Personal finance

Hurricane Irma strikes Miami, Florida, in 2017. Warren Faidley | Getty Images Hurricane season has officially begun. With scientists predicting yet another active year for storms, making your home hurricane resistant has become a more valuable precaution. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its forecast May 23 that it expects an 85% chance

Getty Images If you’re a higher earner and looking to boost tax-free retirement savings, there’s a lesser-known strategy that could be worth considering. While Roth individual retirement accounts offer tax-free growth and other benefits, some investors earn too much for direct contributions. For 2024, the adjusted gross income limits for Roth IRA contributions are $161,000 for

Martin Barraud | Ojo Images | Getty Images Many Americans are likely familiar with financial thresholds that are adjusted for inflation each year. They include contribution limits to 401(k) plans, cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security benefits and federal income tax brackets, to name a few. These tweaks help households keep pace with the rising cost

Delaware College of Art and Design in Wilmington, Delaware. Google Earth The Delaware College of Art and Design is set to close, the institution announced on May 23, citing low enrollment numbers for the upcoming school year, due in part to issues with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Experts have continuously warned that

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel testifies before the House Appropriations Committee in Washington, D.C., on May 7, 2024. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images The IRS will expand Direct File, its free tax filing program, nationwide starting in 2025, the agency and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Thursday. “After a successful pilot, we are

Pixelseffect | E+ | Getty Images The pace of hiring remains strong for lower-earning Americans, holding steady above its pre-pandemic baseline even as the demand for higher-income workers has waned slightly, according to new data from Vanguard. The hires rate for the bottom third of workers by income (who earn less than $55,000 a year)

Jose Luis Pelaez | Stone | Getty Images For many people, retirement planning is all about money: how to invest, how much to save, when to claim Social Security, how to best withdraw from accounts. The list goes on. Finances in retirement are an acute fear. About 2 in 3 people worry more about running

Goodboy Picture Company | E+ | Getty Images For most Americans, living well in retirement depends on how much they can save in their working years. But for millions of older individuals, unpaid student loan debts may put that goal out of reach, according to new research from the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis

Alicia Silverstone stars in the 1995 film “Clueless.” Stringer | Array | Reuters Her character Cher Horowitz may have been best known for her shopping habit, but in real life, ”Clueless” star Alicia Silverstone said she never buys retail if she can help it. “Cher, she is such a consumer. We are actual opposites,” the sustainability advocate

Noam Galai / Noamgalai.com | Moment | Getty Images Roth individual retirement account conversions are up in 2024 — but there are key things to know before converting funds, experts say. There was a 44% year-over-year increase in the number of Roth conversions during the first quarter of 2024, according to data from Fidelity Investments. 

Alessandro Biascioli | Istock | Getty Images When it comes to claiming Social Security retirement benefits, experts agree it’s generally best to delay. Yet many people still claim early — either at the earliest possible age of 62 or before their full retirement age. Those early claims result in reduced Social Security benefits for life.

March 12 is generally considered equal pay day, the mark of just how far into the new year women have to keep working to make what their male counterparts typically made in just the previous year, also known as the gender pay gap. However, for some groups that date comes much later. For Asian American, Native