Personal finance

Afternoon commuters sit in traffic on southbound Interstate 5 near downtown San Diego on March 12, 2024. Kevin Carter | Getty Images “Rush” hour isn’t what it used to be. As more commuters settle into flexible working arrangements, fewer workers are making early morning or early evening trips compared to pre-pandemic traffic patterns The traditional

Hero Images | Getty Images Since most Americans aren’t eligible for Medicare before age 65, many younger retirees rely on Marketplace health insurance, which offers lower monthly premiums through the end of 2025 thanks to boosted tax breaks. But retirees can face a costly tax surprise without proper planning, experts say. As of open enrollment

President Joe Biden announces a new plan for federal student loan relief at Madison Area Technical College Truax Campus, in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 8, 2024. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters President Joe Biden may try to forgive student debt again as early as next month, in a sweeping redo effort that could impact tens of

Hinterhaus Productions | Digitalvision | Getty Images Travel spending among American households continues to outpace its pre-pandemic levels, a trend underpinned by a zeal for international trips, according to new Bank of America research. “A key part of travel momentum lies within vacationing abroad,” Taylor Bowley and Joe Wadford, economists at the Bank of America

Ascentxmedia | E+ | Getty Images With the Federal Reserve poised to start cutting interest rates, experts are divided on what’s ahead for the U.S. economy. While some worry the economy could be in for a broad decline, or recession, others hope the central bank can effectively avoid a downturn and execute a “soft landing.”

Vm | E+ | Getty Images Owning isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. For many reasons — including affordability — more Americans are choosing to rent everything from cars and apartments to clothing and furniture these days, according to a report by Intuit Credit Karma. Far beyond the traditional tuxedo, the rental industry

Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images Retirees who are worried about the high costs of prescription drugs are set to get new relief starting in 2025. Starting in January, Medicare drug plan enrollees will have their annual out-of-pocket drug costs capped at $2,000. Between 2025 and 2029, on average, about 1.4 million participants in

Piranka | E+ | Getty Images The season of fall foliage and pumpkin spice lattes is approaching. Meanwhile, the job market might also turning over a new leaf. A “September surge,” or the idea that more job postings become available after Labor Day, is tied to an end of a summer slowdown as job recruiters

Xavier Lorenzo | Moment | Getty Images A lack of attention to taxes may be costing investors big bucks. Many investors are probably familiar with the concept of asset allocation, which entails selecting the right mix of stocks and bonds (say, 60/40) to balance investment risk and return. But where those assets are held —

Jamie Grill | Getty Images It may not be the season’s new hot toy, but gifting a child money toward college could have a more lasting impact. Daniel Trujillo, 39, a certified public accountant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, said he was blown away when his friend suggested putting money into a college savings account in

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”