Jamie Grill | Getty Images Mega backdoor Roth conversions can significantly boost tax-free retirement savings — but this maneuver is not available for all investors and mistakes are common, experts say. When investors make too much to save directly to a Roth individual retirement account, backdoor strategies can bypass the IRS income limits. A mega
Personal Finance
Joe Biden and Donald Trump 2024. Chip Somodevilla | Alex Wong | Getty Images Trillions in expiring tax breaks are at stake this election season — and those sunsets could raise taxes for most Americans after 2025 without extensions from Congress. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or TCJA, temporarily reduced taxes for most
Alvaro Gonzalez | Moment | Getty Images Despite a strong labor market, some applicants are facing more competition on the job hunt. But prolonged unemployment and lower income for 2024 could offer the chance for tax planning, experts say. One “silver lining” of a job layoff can be a temporary lower federal income tax bracket,
Maca And Naca | E+ | Getty Images Your student loan bill may get smaller next month. Here’s why: A feature of the Biden administration’s latest income-driven repayment plan that will reduce millions of borrowers’ monthly payments kicks in on July 1. For some borrowers, “it’s a dramatic drop,” said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.
Some Americans believe that real estate is the best long-term investment. If you’re among them, real estate investment trusts, or REITs, might be the easiest way to tap the market. About 36% of surveyed Americans ranked real estate as the top long-term investment, more than cited stocks or mutual funds (22%), gold (18%), and savings
Andresr | E+ | Getty Images College graduates who recently received their diplomas may be dreading the next milestone: The start of their federal student loan payments. Each year, roughly 2 million people in the U.S. are awarded a bachelor’s degree, according to an analysis by higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz. Roughly 60%, or 1.2
Sally Anscombe | Moment | Getty Images When saving for retirement, investing sooner typically boosts growth over time. But you can lose money by maxing out your 401(k) too early in the year — unless the plan has a special feature. Most 401(k) plans offer an employer match, which uses a formula to deposit extra
Ippei Naoi | Moment | Getty Images Generation X is known as the sandwich generation because they sit between having a combination of financial or emotional responsibility for adult children and aging parents — in addition to managing their own current lifestyle aspirations and securing their retirement future. It’s a lot to deal with, and
SDI Productions | E+ | Getty Images A gradual cooling of the labor market has made it tougher to find a new job, but overall conditions are still favorable for job seekers. “Things have gotten competitive,” said Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter. “Don’t get discouraged; there are opportunities out there,” she added. “This is
“Spaving,” or spending more to save more, has become a dangerous habit for cash-strapped Americans amid elevated inflation and mounting debt. Though inflation eased in April, the consumer price index was still up 3.4% from a year prior. Despite higher prices, Americans continue to spend. To that point, credit card debt reached $1.12 trillion in
D3sign | Moment | Getty Images Americans aren’t good at taking vacation. About 62% of workers say having a job with paid time off — for vacations or illness — is “extremely important” to them, more so than benefits like health insurance, a 401(k) plan or paid parental leave, according to a Pew Research Center
Last month, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau declared that buy now, pay later customers should have the same federal protections as users of credit cards. However, Marshall Lux, a fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School who studies BNPL, says the government’s latest guidance is already a few steps behind.
Early in her career, Kelly Harry worked at a major news organization in New York City as an account executive in ad sales. “I was making $40,000 a year, and I really thought that that was a lot of money at the time, until I had a casual conversation with my co-worker who was actually
Peshkova | Getty Images From cash stuffing to loud budgeting, TikTok is chock-full of ways to build wealth — and more people are taking notice. Financial TikTok, also known as #FinTok, is now one of the most popular sources for financial information, tips and advice, particularly among Generation Z. With less access to professional advisors and
Blackcat | E+ | Getty Images Many consumers are finding it hard to keep up with their bills. To that point, 37% of Americans have been charged a late fee on some kind of bill in the last 12 months, according to a new report by NerdWallet. Credit card late fees were the most common,
Hurricane Irma strikes Miami, Florida, in 2017. Warren Faidley | Getty Images Hurricane season has officially begun. With scientists predicting yet another active year for storms, making your home hurricane resistant has become a more valuable precaution. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its forecast May 23 that it expects an 85% chance
Getty Images If you’re a higher earner and looking to boost tax-free retirement savings, there’s a lesser-known strategy that could be worth considering. While Roth individual retirement accounts offer tax-free growth and other benefits, some investors earn too much for direct contributions. For 2024, the adjusted gross income limits for Roth IRA contributions are $161,000 for
Martin Barraud | Ojo Images | Getty Images Many Americans are likely familiar with financial thresholds that are adjusted for inflation each year. They include contribution limits to 401(k) plans, cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security benefits and federal income tax brackets, to name a few. These tweaks help households keep pace with the rising cost
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel testifies before the House Appropriations Committee in Washington, D.C., on May 7, 2024. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images The IRS will expand Direct File, its free tax filing program, nationwide starting in 2025, the agency and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday. “After a successful pilot, we are
Pixelseffect | E+ | Getty Images The pace of hiring remains strong for lower-earning Americans, holding steady above its pre-pandemic baseline even as the demand for higher-income workers has waned slightly, according to new data from Vanguard. The hires rate for the bottom third of workers by income (who earn less than $55,000 a year)
Goodboy Picture Company | E+ | Getty Images For most Americans, living well in retirement depends on how much they can save in their working years. But for millions of older individuals, unpaid student loan debts may put that goal out of reach, according to new research from the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis
Alicia Silverstone stars in the 1995 film “Clueless.” Stringer | Array | Reuters Her character Cher Horowitz may have been best known for her shopping habit, but in real life, ”Clueless” star Alicia Silverstone said she never buys retail if she can help it. “Cher, she is such a consumer. We are actual opposites,” the sustainability advocate
Alessandro Biascioli | Istock | Getty Images When it comes to claiming Social Security retirement benefits, experts agree it’s generally best to delay. Yet many people still claim early — either at the earliest possible age of 62 or before their full retirement age. Those early claims result in reduced Social Security benefits for life.
March 12 is generally considered equal pay day, the mark of just how far into the new year women have to keep working to make what their male counterparts typically made in just the previous year, also known as the gender pay gap. However, for some groups that date comes much later. For Asian American, Native
Mixetto | E+ | Getty Images If you’re self-employed, hiring your kids could provide tax benefits — provided you follow labor laws and IRS rules, experts say. Small businesses hiring their own children is a popular topic among social media influencers on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. But tax professionals say they are
Ryanjlane | E+ | Getty Images Sometimes, it pays to pay with cash. More merchants are offering a lower price to customers who use cash rather than credit card for a purchase. That means opting for paper over plastic may save you money in some cases. Just how much? Typically, cash discounts run about
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) faces reporters during a break in a bipartisan Artificial Intelligence (AI) Insight Forum for all U.S. senators at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, September 13, 2023. Julia Nikhinson | Reuters Elizabeth Warren wants more student loan borrowers to know that it is now easier to part with their debt in
Fatcamera | E+ | Getty Images To understand why women are still fighting to catch up to men economically, author Josie Cox turns to the past. She doesn’t have to look too far back. The Women’s Business Ownership Act, which allowed women to obtain business financing without a male co-signer, didn’t pass until 1988, Cox,
Elena Perova | Istock | Getty Images High inflation is subsiding, but many Americans have yet to see relief from elevated prices at the grocery store. “Grocery prices skyrocketed during the pandemic, and in many cases, they’ve kept going up, even though the pandemic is over,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at a Wednesday Senate
Phynart Studio | E+ | Getty Images Coming up with the down payment as an aspiring homeowner can be a daunting task. Many have already begun working toward that goal. About 77% of future homebuyers have started putting money aside for a down payment, according to a new survey by Clever.com, a housing and real