Personal finance

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

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images With the federal government’s ability to forgive student debt up in the air, experts say it would behoove borrowers to explore the many state-level relief programs available. “Most states have one, especially if you’re in health care,” said Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors, a

Phoenix Wang | Moment | Getty Images Former President Donald Trump has touted a bold new idea for Social Security: ending taxes on benefit income. “Seniors should not pay tax on Social Security,” Trump wrote on July 31 in all capital letters on social media platform Truth Social, and repeated the point during an Aug.

Pascal Broze | Onoky | Getty Images As investors face economic uncertainty, financial advisors have guidelines for how much cash they should have set aside. Despite second-quarter economic growth, nearly 60% of Americans wrongly think the U.S. is currently in a recession, according to a June survey of 2,000 adults from Affirm. While Goldman Sachs

Jj Gouin | Istock | Getty Images Most Americans rank Social Security as “one of the top” issues or a “very important” issue determining who they will vote for in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, according to a new CNBC poll. Social Security reform is also a top concern, according to a separate survey from

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump. Brendan Mcdermid | Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris both want to end taxes on tips — and some policy experts have already criticized the idea. Harris expressed support for tax-free tips at a

Iuliia Isaieva | Moment | Getty Images Homeowners are sitting on$17 trillion in equity as of the end of the first quarter of 2024, according to CoreLogic. The average homeowner gained $28,000 in equity compared to a year earlier. For many people, there’s no need to touch that money. Home equity is “not like bread,”

The Republican vice presidential candidate, Sen. JD Vance, speaks at a campaign rally at NMC-Wollard Inc. / Wollard International in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Aug. 7, 2024. Adam Bettcher | Getty Images Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, former President Donald Trump‘s GOP running mate, wants to more than double the child tax credit. But the increase could be