JGI/Jamie Grill If you save for retirement through a 401(k) plan, you may have noticed changes to it over the years — for example, automatic increases in your contributions and “catch-up” amounts for the over-50 crowd. A couple more tweaks, which were included in a 2019 retirement bill called the Secure Act, could also become
Personal finance
A job seeker receives information from a recruiter during a job fair in Miami on Dec. 16, 2021. Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images Long-term unemployment fell significantly in January, continuing a downward trajectory from its pandemic-era peak after having plateaued in recent months. The number of Americans out of work for at least six
courtneyk | E+ | Getty Images The IRS has warned about “challenges” this tax season, and a slew of automated notices are already causing distress for filers. Some taxpayers who sent last year’s return and paid their balance have received a CP80 notice saying they may lose their credit for payment if they don’t file
Adriana Gamez restocks rose bouquets at California Flowers in downtown Los Angeles on Feb. 12, 2021. Dania Maxwell | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images They say love doesn’t cost a thing, but Valentine’s Day is a different story. For starters, anyone going on a date on the Feb. 14 holiday can expect to pay top dollar
Chile requires visitors furnish proof of insurance coverage for Covid-19 and related conditions. Pictured, capital city Santiago. Oleh_Slobodeniuk | E+ | Getty Images Are you planning a trip abroad? You may need to buy travel insurance to visit your destination country. Many countries had insurance requirements even before the pandemic. But about a dozen more
Getty Images The roughly 50 million American consumers who either don’t have credit history or have a limited record are in luck. In recent years, many financial services companies have come out with programs to establish and build credit for those who have struggled to access the traditional banking system. There are even ways
Jeffrey Coolidge | Photodisc | Getty Images Tax season has kicked off, and the IRS has already warned filing mistakes may cause delays amid staffing shortages and a massive backlog. While electronic filing offers the best chance for faster refunds, other moves may invite IRS scrutiny, according to tax experts. The IRS closed 452,515 individual audits
Photo by Rafa Elias | Moment | Getty Images Many victims of identity theft linked to unemployment fraud will learn of the crime this tax season. Such fraud — whereby organized crime rings and other thieves use stolen personal data to claim unemployment benefits in others’ names — has surged during the Covid-19 pandemic. Victims
Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images This tax season, millions of American families who received advance child tax credit payments are calculating what they got in order to submit their 2021 returns. Some may be worried that they were sent more money than they were owed in the monthly payments from July to
Even cupid is coming out of quarantine. Valentine’s Day spending is expected to reach $23.9 billion in 2022, the second-highest year on record, according to the National Retail Federation. On average, Americans will spend $175.41 on candy, cards, flowers and other romantic gifts, up from $164.76 in 2021. Those in a relationship will shell out
Kwangmoozaa | iStock | Getty Images Student loan payments have been on pause for nearly two years. Come May, they’re scheduled to resume. Many of the tens of millions of borrowers will find themselves in a different financial situation then they were in March 2020, and a different payment plan may make more sense for
pixelfit | E+ | Getty Images Women earned just 84% of what men made in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center. And that difference — dubbed the gender wage gap — has stayed consistent for about 15 years. The discrepancy is often attributed to education, occupation and experience. However, research from economists at the