Thomas Barwick | Digitalvision | Getty Images Many families struggle to come up with the cash when faced with an unexpected $400 expense. That lack of emergency savings may force them to borrow money at high interest rates to pay for the surprise expense, putting their financial security at risk. Now Congress has a window

The holiday shopping season is always closely followed by a spike in gift returning. But this year, it may be harder to bring things back for free or at a low cost. Roughly 60% of retailers said they’re making changes to existing returns policies, with fewer promising free returns, according to a recent survey of

Prostock-studio | Istock | Getty Images In the rush at the store checkout this holiday season, you may be tempted to say yes when asked if you want to apply for a store credit card — especially if you’re offered extra savings on that day’s purchase. But there is good reason to think twice this

Newsday Llc | Newsday | Getty Images There was a time when Black Friday in the car-selling business meant a flurry of big sales events at dealerships whose lots were full of new vehicles. These days, with inventory still squeezed from supply chain disruptions, discounts are not as generous as they once were. And most

Artistgndphotography | E+ | Getty Images Televisions are among just a handful of consumer goods and services that have dropped in price in the last year — which may translate to steep discounts for shoppers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. What’s more, 38% of shoppers say they’ll likely buy a TV during Thanksgiving week,

Black Friday bargain hunters shop at a Walmart store in New Jersey on Nov. 26, 2021. Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images More Americans are struggling financially just as the peak shopping season kicks into high gear. Yet shoppers will still shell out $1,455, on average, on holiday gifts — in line with

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on protecting Social Security and Medicare and lowering prescription drug costs in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on Nov. 1, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The Biden administration on Tuesday announced that it will extend the payment pause on federal student loans until after June or when it’s

Parents and caregivers with the Economic Security Project gather outside the White House to advocate for the Child Tax Credit in advance of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Sept. 20 in Washington, DC. Larry French | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Millions of families received monthly checks of up

Justin Paget | Digitalvision | Getty Images The Biden administration on Tuesday issued a final rule that makes it easier for employers to consider climate change and other so-called environment, social and governance factors when picking investment funds for their 401(k) plans. The U.S. Department of Labor rule, which takes effect in 60 days, undoes

Pixelseffect | E+ | Getty Images If you have unspent money in your health-care flexible spending account, now’s the time to make a plan to use it before you lose it.  Health-care FSAs let workers stash away pretax dollars for qualifying expenses. However, they generally are “use-it-or-lose-it” accounts: Unless your company provides a grace period

Where you live may have an impact on your credit rating. With Minnesota’s low poverty rate and high employment, its residents have a credit score of 724, on average, well above those of even wealthier states, such as California and New Jersey, according to a recent report by WalletHub based on TransUnion data. In fact,

Samuel Corum | Getty Images News | Getty Images For supporters of congressional proposals to improve the U.S. retirement system, it’s about to be a nail-biting few weeks. Lawmakers are heading back to Washington next week to finish out the so-called lame-duck session — the legislative period between the midterm elections and the new Congress,

Olga Ryazantseva | Istock | Getty Images After applying for student loan forgiveness, some borrowers are receiving what looks like good news from the U.S. Department of Education. “We reviewed your application and determined that you are eligible for loan relief under the Plan,” according to a letter sent out by Education Secretary Miguel A.

Aldo Pavan | The Image Bank | Getty Images Cryptocurrency investors with holdings at failed exchange FTX are learning a fast lesson about investor protections, as the fate of their money now lies in bankruptcy proceedings that will likely take years to play out. Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum and others in the digital-asset realm exist

Bahamas-based crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. on Nov. 11, 2022, seeking court protection as it looks for a way to return money to users. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images After a difficult year for digital assets, many investors were blindsided by the recent collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, as customers

Tom Brenner | Reuters The midterm elections made two key federal programs seniors rely on — Social Security and Medicare — a topic of national conversation. Now, as the final vote tally comes in — with a Democratic majority in the Senate and a Republican majority in the House of Representatives — advocates for the

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt at the White House on Aug. 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong | Getty The Biden administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to reinstate its federal student loan program after a federal appeals court issued a nationwide injunction against the plan. The administration’s request,

Violetastoimenova | E+ | Getty Images Even as companies spend more on pay raises in a tight labor market, those increases aren’t yet keeping up with inflation. Overall salary boosts are forecast to be 4.6% in 2023, up from a mid-year estimate of 4.1% and higher than the 4.2% bump that workers got this year,

In this article LC TRU Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Just as the holiday shopping season gets into full swing, families are finding less slack in their budgets than before. As of October, 60% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent LendingClub report. A year ago, the number of adults

Taylor Swift accepts an award onstage during the MTV Europe Music Awards 2022 on Nov. 13, 2022 in Duesseldorf, Germany. Kevin Mazur | Wireimage | Getty Images Taylor Swift fans are not having a “Love Story” with Ticketmaster — and may fall victim to scams if they’re not careful when looking for affordable concert tickets.

Vladimir Vladimirov | E+ | Getty Images With the holiday season about to be in full swing, the giving spirit is likely to follow. If you’re among those who plan to make charitable donations before the end of the year, it’s worth making sure you know exactly where your money is going and how it

In this article FIS Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Months of market swings have taken a heavy toll on retirement savers. The average 401(k) balance sank for the third consecutive quarter and is now down 23% from a year ago to $97,200, according to a new report by Fidelity Investments, the nation’s largest provider

Student loan borrowers gather near The White House to tell President Biden to cancel student debt on May 12, 2020. Paul Morigi | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Student loan default rates could dramatically spike if the Biden administration’s loan forgiveness plan is blocked, a top official at the U.S. Department of Education said

In an economy that has produced the highest inflation rate since the early 1980s, Americans are struggling to keep up with day-to-day expenses. More consumers are now relying on credit cards to get by, which has helped propel total credit card debt to $930 billion in the third quarter, just shy of the all-time record, according to

Thomas Barwick | Digitalvision | Getty Images If you haven’t filed a 2021 federal tax return, there may be a chance you could be missing out on some generous tax credits. A simplified filing tool — GetCTC.org — will let you submit your information in order to receive any money due to you. But you

Marcos Elihu Castillo Ramirez | iStock | Getty Images For some individuals, signing up for Medicare hasn’t translated into coverage starting right away. That’s poised to change: Beginning next year, current months-long delays in certain Medicare enrollment situations will be eliminated. Additionally, would-be beneficiaries who missed signing up when they were supposed to due to

Bloodua | Istock | Getty Images With the legal blows to President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan mounting, it’s possible that the administration could extend the payment pause on the monthly bills yet again, experts say. “I’m sure they have to be considering it as an option,” said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the

Getty Images That offer for a store credit card may sound tempting as you’re shopping this holiday season. But you may want to think twice before you accept. As the Federal Reserve raises interest rates, credit card annual percentage rates — a measure for the yearly cost of borrowing money — are climbing higher. That

An ‘open house’ flag is displayed outside a single family home on September 22, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Allison Dinner | Getty Images There are signs inflation may fall further in coming months, but housing threatens to mute any improvement. The consumer price index, a key barometer of inflation, rose 7.7% in October from

High-profile layoffs at Meta and Twitter and planned cuts at Disney have heightened concerns on the part of managers and senior executives at employers nationwide who are struggling with how to lead a team through a round of corporate downsizing.  How a company handles a layoff can have a major impact on its future success.