wera Rodsawang | Moment | Getty Images Child poverty fell dramatically in 2021, thanks to an expansion put in place last year that sent monthly payments of up to $300 per child to millions of eligible families. Yet many individuals and families eligible for the child tax credit, as well as another called the earned
Personal finance
JGI/Jamie Grill When the Federal Reserve hiked the target federal funds rate by another 0.75 percentage points this month, it opened some new opportunities for savers to earn better returns on their cash. The Fed’s move is aimed at combating high inflation, which has sent costs for housing, food and energy soaring. related investing news
Mphillips007 | E+ | Getty Images The pumpkin spice latte is back — and the popular and meme-ified seasonal drink can teach us a lot about consumer behavior and economics. Starbucks debuted the pumpkin spice latte in 2003, and the “PSL” grew to be the company’s most popular seasonal drink, selling more than 600 million
Phynart Studio | Istock | Getty Images President Joe Biden’s announcement last month that he’ll forgive up to $20,000 in student debt for borrowers will also impact the millions of parents who have taken out loans for their children’s education. The debt cancellation applies to so-called Parent PLUS loans, federal loans that parents can take
Hoxton/Sam Edwards | Getty Images Bond yields jumped this week after another major rate hike from the Federal Reserve, flashing a warning of market distress. The policy-sensitive 2-year Treasury yield on Friday climbed to 4.266%, notching a 15-year high, and the benchmark 10-year Treasury hit 3.829%, the highest in 11 years. related investing news Goldman
Ronnie Kaufman | DigitalVision | Getty Images For some new retirees, there’s an extra step needed when it comes to signing up for Medicare. That is, you may need to appeal so-called income-related adjustment amounts, or IRMAAs, if your income as a new retiree is lower than when you were working. Those extra charges kick
The Federal Reserve raised the target federal funds rate by 0.75 percentage points for the third time in a row, in an effort to cool down unrelenting inflation. Fed officials have raised the benchmark short-term borrowing rate a total of five times this year, including 75 basis point increases in June and July, marking an unprecedented pace.
Enes Evren It’s been a rough year for the stock market, and some consumers are closing investment accounts due to inflation and volatility concerns, according to a recent survey from Ally Financial. As investors brace for another major interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve, inflation is still hovering near a 40-year high and the
hept27 | iStock | Getty Images Student loan debtors are poised to get some breathing room after President Joe Biden unveiled a plan last month to forgive up to $20,000 per borrower in federal student loans. But some experts say the one-time presidential pardon will not do much to alleviate the student debt crisis affecting
A Social Security Administration office in San Francisco. Getty Images The Social Security Administration’s average wait time for an initial disability decision hit an all-time high in August of more than six months, or 198 days — almost three times higher than it was a decade ago. That is just one of many signs that
Sporrer/Rupp | Image Source | Getty Images As talk of Social Security reform heats up heading into the November election, one congressional proposal to expand the federal program has received a new endorsement from California lawmakers. In August, a joint resolution passed both the state’s senate and its assembly. Now, it goes to Capitol Hill
Cecilie Arcurs | Getty Images There’s about one month until the Oct. 17 tax deadline extension, and experts say filers need to prepare, especially for more complicated returns. An estimated all-time high of 19 million American taxpayers filed an extension for their 2021 returns, according to the IRS. Kevin Brady, a certified financial planner and