Personal Finance

There’s nothing more unnerving for investors than watching the market go up and down day after day. All the market gyrations have left many investors wondering if a bear market is coming soon. The good news is that many financial pundits have weighed in and say economic and market history shows the bear market (and

Whether it’s loading up on retirement savings or taking a 20 percent deduction, small-business owners are running out of time to save on their 2018 taxes. This has been a busy year for all taxpayers, as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect in January 2018. The largest changes as a result of

If you’re not sure how to take money out of your 401(k), you are not alone. A startup named Dream Forward, which is using an artificial intelligence chatbox as part of the 401(k) and 403(b) retirement plans it provides, has found that many of the same questions come up again and again. The company has

Many people who wind up with a smaller Social Security check because they claim their benefit early could have waited longer to file, thanks to funds in their IRA. That’s the finding from a recently published study in the Journal of Pension Economics & Finance. “It seems like there is a significant portion of the

If you were reluctant about investing in bitcoin before, you’ve probably completely given up on the idea now. The cryptocurrency is trading at around $4,000, a steep drop from its all-time high of nearly $20,000 last December, according to data from CoinDesk. Investors looking for clues on how to move forward are likely to find

If you’ve stayed at a Starwood Hotel property in recent years, your personal information may have been compromised. Marriott International announced Friday that hackers had copied data from the reservation database for its Starwood Hotels brand, with unauthorized access dating back to 2014. “The company has not finished identifying duplicate information in the database, but

This holiday season could be a good time to knock down your student debt. Gift of College, an education registry, lets people register their student loan account, and then share their profile with friends and family who can contribute funds toward your loans. “Wouldn’t you rather get Aunt Emma to kick in toward your student

Budding entrepreneurs beware. Two in 3 new businesses fail within 10 years, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What helps the other third avoid that fate? CNBC talked to three entrepreneurs who transformed their bold ideas into multi-million dollar juggernauts. This group of business owners, all members of the Tiger 21 networking

At this point, if you haven’t adjusted your tax withholding at work, you should prepare yourself to owe the IRS or get a smaller refund in 2019. Though Uncle Sam has repeatedly warned filers with high incomes and dependents, as well as retirees, to ensure that they are withholding sufficient income tax in 2018 in

A compromised passport number could be your ticket to identity theft woes. Marriott International announced Friday that hackers had accessed the reservation database for its Starwood Hotels brand, compromising data for 500 million guests. For 327 million of those affected consumers, the hotelier said, the information compromised “includes some combination of” data points including name,

If you’ve recently graduated and skated through half a year without too much thought about your student loan debt, it’s time to pay the piper. For federal loans, which make up the bulk of student debt, there is generally a six-month grace period after graduation that gives borrowers time to get on their feet before

The War of the Roses could continue indefinitely. And one key deadline could force couples to come to an agreement before the end of the year. Dec. 31, 2018 is the date by which couples need to get the terms of their divorce settled before the tax rules on alimony change, a result of the

In a perfect world, saving for retirement would be easy. That world assumes everyone makes an adequate salary, can afford all their necessities and a few frills, and feel comfortable setting aside some money for the future. Yet the reality is that retirement saving is not easy for everyone. Lower income and debt, whether from

Can you imagine refusing a portion of your paycheck and giving the money back to your employer instead? That’s essentially what you’re doing if you fail to use your benefits to their full extent. “It’s often the little things that add up,” said Kelley Long, CPA and member of the American Institute of CPAs’ Consumer

If you were planning on nabbing a deduction for your mortgage insurance or your college expenses, prepare to sit tight. That’s because these and other breaks that are known as the “tax extenders” are bundled into newly proposed legislation that’s likely going nowhere fast, according to policy experts. The House Ways and Means Committee proposed

If a crowdfunding campaign is part of your charitable plans for #GivingTuesday or later in the holiday season, take care to make sure your act of kindness doesn’t have unintended consequences. More than 1 in 5 consumers (22 percent) have pitched in for at least one such project, which raise money toward a common aim

Nothing will kill your holiday cheer like good, old identity theft. Shoppers are expected to spend a record $7.8 billion this Cyber Monday, up over 17 percent from last year, according to estimates from Adobe Insights. At the same time, attacks against consumers spike during the busy online shopping holiday, according to OpenVPN, a provider

As divorcees decide who gets the house and how to split their assets, they should remember to address this key bargaining chip: Who gets to claim “head of household” on their taxes? Though this tax-filing status can be beneficial to the newly single, it’s also one of the most difficult to qualify for, due to

When it comes to professional financial advice, there is one question you don’t want to forget to ask. That question is: Is this financial professional a fiduciary? according to Elliot Weissbluth, founder of HighTower Advisors. A fiduciary is a financial professional who has the legal obligation to put you first. That means the recommendations they

Technology makes it easier to overspend, and it’s stressing people out, particularly during the holiday season. Nearly 1 in 4 people said they typically go into debt because of overspending during the season, according to Credit Karma, which surveyed 1,041 adults in October. You know what’s to blame for overspending? Sales. Even people who have

We’re all living longer. Advisors commonly tell people to plan on 20 or 30 years in retirement, and an often-mentioned target sum for savings is $1 million. More than two-thirds of people over age 21 say living that long would actually be a financial hardship, according to a Wells Fargo study on retirement attitudes. Wells

Student loan borrowers with cancer can now pause their payments. Under the rule, included in a recent bipartisan congressional spending package, borrowers are exempt from student loan payments throughout their treatment for cancer and then for six months afterward. Additionally, interest will not accrue during the postponement. Some cancer patients can rack up an extra

The biggest wealth transfer in history is about to happen — and it’s now expected to be more than double what many thought it was. It’s estimated that 45 million U.S. households will transfer $68 trillion in wealth over the next 25 years, according to Asher Cheses, a research analyst and lead author of a

With the holidays quickly approaching, there’s one gift most people forget to give themselves: a break. In fact, 1 in 4 working Americans have nine or more days of paid time off remaining this year, according to a recent work-life balance report by vacation and travel website Priceline. That’s more than most workers can, or

For some people, opening up a credit card statement is like a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Past. Holiday shoppers are expected to spend generously this year, with the National Retail Federation estimating the average consumer’s outlay at $1,007 for everything from gifts to food to holiday attire — a 4.1 percent increase from