Personal finance

John Miller | iStock | Getty Images A group of House Republicans is revisiting the Fair Tax Act, which would replace certain federal levies with a national sales tax and decentralize the IRS. While the plan may not get a floor vote and wouldn’t make it through the Democrat-controlled Senate, policy experts say the plan

A woman shops for chicken at a supermarket in Santa Monica, California, on Sept. 13, 2022. Apu Gomes | AFP | Getty Images For those who fear a recession may be coming, the only question is when. Many economists and CEOs, in fact, expect a recession may be on the horizon this year related investing

Suze Orman speaks during AOL’s BUILD Speaker Series at AOL Studios In New York. Jenny Anderson | WireImage | Getty Images An unexpected bill is never convenient. But there are even more reasons now that an unforeseen event — such as a car repair or medical expense — could put Americans on unstable financial footing.

Source: Getty Images Rising credit interest rates have made it even more expensive to carry debts. But a proposal in Congress that would cap rates on consumer loans at 36% may not be an effective way of curbing those higher costs of borrowing, according to new research from the Urban Institute’s Financial Well-Being Data Hub.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., speaks to the cameras about the reconciliation bill in the Hart Senate Office Building on Monday, August 1, 2022. Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Now that the U.S. has hit the debt ceiling, lawmakers need to revisit the federal budget and find ways to make cuts,

Iona Studio | Istock | Getty Images More people in the U.S. are deciding to hold off on medical care for financial reasons. The share of Americans who say they or a family member delayed medical treatment due to cost rose to 38% in 2022 from 26% in 2021, according to the results of a

Mstudioimages | E+ | Getty Images To maintain your standard of living in retirement, the rule of thumb is you need to be able to replace at least 70% of the income you had while you were working. But many retirees fall short of that retirement income goal, according to research from Goldman Sachs Asset

Allison Michael Orenstein | Getty Images Social Security recipients are just starting to see the record 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment in their monthly checks. But come tax time, they could see surprises resulting from last year’s 5.9% increase, which at the time was the biggest COLA in four decades. Last year’s 5.9% cost-of-living adjustment was like

Fotostorm | E+ | Getty Images There’s still a ways to go before used car prices come back down to earth. While prices were 8.8% lower in December from a year earlier, consumers continue to pay more for used cars than they would if typical depreciation expectations were in play, according to car-shopping app CoPilot,

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Jan. 10, 2023 in Washington. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images News | Getty Images The U.S. may be about to hit its debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said last week that the U.S. would likely hit the ceiling Thursday. Absent steps taken by Congress, the event may “cause

sturti Even with broad availability of free checking services, more than a quarter of checking account holders — 27% — are paying fees every month. For consumers who aren’t taking advantage of free checking, those fees add up to an average of $24 per month, or $288 per year, according to a new survey from

Given today’s ongoing high inflation, many Americans worry they may not have put away enough money for retirement. They fear that sharp increases in food and energy prices and transportation and medical care costs could significantly affect their retirement savings. Yet there’s another important factor to consider: your life expectancy. A new report from the