Personal finance

Americans are increasingly finding alternative ways to satisfy their holiday wish lists as they continue to grapple with high prices and inflation. In many cases, that means opting for flexible payment plans. On Black Friday through Cyber Monday, buy now, pay later payments through companies such as Klarna, Zip, Zilch, Affirm and Afterpay jumped 85% compared with

Consumers spent a record $9.12 billion online shopping during Black Friday and another record $11.3 billion on Cyber Monday, according to the most recent data from Adobe. So far this November, consumers have spent $107.7 billion online overall, up nearly 10% from last year. Yet roughly 60% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck heading into the month. “Shoppers

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | Digitalvision | Getty Images In between eating leftover turkey and hunting for bargains amid holiday sales, be sure to review your Medicare coverage, if you haven’t already. The program’s annual open enrollment period, which began Oct. 15 and ends Dec. 7, is when you can make changes, which will take

Thomas Barwick | Digitalvision | Getty Images Many families struggle to come up with the cash when faced with an unexpected $400 expense. That lack of emergency savings may force them to borrow money at high interest rates to pay for the surprise expense, putting their financial security at risk. Now Congress has a window

President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images It’s been almost three years since people with federal student loans have had to make a payment on their debt, and the Biden administration recently announced that borrowers have even more time. In March 2020, when the

People shop at a grocery store on June 10, 2022 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images The average American household is spending $433 more a month to buy the same goods and services it did a year ago, according to a Moody’s Analytics analysis of October inflation data. While down slightly from

Prostock-studio | Istock | Getty Images In the rush at the store checkout this holiday season, you may be tempted to say yes when asked if you want to apply for a store credit card — especially if you’re offered extra savings on that day’s purchase. But there is good reason to think twice this

Black Friday bargain hunters shop at a Walmart store in New Jersey on Nov. 26, 2021. Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images More Americans are struggling financially just as the peak shopping season kicks into high gear. Yet shoppers will still shell out $1,455, on average, on holiday gifts — in line with

Where you live can go a long way toward determining your credit rating. With Minnesota’s low poverty rate and high employment, its residents have a credit score of 724, on average, well above those of even wealthier states, such as California and New Jersey, according to a recent report by WalletHub based on TransUnion data.

Whether consumers are looking to save or are hunting for a buried treasure, the resale business is booming. During the Covid pandemic, secondhand stores such as eBay, the RealReal and ThredUp thrived online. related investing news Holiday shoppers aren’t in a rush. What that means for retail stocks Christina Cheddar Berk a day ago So-called recommerce

Bahamas-based crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. on Nov. 11, 2022, seeking court protection as it looks for a way to return money to users. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images After a difficult year for digital assets, many investors were blindsided by the recent collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, as customers

Tom Brenner | Reuters The midterm elections made two key federal programs seniors rely on — Social Security and Medicare — a topic of national conversation. Now, as the final vote tally comes in — with a Democratic majority in the Senate and a Republican majority in the House of Representatives — advocates for the