Personal finance

zimmytws | iStock | Getty Images There’s renewed focus on the Social Security retirement age, thanks to recent Republican presidential debates. The Social Security board of trustees projects the program’s combined funds will run out in 2034, when just 80% of benefits may be payable. To prevent that, lawmakers may generally raise taxes, cut benefits

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images You may want to think twice before scanning that QR code. The codes — a digital jumble of black and white squares, often used for storing URLs — have become seemingly ubiquitous, found on restaurant menus and in retail stores, for example. However, they can pose risks for the

U.S. President Joe Biden gestures as he delivers remarks on aid to Ukraine from the White House in Washington, U.S., December 6, 2023.  Kevin Lamarque | Reuters The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it would forgive an additional $4.8 billion in student loan debt, for 80,300 borrowers. The relief is a result of the U.S.

Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images About 8 million Americans rely on federal benefits that provide income to the elderly, blind and disabled who have little or no income or resources. Yet the program — Supplemental Security Income, or SSI — has not been updated in about 40 years. A bill called the SSI

A simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid is set to roll out by the end of the month. However, the new FAFSA may launch with outdated inflation figures, which could mean many students “will get less financial aid than they deserve,” according to higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz. “It is a pretty big deal,” he said. “We are

The number of Americans who say they are stretched too thin has remained stubbornly high. Amid a prolonged period of high inflation, more than 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. However, women are ”significantly more likely” than men to have a hard time making ends meet, according to a recent report from Varo Bank. About

Luis Alvarez | Digitalvision | Getty Images The U.S. economy inched closer to a so-called “soft landing” after a new batch of labor data, economists said. A soft landing is a good thing. It would mean the Federal Reserve has accomplished the difficult task of taming inflation without triggering a recession. Job openings, a barometer

People exit the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Minh Connors | The Washington Post | Getty Images The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments Tuesday on a case that could affect broad swaths of the U.S. tax code and federal revenue. The closely watched case, Moore v.

Young people using cellphones. Filippobacci | E+ | Getty Images Gen Z women are driving spending trends on TikTok. Women in their 20s spend more time on the short-form video app than male peers of their generation, and it’s exposing them to a financial risk. “TikTok is a Gen Z women-centric app and it is

Eric Audras | PhotoAlto Agency RF Collections | Getty Images If you’ve poured cash into money market mutual funds, you could see a higher 2023 tax bill in April. But other investments could reduce your 2024 taxes, experts say. Investors and institutions have funneled cash into money market funds amid rising interest rates, and balances

For many families, financial aid is key when it comes to paying for college. But students must first fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to access any assistance. And this year, the FAFSA has been significantly delayed. For the 2024-2025 school year, a new, streamlined FAFSA form will be available on or before

Vesna Andjic | E+ | Getty Images With roughly one month left in 2023, there’s still time to reduce your tax bill or boost your refund, experts say. Typically, you can expect a federal refund when you overpay annual taxes or withhold more than the total owed. The average refund for 2023 was $3,054, as

A US Air Force (USAF) Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft flies over during the 2023 Dubai Airshow at Dubai World Central – Al-Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on November 13, 2023.  Giuseppe Cacace | Afp | Getty Images In times of war, investors’ thoughts naturally may turn to defense stocks.

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images Even before the Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive student debt, fewer students were enrolling in college. Nationwide, enrollment has lagged since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, when a significant number of students decided against a four-year degree in favor of joining the workforce or completing a certificate

Richard Stephen | Istock | Getty Images When Joyce Debnam’s husband passed away, she began receiving $1,400 a month in Social Security survivor benefits. Eight months later, that income unexpectedly changed. The trigger: Debnam retired from her job at the United States Postal Service in 2013 after four decades of service. That life change prompted

A modern office space with a variety of plants on display and some employees working together at computer desks. Tom Werner | Digitalvision | Getty Images If you elected not to participate in your company’s 401(k) plan, your employer may have other ideas. The concept of 401(k) plan “reenrollment” has been gaining traction. That means

JGI/Jamie Grill If you funneled cash into money market mutual funds in 2023 amid rising interest rates, you may have a surprise tax bill in April, experts say. Investors and institutions have piled $5.84 trillion into money market mutual funds, as of Nov. 29, according to the Investment Company Institute, and many funds are paying

Tom Werner | Digitalvision | Getty Images As 2023 comes to an end, you may have just a few weeks left to use any leftover money in your health-care flexible savings account.  Employer-sponsored FSAs allow you to save pretax dollars and use the funds for qualified medical expenses. An individual can save up to $3,050

A higher cost of living and growing savings shortfall has many Americans worried about their retirement security. Those financial strains also make it harder for many workers to fund a retirement account.  To that point, 41% don’t contribute any money at all to a 401(k) or employer-sponsored plan, according to a CNBC Your Money Survey

Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images The share of workers being called back to the office has flatlined, suggesting the pandemic-era phenomenon of widespread remote work has become a permanent fixture of the U.S. labor market, economists said. “Return to the office is dead,” Nick Bloom, an economics professor at Stanford University and expert