Personal Finance

Anyone carrying burdensome credit-card debt knows how those zero percent (or low-rate) balance-transfer options can feel like a lifeline. And if you approach them right, they can help you hack away at your debt much faster and reduce how much you pay in interest. Yet more than 40 percent of consumers who take advantage of

How you handle your 401(k) savings depends a lot on how much you earn. And if you’re middle income — earning between $40,000 and $85,000 — you’re more likely to take a loan from your 401(k) or other workplace retirement plan, according to new research from J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Individuals who fall in that

We’re not all accountants. We don’t all hire one each year at tax time, either. But with the IRS updating tax brackets for 2019, along with other changes that are part and parcel of the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, it’s important for all taxpayers to get handle on America’s new tax reality. This

Here’s a worthwhile resolution for the new year: Ask your boss for a raise. More than 60 percent of workers said they did not get an increase in their pay in 2018, nor did they seek a better paying job, according to a poll from Bankrate.com. The personal finance website polled 1,000 individuals by phone

Many American workers plan to rely on Social Security benefits as a steady source of income in retirement. Yet if you are not on top of things, you are at risk for not using the right claiming strategy. And if that happens, you could leave thousands of dollars on the table over your lifetime. If

Looking for a break after the stress of the holidays? Turns out, January has some of the best travel deals of the year. The cheapest months to travel often fall after “traditional” vacation periods end, according to a new analysis of flight price data from travel deal site Hipmunk. In other words: When kids head

Under the Affordable Care Act, you can change your health care plan once a year during open enrollment. That period is about to end, and if you don’t have health insurance, you’ll want to get it. Not because of the tax hit – the mandate to buy insurance was ended under the Tax Cuts and

House shoppers hurrying to find dream homes before interest rates go higher often turn to online mortgage calculators offered by personal finance and real estate sites to get a feel for just how dreamy a home they can afford. When they do, they risk getting bad information, experts say. “Most online mortgage calculators fall short

Ted Rossman, an industry analyst at CreditCards.com, recently booked a trip to Walt Disney World with his wife, Chelsea and 3-year-old daughter, Ashleigh. He charged the $3,000 vacation on a new credit card. Shortly after, he was shocked to find his credit score had dropped to 790 from 831. “Still good, but a far cry

You wouldn’t trust your toddler with a pile of cash, right? Well, this estate-planning technique may allow you to safely pass your IRA on to future generations — if you do it right. When it comes to naming a beneficiary of your retirement account, the first person to come to mind is likely your spouse.

Returning home to live with your parents might not be as big a cost saver as you think — at least when it comes to auto insurance. Millennials who are living at home with their parents pay up to 73 percent more for auto insurance than people their age who own a home, according to

Sooner or later, retirement starts whispering your name. Even if it’s a mix of work and leisure, most of us expect a little loosening up on the pressures of working. And starting in your 40s and 50s, it’s natural to start planning and wondering what retirement will look like. Not everyone has the money to

At a recent conference on financial aid, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said that every school should help its students graduate with high-quality career prospects and little debt. Students should be equipped, she added, with information that allows them to be responsible consumers. “They need to have the best possible tools, data, advice and support,” DeVos

Do you tip the garbage collectors at the holidays? How much should you give your doorman as the year comes to a close? Year-end tips have become a common practice. About 60 percent of Americans tipped one or more service providers last year, according to a Consumer Reports survey of 2,013 adults conducted earlier this

As investors weather more volatility after Tuesday’s799 point drop for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, financial experts have largely stuck to one refrain: Welcome to the new normal. Concerns over tariffs and what the Federal Reserve will do will likely keep market volatility elevated, according to J.J. Kinahan, chief market strategist and managing director at

We all know what inertia means. That’s when an object at rest tends to stay at rest. If that object is you, it means you keep doing what you’re doing, whether it’s watching TV or leaving your retirement plan untouched. After all, why bother? They know all about inertia in the retirement plan industry. Only

Time is running out to give your Medicare coverage a checkup and make changes for 2019. The program’s annual enrollment period ends Dec. 7. If you take no action, you’ll automatically remain enrolled in your current plan. However, if you pass on the opportunity to see whether a better option exists, that decision could come

If you’re hoping to trim your tax bill and ramp up your savings for 2018, you have about three weeks to call your accountant and get your act together. It has been a busy year for taxpayers and accountants, as the end of 2018 signals the first year under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

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