Personal finance

Democratic U.S. presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks at an Aug. 10 campaign rally in Las Vegas. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images Affordable housing is a cornerstone of the “opportunity economy” that Vice President Kamala Harris sketched out last week. Harris’ economic policy pitch included proposals to lower the costs

Will & Deni Mcintyre | Corbis Documentary | Getty Images The notion of offering free school meals could become a policy issue in the U.S. presidential race, experts say — especially given Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on the Democratic ticket. The federal government offered K-12

A Target store in Queens, New York. Lindsey Nicholson | UCG | Universal Images Group | Getty Images The back-to-school shopping season is in full swing, with the hefty bills to prove it. Nearly one-third — 31% — of back-to-school shoppers said that buying supplies for the new year will put them into debt, according to a

JGI/Jamie Grill | Blend Images | Getty Images Higher prices have made it more difficult for Americans to stretch their paychecks. Yet new research finds a bright spot: Most households have enough liquidity to cover “moderate expense shocks,” according to a recent JPMorgan Chase Institute analysis of a sample of 5.9 million households through anonymized

The Federal Reserve could start lowering interest rates as soon as next month, based on the latest inflation data. “We think that the time is approaching,” Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a press conference after the last Federal Open Market Committee meeting in July. For Americans struggling to keep up with sky-high interest charges, a likely September rate cut may bring some

Kumikomini | Istock | Getty Images In 2004, Sabrina Finch returned to school to become a nurse. Her mother, Rebecca, was excited for Sabrina, then in her early 30s, to finally have a career. She’d watched for years as Sabrina struggled to get by working low-wage jobs, including in fast-food restaurants and factories. As a

Activists demonstrate in support of a $15-per-hour minimum wage and tips for restaurant workers in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 8, 2022. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images The federal minimum wage recently marked a new anniversary. But for affected workers, that may not be something to celebrate. The federal minimum wage has now been

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at an event with U.S. President Joe Biden (not pictured) in Prince George’s County, Maryland, U.S., August 15, 2024.  Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday unveiled an economic plan, including an expanded child tax credit worth up to $6,000 in total tax relief for families

Klaus Vedfelt | Digitalvision | Getty Images From leggings to lip gloss, there’s a dupe for almost any brand-name product. Buying a knockoff used to be a consumer’s dirty little secret, largely because a “fake” was considered inferior to the real thing, not to mention the economic cost and intellectual property rights infringement. But brand imitators,

Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn | Istock | Getty Images About 2.9 billion people may have had their personal information hacked, a new proposed class action lawsuit alleges. If true, reports suggest all Americans may have had valuable personal information compromised — including full names, current and past addresses, Social Security numbers and information on parents, siblings and

Getty Images As their retirement nears, investors need to be aware of a threat known as the “sequence of returns risk” which could jeopardize their retirement nest egg. While this risk is often an overlooked and misunderstood problem for retirees, there are ways to minimize its negative impact, experts say.  Also called “sequence risk,” the

Fotostorm | E+ | Getty Images Inflation cooled below 3% in July 2024, the first time it dropped beneath that level in more than three years. While many areas of the U.S. economy are dis-inflating — meaning their prices are still rising, though at a slower rate — some have been outright deflating. That means