Personal finance

Two winters ago, we vacationed to a hot-spot resort in the Caribbean with our family. Around the perimeter of its casino concourse, a variety of attractions buzzed for our consumption. We found an art installation to climb on, faux floral arches to position ourselves around and giant milkshakes topped with full desserts in sugar-rimmed glasses

Vanessa Acosta marries Sam Roberts in their backyard in Pasadena, California, on May 25, 2024. Courtesy: Vanessa Acosta Last year, Vanessa Acosta and Sam Roberts found their dream venue for a black-tie wedding. But a series of family events made the couple reconsider their plans: “We don’t need to do this big thing where we’re

Theatrical one-sheet for THELMA, a Magnolia Pictures release. Courtesy: Magnolia Pictures In the movie “Thelma,” 93-year-old Thelma Post receives a frantic call from what sounds like her grandson saying he’s in jail with a broken nose following an accident and needs $10,000. Assuming the call is truly her grandson, Thelma, portrayed by June Squibb, follows

pixelfit | E+ | Getty Images Young, wealthy investors don’t want their parents’ investments. If you’re between the ages of 21 and 43 and have at least $3 million in investable assets, your preferred investments likely aren’t your traditional mix of stocks and bonds, according to new research from Bank of America. Nearly one-third of

Erin Collins, national taxpayer advocate at the Taxpayer Advocate Service, speaks at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 2021. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images There’s a pileup of tax identity theft cases at the IRS — but the agency is working on a “range of improvements” to speed up

In an already difficult year for college applicants, when it came down to picking a school, there was one factor that outweighed all others: financial aid. Even in ordinary years, choosing a college largely hinges on the amount of financial aid offered and the breakdown among grants, scholarships, work-study opportunities and student loans. In 2024, however,

Former President Donald Trump, left, and President Joe Biden face off in the first debate of the 2024 presidential campaign, in Atlanta, June 27, 2024. Andrew Harnik | Getty Images News | Getty Images The recent U.S. presidential debate saw both candidates trade barbs related to the economy. High pandemic-era inflation was among the grievances.

Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images Millions of student loan borrowers were looking forward to a smaller monthly bill come July, until a legal challenge to the Biden administration’s new relief plan got in the way last week. But on June 30, a federal appeals court gave the U.S. Department of Education the green light

Eva-katalin | E+ | Getty Images Retirees are still feeling the impact of higher prices. Yet one buffer for the effects of inflation — the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, — may be lower next year. As the rate of inflation moderates, the Social Security COLA for 2025 might be 3%, according to the

Johner Images | Johner Images Royalty-free | Getty Images Many retirees don’t think about taxes until it’s time to withdraw funds from a pretax account, which can be a costly mistake, financial experts say. Only 3 in 10 Americans have a plan to reduce taxes on retirement savings, according to a Northwestern Mutual study from January

Tolgart | E+ | Getty Images Cybercriminals are targeting wealth accounts by tapping into a victim’s emotions. So-called romance scams involve building a relationship and trust with the victim so that the target willingly provides access to their accounts or transfers money to the criminal, explained Tracy Kitten, the director of fraud and security at

Maryna Terletska | Moment | Getty Images Individual retirement accounts are getting bigger — and it can cause tax issues for retirees or their children who inherit the assets, experts say. The median IRA or self-employed Keogh balance was $87,000 in 2022, up from $81,144 in 2019, according to a June report from the Employee