Personal finance

The U.S. Department of Education announced additional details about the rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid for the upcoming year, which may address some of the issues that plagued last year’s college aid application cycle. The 2025-26 FAFSA will be available to limited groups of students in a series of beta

Images By Tang Ming Tung | Digitalvision | Getty Images Employers are increasingly putting workers’ 401(k) plan savings on autopilot. But the positive impact of automated retirement savings is more muted than initially thought, new research finds. Previously “underexamined” factors — like workers cashing out 401(k) balances when they leave a job — “meaningfully reduce”

Getty Images When cracks start to show in the labor market, young adults are often the first to feel it. To that point, about 16% of 18- to 24-year-olds are not employed and not enrolled in high school or college, according to a recent report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, which refers

PN_Photo | Getty Images So far, 2024 has been a huge year for data breaches. There had already been more than 1 billion personal records compromised before the National Public Data breach that has been making headlines, according to Michael Bruemmer, head of global data breach resolution at consumer credit reporting company Experian. National Public

A Dollar General store in Germantown, New York, on Nov. 30, 2023. Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images Three of the nation’s largest retailers — Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Kroger — charge fees to customers who ask for “cash back” at check-out, amounting to more than $90 million a year, according to the Consumer Financial

Without financial aid, the price tag at some four-year colleges and universities — after factoring in tuition, fees, room and board, books, transportation, and other expenses — is now nearing $100,000 a year. But even though college is getting more expensive, students and their parents rarely pay the full amount. Aside from their income and savings, most families rely on

Source: Getty Images During a strong year for the stock market, a lesser-known strategy could help rebalance your portfolio and save on future taxes. The tactic, known as tax-gain harvesting, involves strategically selling your profitable brokerage account assets during lower-income years. That could include early years of retirement or periods of unemployment. As of Aug.

Shaunl | E+ | Getty Images Consumers in the market for a home have been patiently waiting for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates — a move it seems poised to make in September. But without action from Congress, there could be another change at the end of that month that makes it temporarily

Minnesota Governor and 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz at the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 19, 2024. Charly Triballeau | AFP | Getty Images Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night. In his speech, Walz credited

Stefanie Kiser Book: “Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant”. Cover design by Jillian Rahn/Sourcebooks. Courtesy: Stefanie Kiser Stephanie Kiser came to New York City in 2014 as a new college graduate, hoping to become a screenwriter. Instead, she spent the next seven years as a nanny for wealthy families. Kiser’s new memoir, “Wanted: Toddler’s Personal Assistant: How

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images There’s still time to boost 401(k) contributions and max out your plan account for 2024, but not everyone should, according to financial advisors. For 2024, employees can defer up to $23,000 into 401(k) plans, up from $22,500 in 2023, with an extra $7,500 for workers age 50 and older. Some

Glowimages | Getty Images You may have never heard of National Public Data, yet your personal information may have been compromised in the company’s recent massive data breach. The background check company, which is owned by Jerico Pictures Inc., recently released details of the breach after a proposed class action lawsuit alleged 2.9 billion personal