Personal finance

Harvard University President Claudine Gay’s resignation Tuesday is just the latest upheaval at one of the nation’s top colleges. For college applicants, the move adds more uncertainty to an admissions process that was already shifting in the wake of the Supreme Court‘s ruling against affirmative action. “I don’t expect Harvard to lose its crown as one of

Klaus Vedfelt | Getty Images To live your best life in retirement, it helps to make the most contributions while you’re working. Employees who participate in 401(k) plans can put up to $23,000 in pre-tax or post-tax Roth contributions in 2024. But there’s another limit — $69,000, including employee and employer contributions — that may

South_agency | E+ | Getty Images Many people have a 401(k) plan and other retirement savings that may provide funds after they stop working, but there’s no denying it: The Social Security benefit is an important part of the retirement income stream as people enter the next chapter of their lives. However, there is much

Mark Edward Atkinson | Tetra Images | Getty Images Beneficiaries who rely on monthly checks from the Social Security Administration will get a 3.2% benefit increase now that the calendar has turned to 2024. Those who receive Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, are first in line to receive those enhanced benefit checks. About 7.5 million

Nancy Ney | Photodisc | Getty Images The new year has ushered in a big change to 529 college savings plans, which has made the accounts more attractive to some investors. But the adjustment may have unexpected downsides, experts say. Starting in 2024, families can roll unused 529 plan funds to the account beneficiary’s Roth

Georgijevic | E+ | Getty Images With U.S. Federal Reserve officials expecting to cut interest rates in 2024, there are steps investors can take now to prepare. The central bank’s latest summary of economic projections, issued in December, indicates three cuts may be coming this year. (This assumes each is a quarter-percentage-point decrease.) The Fed

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks on the student debt relief plan as Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (R) listens in the South Court Auditorium at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on October 17, 2022 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong | Getty Images After the Biden administration’s gigantic setback at the Supreme Court over its sweeping

Adamkaz | E+ | Getty Images If you’re a retiree who relies on Social Security benefits for income, you will see some changes in 2024. You will get a benefit boost to adjust for inflation. But just how much extra money you see will depend on the size of your Medicare Part B premiums and

A simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid is finally online after a significant delay. However, as part of a “soft launch,” the new FAFSA form has only been periodically available. It’s likely few, if any, of the millions of students applying to college for the 2024-25 academic year have been able to successfully submit an application,

Tom Werner | Digitalvision | Getty Images If you left behind a small 401(k) plan account at a former job, odds are your former employer has moved those funds out of the plan. And that move may hurt your retirement savings over the long term, experts say. Current law allows employers to “force out” 401(k)

Rear view of woman sitting on top of mountain against cloudy sky during sunrise. Simonkr | E+ | Getty Images It was a very good year for the stock market. The benchmark S&P 500 ended the year with a 24.2% gain, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than a 13% this year and and the Nasdaq

What begins as a gender wage gap inevitably becomes a significant shortfall by retirement. In the U.S., women who work full time are typically paid about 80 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. That gap has persisted despite women’s increasing levels of education and representation in senior leadership positions. Women are also still more