By most accounts, Black Friday and Cyber Monday promise some of the lowest prices of the season. And in 2023, more people than ever plan to take advantage of the five-day shopping event that begins on Thanksgiving Day and continues through the following Monday, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey. This year, holiday
Personal finance
Wide shot of waiter taking dinner order from family at tropical beach restaurant during sunset Thomas Barwick | Digitalvision | Getty Images When it comes to dining, tipping at least 15% to 20% is traditional etiquette, say experts. It seems many Americans disagree. Almost 1 in 5, 18%, of people tip less than 15% for
Solstock | E+ | Getty Images A great credit score can be important, but improving that number isn’t always easy. Nearly 4 in 5 Americans say they’re trying to improve their credit score, according to a recent NerdWallet survey. But 50% say they face barriers toward improvement, namely a low credit limit. The website polled
Allison Bornstein, author of “Wear It Well”. Photo: Jennifer Trahan It’s not often we’re told to buy less, at least on social media. More likely, we’re encouraged to wear Loro Piana cashmere baseball hats and carry $300 Smythson notebooks like Gwyneth Paltrow in the name of “quiet luxury” and justify such expensive purchases using “girl
Engaged couple embrace. Bryan Miguel | Moment | Getty Images Holiday gifts aren’t the only pricey thing on shoppers’ lists right now. We’re also approaching peak engagement season for couples in the U.S., or the time between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day, according to wedding site The Knot. Consumers in the market for a diamond engagement
Bill Stovall in his house in Cumming, Georgia. Every morning, Bill Stovall wakes up at around 8:30 a.m. The first thing he does is speak to his wife’s ashes, which are in a pink urn on his fireplace mantle. He keeps it brief. “I say: ‘Good morning. I miss you and I love you. I
Customers at a pop-up shop at a Forever-21 store in New York’s Times Square on Nov. 10, 2023. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Inflation continued its broad moderation in October, down significantly from pandemic-era highs that hadn’t been seen in more than 40 years. This dynamic — whereby prices for consumer goods and services
A customer holds a fuel nozzle at a Shell gas station in Hercules, California, U.S., on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. President Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gasoline tax, a largely symbolic move by an embattled president running out of options to ease pump prices weighing on his party’s political prospects. Photographer:
Getty Images Exchange-traded funds came in third among the top 10 investment products to grow in popularity with U.S. households from 2020 to 2022, according to a new survey. While individual stocks were the most commonly owned investment product, held by 43% of households in 2022, 18% of households invested in ETFs in the same
Araya Doheny | Getty Images When Dave Bernstein, 87, started working at the U.S. Postal Service in February 1970, he was making $2.35 an hour. To supplement his income, he also took on other work. Years later, Bernstein decided in 1992 to take a voluntary retirement. “We knew there was going to be a reduced
Nosystem Images | E+ | Getty Images Many older women outlive their spouses and may not expect higher future taxes after suffering from the loss. But there are ways to prepare, according to financial experts. American women have a significantly higher life expectancy than men, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and
Feeling “rich” is increasingly elusive. Even among millionaires, only 8% would characterize themselves as wealthy these days. Roughly 60% of investors with $1 million or more of investable assets said they are more likely upper middle class, according to a recent Ameriprise Financial survey of more than 3,000 adults. To that point, 31% consider themselves