Personal finance

When I was a teenager, I bought my first car. It was a Toyota Tercel with a few hundred miles on it and cost less than $10,000. Granted, this was 30 years ago. Now that I have a daughter turning 17, I envisioned a similar scenario. She has worked — and saved — since the

dowell | Moment | Getty Images The earnings limit for the 0% capital gains bracket will rise in 2025, which could offer tax planning opportunities, financial experts say. At sale, profitable assets owned for more than one year qualify for lower taxes — known as long-term capital gains. Those rates are 0%, 15% or 20%,

This year, a big change happened to 529 college savings plans.  As of 2024, families can roll over unused 529 funds to the account beneficiary’s Roth individual retirement account, without triggering income taxes or penalties, as long as the 529 plan has been open for at least 15 years. Some families have already taken advantage of the new

Phynart Studio | E+ | Getty Images If you’re ready to rebalance investments or harvest profits, you could shield more earnings from capital gains taxes in 2025. The IRS on Tuesday announced dozens of inflation adjustments for 2025, including long-term capital gains brackets, which apply to assets owned for more than one year. Starting in

Panama is one of the most affordable places to retire abroad. Helovi | E+ | Getty Images Today’s investors face one looming question: Will I have enough money when I retire? Surveys show prospective retirees may have big lump sums in mind. To get a more accurate, personal gauge, it helps to start with your

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., October 24, 2024.  Brendan McDermid | Reuters With the U.S. presidential election less than two weeks away, and voters decidedly split, some investors are understandably spooked. “This is likely to cause a little bit of choppiness in the

Al Seib | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images Although more students are eligible for federal financial aid, fewer high schoolers are pursuing a four-year degree. Increasingly, college is becoming a path for only those with the means to pay for it, many studies show.  Although undergraduate enrollment is up overall, the number of new first-year

Twenty/20 Saving for a home down payment can feel challenging, given current real estate prices. Using the right assets can help give your balance a lift. When you actually need the money is the “biggest driving factor,” said Ryan Dennehy, principal and financial advisor at California Financial Advisors in San Ramon, California. The firm ranked No.

Erik Von Weber The U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates in September, the first in a string of cuts expected at least into 2025. Earnings on cash are expected to decline as a result — likely leading investors to ask what they should do in response. From a financial planning perspective, cash generally refers to

Fg Trade | E+ | Getty Images Health savings accounts have become popular workplace perks with significant tax-advantaged investment opportunities — but many Americans have no idea how they work.  About 26 million people had an HSA at the end of 2023, according to Devenir, a research and investment firm based in Minneapolis. Assets in

Momo Productions | Digitalvision | Getty Images New changes from the Internal Revenue Service may affect federal tax liabilities for families in 2025. For example, in its announcement Tuesday, the agency said it raised the maximum amount of the earned income tax credit, or EITC, and increased the income thresholds to qualify. It left the

Christopher Grigat | Moment | Getty Images Investors can generally reduce their tax losses in a portfolio by using exchange-traded funds over mutual funds, experts said. “ETFs come with tax magic that’s unrivaled by mutual funds,” Bryan Armour, Morningstar’s director of passive strategies research for North America and editor of its ETFInvestor newsletter, wrote earlier