In this article MBAYX Caiaimage/Robert Daly | Getty Images Chances are that deciding when to claim Social Security likely will be one of the biggest retirement choices you will ever make. Yet a recent survey from MassMutual found that many pre-retirees are getting key facts about the program’s rules wrong — and just one mistake
Tara Moore | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries could be in for a bigger cost-of-living adjustment next year, if current economic trends continue. But just how much farther an increase to those monthly benefit checks will go will depend a lot on inflation. The Senior Citizens League, a nonpartisan senior group, released its first official
Scott Olson | Getty Images If you’re lucky — as in really, really lucky — that $2 Mega Millions ticket you’re holding could be worth $430 million by Saturday. That’s the face value of the jackpot heading into Friday night’s drawing. Yet whether you’d choose to receive the prize as an annuity spread over three
Masked visitors view art at El Museo del Barrio’s Estamos Bien exhibit. The museo has reopened but at limited capacity. Michael Palma Mir When the Paycheck Protection Program ran out of funding the first week of May – weeks ahead of its May 31 deadline – it was a huge surprise to the staff of
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday that the state would end its participation in federal unemployment programs June 26. Justin Merriman | Getty Images News | Getty Images More than a dozen states are withdrawing from pandemic-era unemployment programs — forgoing billions of dollars in federal funds that would otherwise flow to out-of-work residents. Here’s
kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images Putting away enough savings for retirement has always been a struggle for many Americans. One reason workers tend to fall short: They often dip into the money they have set aside for their golden years. Now, some experts and lawmakers are discussing one idea that could help workers avoid
Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images Credit card balances have dropped during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now financial experts are hoping Americans can find the wiggle room to reach another financial goal: bulking up their emergency savings. Total credit card debt in the U.S. dropped by 13% by the end of the third quarter of 2020,
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | DigitalVision | Getty Images Good news for parents: Monthly payments through the new federal enhanced child tax credit will begin July 15. The credit will go to roughly 39 million households with about 65 million children, or 88% of children in the U.S., according to the IRS. The expanded credit
In this article TSLA Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla. Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images Elon Musk impersonators have stolen at least $2 million from investors in cryptocurrency scams over the past six months, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The theft is part of a so-called “giveaway scam,” whereby con artists pose as
Getty Images The May 17 extended tax filing deadline has arrived. Those who still aren’t ready may feel panicked, yet experts say there are options for people who aren’t prepared to file or pay. More from Personal Finance:2020 tax returns are due to the IRS on May 17. Here are some last-minute filing tipsAlmost 2
Hispanolistic Depending on where you live, cash or other financial aid from your state could be coming your way. As the U.S. economy continues recovering from the pandemic, some states are using (or plan to use) extra money in their budgets to either send out stimulus-type payments, provide tax cuts or otherwise give relief to
Sarat Sethi Cameron Costa | CNBC When Sarat Sethi was coming up in the finance and investment advisory industry, there were not a lot of role models of Asian descent. “It made me feel different,” said Sethi, who moved with his family to the U.S. from India when he was 12. Sethi, now 51 and
Even if your finances weren’t devastated by the pandemic recession, many Americans have not yet started saving. Here’s what you can do. For millions of retirement savers, the pandemic was a gut punch. There was the jarring stock market drop in March 2020, then millions lost their jobs, health insurance and ability to fund their
The Pennsylvania teachers’ retirement fund put more than half its assets into risky alternative investments. The math didn’t work out, spurring an investigation. The search for high returns takes many pension funds far and wide, but the Pennsylvania teachers’ fund went farther than most. It invested in trailer park chains, pistachio farms, pay phone systems
For millions of retirement savers, the pandemic was a gut punch. There was the jarring stock market drop in March 2020, then millions lost their jobs, health insurance and ability to fund their savings. The pandemic stymied adults who hadn’t started saving for retirement, the number of workers taking withdrawals from their 401(k)s last year
Investing can be an excellent way to build your wealth without having to do much work. Perhaps that’s why so many Americans do it. According to the Pew Research Center, 52% of American families are in some way invested in the stock market – mostly through 401(k)s and retirement accounts – and 14% directly invested
Talking about money with anyone can be awkward, but what about talking with your family? Those conversations hit much closer to home, making it even more difficult to talk with your loved ones about your financial situation. Why does it matter? Couldn’t you just avoid talking about your taxes with your family? Well, you could.
You paid taxes throughout your entire working life, whether you were worked a full-time job with a company or you were self-employed. Now that you’re retired, the kinds of taxes you’ll be paying are going to change. If you’re getting ready to retire, here are the taxes you may have to pay. Income Taxes When
Every year, you learn something new when you file your taxes. Hopefully, every time you figure out how to do it more efficiently. Maybe you discover a new way to file that takes less time. Perhaps you maximize your tax refund or determine ways in which you will owe less the next time around. Whether
Generally, people don’t like paying taxes. When their paycheck comes, they see that a large amount of money is taken out and they wonder where it’s all going. And then during tax time, they might get frustrated because they come to find out they owe the government even more money. However, as annoying as paying