Personal finance

A ‘help wanted’ sign is posted in front of restaurant on Feb. 4, 2022 in Los Angeles. Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images The big raises that many Americans got over the past year are starting to get smaller. Workers in the private sector saw average wages grow by 5.1% in the past

Jbyard | Istock | Getty Images President Joe Biden made no mention of student loan forgiveness at his State of the Union address on Tuesday. Yet a spokesman for the administration says cancellation remains on the table. White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said a decision on whether to forgive student debt through executive

Cabania | iStock | Getty Images Plus Despite ongoing challenges, the IRS has sent nearly 30 million tax refunds, worth about $103.2 billion, the agency reported Friday. While 29% of Americans worry about a smaller refund, according to a Bankrate survey, the average is currently $3,473 through Feb. 25, which is $658 larger than last

LinkedIn employees are treated to “surprise and delight” moments through the tech company’s LiftUp program. LinkedIn Millions of Americans are quitting their jobs and rethinking what they want when it comes to work and work-life balance. Companies are responding, meeting their employees’ needs in areas like remote work, flexible hours, four-day workweeks, compensation and more.

You can use buy now, pay later for just about everything these days. Since the start of the pandemic, installment payments have exploded in popularity along with a general surge in online shopping. In some cases, spreading out the cost of a big-ticket purchase — like a Peloton, for example — makes financial sense, especially at 0%.

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images If you’re subject to annual required withdrawals from your retirement accounts, be aware that the calculation for those amounts has changed — generally to your advantage. New IRS life expectancy tables — which are used to determine required minimum distributions, or RMDs — are in effect starting

Shoppers are seen inside a shopping mall in Bethesda, Maryland on February 17, 2022. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images Inflation is pushing up prices everywhere, from grocery store shelves to gas pumps. It turns out that it’s also likely taking something away – that mood boost you may enjoy from so-called retail therapy.

If picking a college comes down to the financial bottom line, then an in-state pubic school is often the best deal. “In-state tuition is half to two-thirds lower than out-of-state,” said Mark Kantrowitz, author of “How to Appeal for More College Financial Aid.” Since the start of the pandemic, students and their families are increasingly

The four-day workweek is gaining traction. It also has a lot of fans. A whopping 92% of U.S. workers are in favor of the shortened workweek, a survey from cloud-software vendor Qualtrics found. The findings come on the heels of an announcement by Belgium’s federal government that it will allow workers in the country’s public

Whyframestudio | Istock | Getty Images Anyone who has felt burdened by medical debt may be familiar with that initial bout of panic when a big bill arrives. What may be worse, though, is what can happen to your long-term financial picture if you disregard it. Generally speaking, that debt can end up haunting you. 

Morsa Images | DigitalVision | Getty Images Today’s teens are thinking differently about their future employment, and many have decided they don’t want to work for anyone else. About 60% of teenagers are more interested in someday starting their own business instead of working a traditional job, according to a March 1 survey from Junior

A taxi driver refuels a vehicle at a Gulf gas station in Boston on Mar. 1, 2022. Vanessa Leroy/Bloomberg via Getty Images The economic effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a week ago have reverberated around the globe — leaving many households to wonder how the conflict might hit their wallet. The short answer: Prices