Personal finance

Pixelfit | E+ | Getty Images Falling behind on federal student loans is likely to trigger other major financial consequences for borrowers, according to new research by The Pew Charitable Trusts. More than 80% of borrowers who experienced default stated that they’d faced at least one additional consequence as a result. The most common impact

Urbazon | E+ | Getty Images Democratic lawmakers in Washington are renewing a proposal to give every American child $1,000 at birth. The “baby bond” funds, called American Opportunity Accounts, would then be topped off with up to $2,000 per year, depending on a family’s income. The accounts would be federally insured and managed by

dowell | Moment | Getty Images If you’re looking for ways to trim your yearly tax bill, experts may check your portfolio, since some assets are more likely to trigger taxes in certain accounts. Your 401(k) account offers tax-deferred growth, meaning you won’t owe levies on yearly income, such as dividends and capital gains. By

Gremlin | E+ | Getty Images There’s often a chasm between theory and practice, what we should do and what we actually do. Yet, when it comes to the long-held advice for renters to not spend more than 30% of their income on housing, the target is increasingly impossible to even try to reach, experts

SDI Productions Despite the cooling market, many homeowners made money selling their property in 2022 — and part of that windfall may be taxable. Home sellers made a $112,000 profit on the typical sale in 2022, a 21% increase from 2021, and a 78% jump from two years ago, according to ATTOM, a nationwide property

Olezzo | iStock | Getty Images There’s no question 2022 was a rough year for investors. With record-high inflation, economic uncertainty and aggressive interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve to combat rising prices, stocks took a beating. All three of the major indexes had their worst year since 2008: The S&P 500 Index dropped

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., questions IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig at a Senate Finance Committee hearing. Tom Williams | Pool | Reuters President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the IRS answered questions during a Senate Finance Committee hearing this week, highlighting key issues from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Daniel Werfel,

Pablo Rasero | Istock | Getty Images While those with federal student loans wait to see if the Biden administration’s sweeping loan forgiveness plan survives two Supreme Court challenges, another big change is also on the horizon for borrowers. The U.S. Department of Education is working to create a new repayment option for the tens

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky at the U.S. Capitol Building on Feb. 13, 2023. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images Dozens of Republican members of Congress have filed briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plan should be ruled unlawful. “Congress authorized

Ivan Kyryk | Istock | Getty Images If you got married in 2022, you can add “tax return” to the list of things you’ll now be sharing. For some newlyweds, this is going to mean a bigger tax bill due to a so-called “marriage tax penalty.” It can happen when tax-bracket thresholds, deductions and credits

Pekic | E+ | Getty Images More than 1 million people recently took to the streets in France to protest an increase in the country’s standard retirement age. In the U.S., a similar battle may be quietly brewing in Washington. The full retirement age for Social Security, when workers are eligible for 100% of the

Malaikacasal | Istock | Getty Images That heart-shaped box of chocolates may be only half full this Valentine’s Day. It is not the result of a manufacturing glitch. Instead, it is an effort by certain brands to use bigger boxes to prompt consumers to think they are getting more for their money than they really