Stocks that pay dividends have, over long periods, outperformed stocks that do not. GlobalStock | Getty Images What would you be willing to do if you never had to manage your personal finances again? A new survey from Merrill Edge posed that question to 1,000 investors with up to $250,000 in investible assets. And some

The summer travel season is almost here. This year, millions of Americans are expected to take some sort of getaway, with two-thirds of leisure travelers planning a trip in the coming months. With the average price per vacation expected to be $2,523, you may want to add one more item to your packing list: travel

Bill Hinton | Getty Images First, you receive a call about your student loans. The person on the other end offers to lower your monthly payments or make your debt disappear altogether, potentially for a fee. Sounds great, right? You go through the steps, sharing your federal student loan ID and other sensitive information along

Alija | Getty Images If you’re a New Yorker who spends half the year in Miami, you’ll have to do more than that to be considered a Floridian. Moving to an income tax-free haven like Florida, Nevada or Texas is a tempting prospect for residents in high-tax states such as New York, New Jersey and

Getty Images American parents aren’t going all in on the allowance. While many financial experts tout the allowance as an important tool to teach kids about money, a recent survey commissioned by CreditCards.com found that only 40% of children under the age of 18 receive one. “Whether or not to pay an allowance is a

In this May 6, 2012, photo, a woman enters a Wells Fargo bank in New York. Cx Matiash The Great Recession has officially been over for a decade. For many Americans, there’s little reason to celebrate. Many people’s finances haven’t recovered from the recession’s blows, according to a new survey by personal finance website Bankrate.com.

When it comes to learning about money, parents have a big influence on their kids. In fact, 65% of U.S. adults learned about saving from their parents, a recent survey by CreditCards.com found. About 45% learned about spending from them, according to the survey, which polled 2,694 adults in the U.S. With Father’s Day just

Just graduated? Take a close look at your digital footprint. Hiring managers often review a candidate’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, not because they want to find reasons to reject someone but for deeper understanding. “It tells so much more than a resume ever could,” said Jennifer Bodner, CEO of Babbit Bodner, a public relations firm

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren gestures as she speaks during a campaign stop at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia on May 16, 2019. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren isn’t waiting for the election to push forward her proposal to erase the majority of the country’s outstanding student

AleksandarNakic | E+ | Getty Images Your dream of exploring a foreign country doesn’t have to end when your paychecks do. More U.S. retirees are choosing to pack their bags and settle down internationally — and for some, that means stretching their retirement dollars. Leaving the U.S. can open the door to a more affordable

Andrew Hetherington | Getty Images If you want to bring your home utility costs down, you may want to double-check your energy efficiency. If your air conditioner isn’t the right size, or your home does not have proper insulation or you still use incandescent lighting, you could be unwittingly ramping up your energy costs. The

With the Atlantic hurricane season underway, homeowners should be aware that inadequate insurance coverage can make recovering from a bad situation even worse. Whether damage from a storm comes from wind or water, homeowners whose coverage is insufficient have discovered the hard way that it makes recovery difficult and that their options for help are

DNY59 | iStock | 360 | Getty Images To save, or not to save? That question might not be yours to answer. A growing number of companies now direct money from their employees’ paychecks to a retirement account — even after a worker has said “no, thanks.” Auto-enrollment into retirement plans, of course, is not

Noel Hendrickson | DigitalVision | Getty Images What are the top hot spots American vacationers are booking in home rentals this summer? The lists are as numerous as the destinations themselves. Vacation rental management company Vacasa has compiled its own Top 10 list by “combing through a comprehensive set of Vacasa and partner data” (including

Kelvin Murray | Getty Images Older workers could soon find it easier to prove they’ve run into age discrimination on the job. The House Education and Labor Committee voted on Tuesday to approve the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA), introduced by Sens. Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa; and Bob Casey, a Democrat

aldomurillo | E+ | Getty Images Spending your days with your toes in the sand may sound like the perfect way to spend your retirement. However, there’s a lot more to take into consideration when it comes to finding the ideal location. U.S. News & World Report recently analyzed the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas

If you could delay making required withdrawals from your retirement accounts until age 72 instead of 70½, what would the effect be? While you may end up with more savings as a result, the difference probably wouldn’t be enough to make or break your retirement, financial advisors say. As part of the Secure Act, a

You’ve probably heard before that baby boomers are to blame for Social Security’s money woes. Yet new research from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College suggests otherwise. Tetra Images | Getty Images The thinking typically goes that boomers, who were born between 1944 and 1964, have put undue pressure on the system because

ADragan | iStock | Getty Images Many people are in the dark about what makes their credit scores rise and fall. That’s the takeaway from a new survey by the Consumer Federation of America and VantageScore Solutions, which found that consumer knowledge about credit scores is at the lowest level in the past eight years.

When it comes to your resume, DIY may not be your best strategy. It’s never been easier to create your own resume. You’ve got word processing templates, examples on Pinterest and decent paper from the office supplies store. Turn it into a PDF and you’re good to go. Maybe not, though. A survey from TopResume,

Mick Jagger performs during the Rock in Rio Lisbon 2014 music festival, in Lisbon, Portugal on May 29, 2014. (Photo by Pedro Fiúza/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto | NurPhoto | Getty Images If you’re attending a Rolling Stones concert this summer, you might notice something different. And no, it’s not Mick Jagger’s new moves. The

If you’re thinking about having basic Medicare without any supplemental coverage, experts have a message for you: Don’t. With deductibles, copays, coinsurance and — this is a biggie — no out-of-pocket maximum, the program has a variety of costs that make having no backup insurance a huge financial risk. “All it takes is one big

Getty Images Got your first job at a start up? This workplace perk gives you a shot at a windfall — if you’re lucky. When offered as part of a compensation package, stock options give workers an opportunity to own a slice of the company. It can be an attractive perk. That’s because while smaller,

A Quest Diagnostics Inc. requisition form is displayed for a photograph at Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton, Illinois, U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017. Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images Medical identity theft like the recent breach involving nearly 12 million Quest Diagnostics patients can cost you lots of money. In 2018, there were

Kelvin Murray | Getty Images There are many reasons that older Americans take on part-time work after leaving a full-time job behind — perhaps better financial security, a sense of purpose or a way to stay connected. It’s also becoming more common to work well into one’s 60s or 70s, or even 80s. By 2026,

People think thank-you notes are about as relevant as mix tapes, and you definitely shouldn’t send one after an interview. Or you definitely should. Chloe Gershonson, 25, got her first job after graduating because she sent a thank-you note — on paper, handwritten — after her initial interview, conducted remotely, with her prospective employer. “They

Chegg has a new plan to help its employees deal with their student loans. And its CEO wants other companies to follow Chegg’s lead. The student-connected learning platform announced a new program Thursday that will give its entry- through manager-level workers up to $5,000 a year, if they have been with the company at least

Oliver Rossi | The Image Bank | Getty Images Legislation that will help workers save for retirement could also have a chilling effect on a strategy to pass individual retirement accounts on to heirs. The bill, known as the Secure Act, sailed through the House on May 23. Legislators on both sides of the aisle

Suppose $20,000 unexpectedly comes your way and the only requirement is that you put it toward retirement. Great, you say. But how do I do that? If you’re a teen or young adult, choosing the best place to put retirement money — before even getting to the point of deciding exactly how to invest it

Tourists on the beach in San Diego HawaiiBlue | Moment | Getty Images There’s a new trend in travel: the microbreak. It is exactly as the name implies: a short, one- or two-night getaway — and it could be a good alternative to a more expensive, extended vacation. “Microbreaks are super, super quick and easy