Personal finance

Some consumers have been weighed down by a “vibecession” for a while now — and those feelings might get worse, experts say. A vibecession is the disconnect between consumer sentiment and economic data, said Kyla Scanlon, who coined the term in 2022. Scanlon is the author of “In This Economy? How Money and Markets Really

Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024. Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images President-elect Donald Trump‘s victory means higher individual taxes, including levies on investments, are less likely for top earners, experts say. Vice President

Donald Trump speaks at a rally on Nov. 5, 2024 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Scott Olson | Getty Images News | Getty Images President-elect Donald Trump won Tuesday’s presidential election partly by addressing Americans’ economic anxieties over higher prices. Nearly half of all voters said they were worse off financially than they were four years

Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak at his rally during the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election, in Palm Beach County Convention Center, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 6, 2024. Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters On the campaign trail, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made a notable promise to retirees:

A person arrives to vote at a polling station on Election Day, in The Villages, Florida.  Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo | Afp | Getty Images In a heated presidential race, there’s one age cohort — voters ages 50 and up — who may help decide the ultimate winner. “We expect the 50-plus electorate to be

Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty Images Retail therapy is thinly coating voters’ anxieties from the presidential election — and their wallets know it. About 27% of polled shoppers say they are “doom spending” — that is, spending cash despite concerns about the economy and foreign affairs — according to a new report

The vast majority of parents agree it’s critical that their children learn about investing, but few feel completely confident in their ability to teach their kids how to do it, according to a new survey conducted for the SIFMA Foundation, a non-profit focused on financial education. Only 22% of parents are “completely confident” in their

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Regardless of the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, there could be some clear winners for exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, experts say.  Whoever becomes president next — former President Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Kamala Harris — will leave their mark on U.S. policy, and that poses challenges to the status quo going

Karrastock | Moment | Getty Images People are using artificial intelligence for tasks like writing and editing resumes and cover letters — and even to get personal finance advice. While some of those insights can be valuable, financial advisors caution that AI shouldn’t be your only resource. A new report by Experian found that 67%

Collectively, Americans are having a harder time keeping up with their credit card bills. Part of the problem: Carrying a balance comes at a high cost.  Credit card rates spiked along with the Federal Reserve’s string of 11 rate hikes starting in March 2022. The average annual percentage rate rose from 16.34% at that time to

Pgiam | Istock | Getty Images The IRS has announced new 401(k) contribution limits for 2025. In its release Friday, the agency increased the employee deferral limit to $23,500, up from $23,000 in 2024. The change applies to workplace plans, including 401(k)s, 403(b)s and most 457 plans, along with the federal Thrift Savings Plan.  The

Mrs | Moment | Getty Images Rebecca Finch couldn’t think of a better gift for her 86th birthday. She received a notice in early September from Navient that the lender would forgive the private student loan on which she was a co-signer. “We’ve waived the remaining balance on your private student loan in the amount