Personal finance

Hinterhaus Productions Senior lawmakers on Tuesday announced a $78 billion bipartisan tax agreement — including retroactive boosts to the child tax credit that could affect families filing this season. But the proposed legislation could still face hurdles, experts say. Retroactive to 2023, the plan would expand the child tax credit by broadening access, increasing the

When employees who contribute to a 401(k) plan leave a company, they have options for what to do with that money.  Depending on what the employer retirement savings plan allows, exiting employees may be able to keep the money in the current plan, roll it over into an IRA, or buy an annuity. In some cases,

Abraham Gonzalez Fernandez | Moment | Getty Images Student debt often makes it harder for people to save for retirement. But that may soon change. A provision in the Secure 2.0 Act of 2022, which had a delayed effective date of Jan. 1, 2024, allows employers to match workers’ student loan payments with contributions to

US President Joe Biden speaks at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, on January 5, 2024. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images The Biden administration announced on Friday it would soon begin forgiving the student loans of borrowers who have been in repayment for a decade or more and originally took out

Ryanjlane | E+ | Getty Images People often start the year by revisiting their budgets with a resolution to save money and cut back on discretionary spending. Yet, experts say hobbies shouldn’t be the first category to go. Americans on average spent $3,458 on entertainment in 2022, according to the most recent Consumer Expenditures report

Jackyenjoyphotography | Moment | Getty Images The start of 2024 has not been kind to workers in industries that opened the year with layoffs. Google has cut several hundred jobs in its central engineering, hardware and assistant teams. Amazon is shedding hundreds of positions across its Prime Video, MGM Studios, Twitch livestreaming and Audible divisions.

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images The fourth quarter estimated tax deadline is Jan. 16, and you could have a surprise bill or owe a penalty if you don’t send a payment, according to the IRS. While many employers withhold levies from every paycheck, other income — such as freelancing, small business or investment earnings

Xavier Lorenzo | Moment | Getty Images One of the major benefits of the Biden administration’s new student repayment plan is that it cancels the debt for certain borrowers — those who took out $12,000 or less — after a decade in repayment. Under the old plans, loan forgiveness didn’t come until 20 years or 25

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former biotech executive Vivek Ramaswamy pose together onstage at the third Republican candidates’ U.S. presidential debate of the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign hosted by NBC News at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida, U.S., November 8, 2023.  Mike Segar

In this article BTC.CM= Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Recep-bg | E+ | Getty Images The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday approved the first U.S. spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds. But experts urge caution before piling into the long-awaited ETFs. The agency signed off on 11 bitcoin ETF applications, including funds from BlackRock,

Consumers shop in Rosemead, California, on December 12, 2023. Frederic J. Brown | Afp | Getty Images The annual inflation rate edged higher in December following two months of declines. However, that reversal likely isn’t cause for concern — and may be somewhat misleading, economists said. “We’re still making progress in the inflation fight,” said

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 After a few difficult years, the IRS has boosted taxpayer service and technology with an infusion of funding. But there’s still room for improvement —