Personal finance

Shoppers carry their purchases on Black Friday in New York City on November 29, 2024.  Adam Gray | AFP | Getty Images When Bernadette Joy graduated with an MBA in 2016, she and her husband had around $300,000 in debt, including student loans and mortgage balances. By 2020, they were debt free. As Joy sought

Ascentxmedia | E+ | Getty Images Many workers dream of an early retirement. In reality, more than half of workers — 58% — retire earlier than they planned, usually due to unforeseen circumstances, according to new research from Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies in collaboration with Transamerica Institute. The median age they call it quits

10’000 Hours | Digitalvision | Getty Images As families gather for Thanksgiving this year, money is one topic that likely won’t be discussed. Yet experts say it’s a perfect time to start the conversation, particularly with aging parents. More than half of Americans — 56% — say their parents never discussed money with them, according

Blackcat | E+ | Getty Images It’s no secret that homeowners often have higher net-worth than renters. But while renters face unique affordability challenges, there are still steps they can take to improve their financial standing. In 2022, the typical renter in the U.S. had a median net worth of $10,400, according to a new

Pt Stock | Moment | Getty Images When Americans measure success, they’re not often thinking about their net worth or account balances. About 59% of polled Americans say that happiness — specifically, the ability to spend money on things that make them happy — is the most important benchmark of success, according to a new

Parents tend to splurge on their children during the holidays. This year, 63% of millennials, many of whom now have school-age children of their own, said they plan to spend the same or more on holiday shopping as they did last year — the highest share of any generation, according to a quarterly report by

Matthias Ritzmann | The Image Bank | Getty Images With the Biden administration’s new student loan repayment plan is tied up in legal battles, millions of borrowers have had their monthly payments put on hold. The break from the bills is likely a relief to the many federal student loan borrowers enrolled in the Saving

Stock traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images News | Getty Images Many large U.S. companies have seen their stocks swell since the presidential election. The top 10 performing stocks in the S&P 500 index saw returns of 18% or more since Election Day, according to

Sporrer/Rupp | Image Source | Getty Images Most Americans are concerned about what may happen to Social Security when its retirement trust fund crosses a projected 2033 depletion date, according to a new Bankrate survey. Nearly three-quarters, 73%, of non-retired adults and 71% retired adults say they worry they won’t receive their benefits if the

Westend61 | Getty More than 72.5 million Americans will see a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment in their Social Security and Supplemental Security Income checks in 2025. Before then, beneficiaries can expect to receive a notice detailing how their monthly checks will change. In December, the notices will be available online for beneficiaries who have My Social

Boogich | E+ | Getty Images Lenders often encourage federal student loan borrowers to enroll in automatic payments. It can seem like a good idea to do so: Borrowers don’t need to worry about missing a payment and often get a slightly lower interest rate in exchange. However, the decision can backfire in a lending

If you still haven’t booked your holiday travel plans, take note: Prices tend to rise the closer you get to the days you’re looking to travel.  To afford holiday trips, about 50% of respondents are cutting back on other expenses while 49% are picking up discounts and deals, according to the 2024 Holiday Travel Outlook