Personal finance

Artistgndphotography | E+ | Getty Images The Federal Reserve is likely to pause its aggressive interest rate hikes when it meets this week, experts predict. But consumers may not feel any relief. The central bank has already raised interest rates 11 times since last year — the fastest pace of tightening since the early 1980s. Yet recent

Suriyapong Thongsawang | Moment | Getty Images Inflation is broadly retreating in the U.S. economy. But starting in October, health insurance is poised to act as a countervailing force that buoys inflation for about a year, economists said. That’s significant at a time when policymakers are using inflation data to determine how to set interest

Juan Algar | Moment | Getty Images Student loan payments are restarting in October after a pause of more than three years — and scammers are trying to take advantage, the Federal Trade Commission warned Thursday. Fraudsters may try mislead borrowers by offering assistance and asking them to pay for it, Ari Lazarus, consumer education

Peopleimages | Istock | Getty Images Unable to come up with the cash for steep college tuition bills all at once, many families opt to pay the tab over time. However, a new report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warns of a number of risks associated with these payment plans, including snowballing charges and

To be sure, 529 college savings plans already had a lot going for them. Now, thanks to ”Secure 2.0,” a slew of measures affecting retirement savers, they’re about to be even more attractive. Starting in 2024, savers can roll unused money from 529 plans over to Roth individual retirement accounts free of income tax or tax penalties. Among other limitations,

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images A federal program that provides monthly income to elderly, blind and disabled Americans to provide for their basic needs has not been updated in about 40 years. On Tuesday, Washington lawmakers renewed a push to update rules associated with the program known as Supplemental Security Income, or SSI.

IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel speaks at a Senate Finance Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on April 19, 2023. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel on Thursday ordered the agency to immediately stop processing new claims for a pandemic-era small business tax break to protect filers from a “surge of questionable claims.”

mapodile / Getty After several interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve, many have braced for stock market volatility in their 401(k) plans. But experts say some plans could face another risk: employer bankruptcy. Generally, your 401(k) is safe from creditors in the case of bankruptcy, based on protection from the Employee Retirement Income Security

Gasoline was priced from $4.29 a gallon at a fuel station in Virginia on Aug. 16, 2023. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images Inflation jumped in August on the back of higher gasoline prices, according to the consumer price index. But there’s good news for Americans: That increase is likely temporary, economists said.

DusanManic | iStock | Getty Images Almost half of Americans — 47% — say achieving retirement security will take a miracle, according to a new survey from Natixis Investment Managers. That is up “quite a bit” from about 40% of respondents who said the same two years ago, according to Dave Goodsell, executive director of

Tipping 20% at a sit-down restaurant is still the standard in the U.S., according to most etiquette experts. Diners disagree. After holding steady for years, tipping at full-service restaurants fell to 19.4% in the second quarter of 2023, according to online restaurant platform Toast‘s most recent restaurant trends report, notching the lowest average since the start of the pandemic.

Lauren Rosenberg, right, of Portland, Maine, and her nanny, left, play set out toys for Rosenberg’s children. Portland Press Herald | Portland Press Herald | Getty Images Child care is already scarce and expensive — and the stakes are about to get higher. The federal government provided states with nearly $24 billion in stabilization funds