Personal finance

Janet Yellen, U.S. Treasury secretary, on a tour of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in Vienna, Virginia, on Jan. 8, 2024. Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images An upcoming Treasury Department deadline for millions of small businesses to fulfill a new reporting requirement on “beneficial ownership information” was delayed again, following a court order that

J Studios | Digitalvision | Getty Images In Saïd Sayrafiezadeh’s fictional short story, “Minimum Payment Due,” the main character is trapped in credit card debt and desperate for a way out. The fact that the experience is common — more than a third, or 38%, of adults in the U.S. have credit card debt, according

Hill Street Studios | Getty Images Keith Harris, a 17-year-old high school senior at KIPP DC College Preparatory, has studied accounting, investing and budgeting, among other basic lessons, like his English, history and math curriculum. Harris is enrolled in his high school’s NAF Academy of Business, a rigorous three-year finance program with a work-based learning

A woman shops at a Target store in Chicago on Nov. 26, 2024. Kamil Krzaczynski | AFP | Getty Images Heading into the holidays, many Americans were already saddled with record-breaking credit card debt. And yet, consumer spending is set to reach a fresh high this season.  The National Retail Federation reported last week that

Filippobacci | E+ | Getty Images Retirement savers, take note: more employers have added a Roth savings option to their workplace 401(k) plans. And, due to a legislative change, it’s likely the remaining holdouts will soon offer it, too. About 93% of 401(k) plans offered a Roth account in 2023, according to an annual poll

After a strong start to the holiday season, consumer spending is on track to reach record levels this year. But many of those purchases will soon be returned. December’s peak shopping days are closely followed by the busiest month for sending items back, which experts dub “Returnuary.” This year, returns are expected to amount to 17%

Home Alone (1990) 20th Century Fox The classic Christmas movie “Home Alone” tells the improbable tale of a family who leaves their 8-year-old son home when they leave for vacation. Yet in the years since the 1990 film was released, viewers have focused on another question — how wealthy was the fictitious McCallister family featured

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 9, 2024.  Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters The Biden administration has withdrawn two major plans to deliver student loan forgiveness. The proposed regulations would have allowed the U.S. Department of Education secretary to cancel

Mariah Carey performs “All I Want for Christmas Is You” at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards.  Gilbert Flores | Penske Media | Getty Images “I don’t want a lot for Christmas / There is just one thing I need / An answer to just one question / An estimate of Mariah Carey’s song royalties, please?”

Professionalstudioimages | E+ | Getty Images President-elect Donald Trump has been vocal about potentially raising tariffs on imported goods, which experts say could bump up car prices. Trump has talked about implementing an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imported goods, as well as adding tariffs of 25% on all products from Mexico and Canada. On

Drs Producoes | E+ | Getty Images The average 401(k) savings rate, including employee deferrals and company contributions, continued to climb in 2023, a new industry survey reported. In 2023, the average combined savings rate was 12.7%, up from 12.1% in 2022, with employees deferring 7.8% of pay and companies adding 4.9%, according to the

Filadendron | E+ | Getty Images High interest rates aren’t deterring many shoppers from store credit cards. When asked to choose between a store card or a buy now, pay later plan, 58% of surveyed shoppers prefer store cards, according to a new report by LendingTree. The remaining 42% picked BNPL loans. The site polled