Personal Finance

In this article ZG Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Vitapix | E+ | Getty Images People looking to buy or sell a home this spring are paying close attention to mortgage rates. The average 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 7.17% for the week ended April 25, according to Freddie Mac data via the Federal

Viewstock | View Stock | Getty Images Last year, Americans’ confidence that they would have enough money to live comfortably in retirement fell the most since the global financial crisis. New research shows both workers’ and retirees’ confidence has not recovered. But some signs of optimism have emerged, particularly as wage growth now outpaces inflation

Johner Images | Johner Images Royalty-free | Getty Images A new U.S. Labor Department rule will significantly change the advice many investors receive about rolling money over from 401(k) plans to individual retirement accounts, legal experts say. The so-called “fiduciary” rule, issued April 23, aims to raise the legal bar for brokers, financial advisors, insurance

A man stands outside his flooded home after heavy rain in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 13, 2023. Chandan Khanna | AFP | Getty Images The warming planet is already proving expensive. U.S. weather and climate disasters cost more than $617 billion between 2018 and 2022 — a record figure, according to the U.S. Department

Demonstrators attend a rally asking Rep. Kean to “Stop MAGA Cuts! Protect Social Security!” on Feb. 24, 2023 in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Dave Kotinsky | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Voters who show up at the polls this November may not just be choosing among Republicans, Democrats and third-party tickets — but also casting

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel testifies during the Senate Finance Committee hearing on the fiscal 2024 IRS budget and the IRS’ 2023 filing season, in the Dirksen Building in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2023. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images This season, more than 140,000 taxpayers successfully filed returns using IRS Direct

In this article ZG Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT While the spring housing market has been plagued with low supply, high prices and spiking interest rates, would-be homebuyers are focusing on new construction.  The reason? New homes have more incentives and availability than previously owned ones. “There’s more opportunity in new construction,” said Nicole

Woman doing bookkeeping at home. Guido Mieth | DigitalVision | Getty Images Borrowers hoping for student loan forgiveness have just a few more days to act before an April 30 deadline. Those who request a so-called loan consolidation before the end of this month — which will combine their federal student loans into one new

Enes Evren When you receive equity compensation from an employer, it typically requires a comprehensive financial plan — and restricted stock units are no exception. In 2000, only 20% of public companies granted restricted stock or restricted stock units, primarily for senior executives or higher, according to the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals. That percentage, however, has

If TikTok is any guide, more women are taking a traditional approach to romantic partnerships: Some say they are even opting out of the workforce entirely in favor of the so-called “soft life,” centered around their home, their family and their own wellbeing. (Re-)enter the “tradwife,” one of social media’s growing trends. It shows a

Morsa Images | E+ | Getty Images If you work for a publicly traded company, you may have access to discounted company shares via an employee stock purchase plan, or ESPP. While the benefit can be valuable, you need to know the rules and risks before opting into your company’s plan, financial experts say. In

US President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt relief at Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin, April 8, 2024.  Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images After the Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden’s first plan to forgive student debt last summer, his administration set out to create a relief package that would

Delmaine Donson | E+ | Getty Images The federal tax deadline was April 15 for most filers — and if you missed it, you should file your return and pay your balance as soon as possible, experts say. If you still owe taxes for 2023, you’ll continue racking up penalties and interest until you file

Getty Images When it comes to teens and money, there is often a disconnect. Overall, teenagers are taking a greater interest in their long-term financial health — although far fewer understand basic retirement planning. A majority, or 83%, of 13- to 18-year-olds, said they had already thought about their retirement, according to the results of

Jacob Wackerhausen | iStock / 360 | Getty Images If you’ve inherited an individual retirement account since 2020, you could have a shorter timeline to withdraw the money, which can trigger tax consequences. But there are a few things to consider before emptying an inherited account, experts say.  Under the Secure Act of 2019, so-called

Artur Debat | Moment | Getty Images The number of centenarians in the U.S. is poised to balloon in coming decades. That longevity poses a big financial challenge for households. By 2054, there will be an estimated 422,000 Americans age 100 and older — more than four times the 101,000 in 2024, according to a

When President Joe Biden unveiled the details of his Plan B for student loan forgiveness, he revealed that his hope to make some college free was not dead.   “I also want to make community college tuition free so you don’t need loans at all,” Biden said after including free community college as part of his $7.3 trillion budget for

Chicago Federal Reserve Bank President Austan Goolsbee speaks at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, U.S., February 14, 2024.  Staff | Reuters CHICAGO — The path to 2% inflation is “more difficult” in 2024, said Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee. “We’re going to get to 2%,” Goolsbee said Friday during

Jannese Torres is the founder of the blog Delish D’Lites and the podcast “Yo Quiero Dinero.” Photo Jannese Torres In her upcoming book, “Financially Lit!: The Modern Latina’s Guide to Level Up Your Dinero & Become Financially Poderosa,” author Jannese Torres discusses how she became the first woman in her family to graduate from college,

dowell | Moment | Getty Images While the annual rate for newly purchased Series I bonds could fall below 5% in May, the assets may still appeal to long-term investors, experts say. Investors currently earn 5.27% annual interest on new I bonds purchased before May 1. Some experts predict the new rate could drop to around

Sporrer/Rupp | Image Source | Getty Images The largest and final cohort of the baby boom generation — 30.4 million Americans — will turn 65 by 2030. And more than half of that group will primarily rely on Social Security for income, according to new researchfrom the Alliance for Lifetime Income. Deciding when to claim

Antonio Suarez Vega | Istock | Getty Images The largest cohort of baby boomers is poised to reach age 65 between now and 2030. And women — who make up 52% of those “peak 65” boomers — are more likely to struggle in retirement compared with their male peers, according to a new economic impact

Peter Cade | Stone | Getty Images Buyers of newly built homes can come across a number of sticker shocks. In February, the median sale price for new construction sold in the U.S. was $400,500, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. More from Personal Finance: Should you

A screen displays trading information about shares of Truth Social and Trump Media & Technology Group outside the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City on March 26, 2024. Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters Trump Media has become the latest stock to watch. But rather than a meme stock — an investment that becomes popular for individual

US President Joe Biden gestures after speaking about student loan debt relief at Madison Area Technical College in Madison, Wisconsin, April 8, 2024.  Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images The Biden administration has published its new student loan forgiveness proposal, putting it on the path to start clearing debt for millions of borrowers this

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris deliver remarks about healthcare in Raleigh, North Carolina on March 26, 2024. Peter Zay | Anadolu | Getty Images President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have released their annual tax returns, and there are lessons within for average Americans, according to tax experts. The president

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he announces a new plan for federal student loan relief during a visit to Madison Area Technical College Truax Campus, in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S, April 8, 2024.  Kevin Lamarque | Reuters The Biden administration on Tuesday released the draft text of its new student loan forgiveness proposal, which could reduce or eliminate

Aleksandarnakic | E+ | Getty Images When it comes to retirement, Americans have a new number in mind — $1.46 million — for how much they think they will need to live comfortably, according to new research from Northwestern Mutual. That estimate is up 53% since 2020, when Americans said they would need $951,000, as

Few college admission cycles have been as hard on students as this one. National College Decision Day — the deadline most schools set to decide on a college — is just two weeks away. But many college hopefuls are still unsure of where they stand financially, as problems persist with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

millann | Getty If you are racing to file taxes, you could miss another key deadline: the April 15 due date for first-quarter estimated tax payments. Estimated tax payments typically apply to earnings from gig economy work, freelancing, small business, retirement or investing, which may have no tax withholdings. If you expect to owe at