Personal finance

The party may be over for “buy now, pay later.” The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday that these installment payments come with “several areas of risk of consumer harm,” including data harvesting, debt accumulation and “loan stacking” — or juggling multiple payment plans at once. Buy now, pay later lenders — including companies such

Globalstock | E+ | Getty Images If you feel like your income hasn’t kept up with rising prices, you’re not alone. More than half, 55%, of respondents in a new survey from Bankrate.com say their incomes have not kept up with rising household expenses amid persistent high inflation. Only 33% of respondents said their incomes

Getty Images If you haven’t been sending part of your income to the IRS in recent months, this week is the last chance to avoid a tax penalty. The deadline for third-quarter estimated taxes is Sept. 15, applying to income from self-employment, small businesses, investments, gig economy work and more, according to the agency. “It’s

Fizkes | Istock | Getty Images There’s good news for the millions of people with federal student loans who’ve made payments on that debt during the Covid pandemic: many of them will be eligible to get the money back. The U.S. Department of Education says that many borrowers eligible for President Joe Biden‘s student loan

Klaus Vedfelt | Getty Images An 8.7% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment could be possible in 2023, based on government inflation data released Tuesday. The estimate comes from The Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan senior group, which found that increase would boost the $1,656 average monthly retirement benefit by $144.10. Such an annual increase in benefits

Peopleimages | Istock | Getty Images As open enrollment season gets underway, you may find yourself having to decide whether a health savings account should be part of your 2023 medical coverage. These tax-advantaged accounts let users save for medical expenses. Many companies will soon — or already have started to — hold their annual

Sollina Images | Tetra Images | Getty Images Despite falling gas prices, inflation was higher than expected in August, curbing optimism for lower day-to-day expenses. But some retirees won’t feel the sting of elevated costs, experts say. Annual inflation rose by 8.3% in August, fueled by growing costs for food, shelter and medical care services,

Olena Ruban | Moment | Getty Images By next month, tens of millions of Americans should be able to start applying for student loan forgiveness. For a number of reasons, experts say borrowers should fill out their application sooner rather than later. These are 4 dates that should be on your radar, including three before

James Harden of the Philadelphia 76ers looks to pass against the Toronto Raptors during game five of the Eastern Conference First Round on April 25, 2022. Tim Nwachukwu | Getty Images For NBA player James Harden, boosting financial know-how among young adults is personal. Harden, a point guard and shooting guard who recently signed a

Helen Cortez / EyeEm | Getty Images Determining who benefits most from student loan forgiveness — the poor, middle class or wealthy — may sound like a straightforward exercise. But an exact calculation is difficult, according to economists and education experts. Aside from challenges related to the available data, future financial benefits that will accrue

Flashpop | Stone | Getty Images There’s a surefire way to save money on plane tickets — but those savings may not be worth it for some travelers, depending on their tolerance for certain headaches. The money-saving strategy likely doesn’t come as a surprise: Booking a flight with one or multiple stops is generally less

Like many borrowers, Halid Hamade, 28, is poised to benefit — at least somewhat — from student loan forgiveness. After President Joe Biden announced he will forgive $10,000 in federal education debt and up to $20,000 for recipients of Pell Grants who meet the income threshold, Hamade said he was happy. Still, “it’s not enough,”

A student walks to class at Rice University in Houston on Aug. 29, 2022. Brandon Bell | Getty Images News | Getty Images The application for student loan forgiveness will be ready by early October, the U.S. Department of Education says. After people apply, they could see the relief within six weeks. While borrowers wait

Hinterhaus Productions After boosting paid parental leave during the pandemic, many companies are now cutting or reducing the popular employee benefit.   In 2022, organizations with paid maternity leave dropped to 35% from 53% in 2020, according to the Society for Human Resource Management’s employee benefits survey. And fewer than one-third, 27%, now provide paid paternity

In this article GS AAPL The Apple Card is getting a lot of attention lately. It doesn’t hurt that the credit card can score you a discount on the newest iPhone 14 and other devices purchased directly from Apple. Apple’s new iPhones are available to order starting Friday, and although there was no price hike

Damir Khabirov | iStock | Getty Images Young adults in majority Black and Hispanic communities tend to have lower average credit scores compared with those who reside in majority white communities, according to new research from the Urban Institute. The research found 25- to 29-year-olds in majority Black communities have a median credit score of

Marko Geber | DigitalVision | Getty Images If you’re one of the millions of Americans expecting student loan forgiveness, you won’t owe federal taxes. But that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook at the state level. Indiana is the latest to confirm forgiveness will trigger state income taxes, and some borrowers may owe county levies

Inflation is a Scrooge. Although the holiday season is still months away, consumers are already concerned about how they will afford this year’s gifts as prices continue to rise, several studies show. related investing news Amazon’s poorly received ‘Rings of Power’ series could hurt Prime subscriptions, DA Davidson says Sarah Min a day ago Roughly

Kateryna Onyshchuk | iStock | Getty Images If you get your health insurance through the public marketplace, you may want to keep an eye out for a check from your insurer. Insurance companies are distributing $1 billion in rebates to 8.2 million policyholders, beginning this month. Of those, the majority — an estimated $603 million

As prices rise, Americans are increasingly finding new ways to make ends meet. But with some necessary purchases, such as groceries, there are fewer options that don’t involve taking on debt. That makes the option to pay later — through companies such as Klarna, Zip, Zilch, Affirm and Afterpay — look increasingly attractive.   More