Personal finance

Srdjanpav | E+ | Getty Images With spring around the corner, there’s no better time to start on the path towards financial wellness. For many people, spring means the chance for a fresh start. Add in the two-year anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the urge to take control, declutter and start anew may be

Nosystem Images | E+ | Getty Images If the stock market’s volatility is worrying you because you’re edging closer to retirement, it may be time to re-evaluate your portfolio. One of the big risks you can face as a new retiree is a persisting market downturn just as you need to start tapping your savings.

Spanic | E+ | Getty Images There are some obvious triggers that might prompt you to update your will, such as changes in health or marital status. There are, however, also some not-so-obvious ones to be aware of, according to financial planners and attorneys. “Your will should be updated when your personal circumstances change, which

Tetra Images | Getty Images The IRS has already issued 22 million refunds, at an average $3,536 each.  That’s $700 more than last year, when the average refund was just over $2,800. For most people, a lump-sum payment of this size is rare. “The tax refund is often the biggest windfall households receive all year,” said

A trader works at the New York Stock Exchange on Feb. 25, 2022. Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Everyday investors may unknowingly have exposure to Russian stocks — but the good news is, those holdings likely represent a small part of their overall portfolios. Investments linked to Russia have taken

Getty Images If you’re considering a Roth conversion, stock market drops may make the strategy more appealing, according to financial experts.   While the popular move, allowing higher earners to bypass income limits for Roth individual retirement account contributions, was in peril as House Democrats passed Build Back Better, the spending package stalled in December. Nevertheless,

Getty Images |  filadendron You’re not alone if you panic sold during this week’s stock market volatility and you’re feeling regret, experts say. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered U.S. stock market swings on Thursday, with the S&P 500 dropping by as much as 2.6% before closing 1.5% higher. The Nasdaq Composite recovered from a nearly

It’s been almost two years since most borrowers have had to pay their monthly student loan bill. And yet, 93% of them are not prepared to resume payments on May 1, according to a survey of more than 23,000 student loan borrowers by the Student Debt Crisis Center. “The payment pause has meant everything,” said

Bill Oxford | E+ | Getty Images The tax season kicked off on Jan. 24, and the IRS has issued more than 22 million tax refunds worth around $78 billion, the agency reported Friday. As of Feb. 18, the average refund was $3,536, over $700 higher than last year’s payment of $2,815, as reported through

Cybercriminals capitalize on uncertainty and Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine is just the type of upheaval that may put individuals at risk. “The problem is kinetic warfare is almost always accompanied by cyberwarfare,” said Vahid Behzadan, an assistant professor of cybersecurity at the University of New Haven. “It’s unlikely Russia would target the critical infrastructure here

Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images Drivers may need to prepare for more potential pain at the pump. The national average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas has reached $3.59, up 33 cents so far this year, according to GasBuddy data. With ongoing uncertainty over how oil supplies could be affected by

Lightspeedshutter | Istock | Getty Images After two years of federal student loan payments being suspended because of the Covid pandemic, the government doesn’t expect an easy process to get millions of borrowers back into repayment. That’s the takeaway from a new report by the Government Accountability Office, which found that as many as half