7, would be evicted from their apartment in Houston. She packed up her

Many Americans are suddenly house rich. On paper, anyway. Soaring home prices have resulted in a record amount of home equity on hand. By the end of last year, roughly 46 million homeowners held a total $7.3 trillion in equity to tap, the largest amount ever recorded, according to Black Knight, a mortgage technology and

Siraj Ahmad | iStock | Getty Images More than 10 million Americans, or 14% of U.S. renters, say they aren’t caught up with their housing payments, meaning many could be at risk when the national moratorium on evictions expires in under a month. That finding comes from data collected by the Census Bureau between May

Thomas Trutschel | Photothek | Getty Images Inflation is here and higher interest rates may follow — much to the delight of savers who’ve endured rock-bottom returns on cash and other safe investments since the Great Recession. But inflation is a double-edged sword. Higher prices that consumers pay for goods and services may completely gobble

In this article SPCX Morsa Images | E+ | Getty Images Early in 2021, SPACs, or special purpose acquisition companies, raised record amounts of money to take private firms public. The frenzy, and recent slump of SPAC shares, could lead to riskier deals in the coming months and years, meaning those looking to invest in

In this article AMZN It’s typically one of the most anticipated sales of the year. In 2021, pent-up consumer demand and a surge in new online shoppers could make Amazon Prime Day even bigger. This year’s Amazon Prime Day will include discounts on more than 2 million items for Prime members — about twice as

martin-dm | E+ | Getty Images As the world opens following Covid restrictions, people are also reopening their wallets. For many, it’s exciting to be getting back to some sense of normal. It could also wreak havoc on personal finances, especially if people aren’t careful. “It’s critically important to revisit your budget and how you

What will it take to convince people to get vaccinated against Covid? From free doughnuts to million-dollar payouts, public and private groups are trying it all. Back in March, Krispy Kreme was one of the first businesses to roll out a nationwide Covid vaccine incentive, offering a free glazed doughnut to any adult with a vaccination