PacWest Bancorp insiders have lost more than $500,000 after buying stock as it tumbled last week

A handful PacWest Bancorp insiders, including Chief Executive Paul Taylor, bought the bank’s stock late last week after it started to tumble, as SVB Financial Group’s Silicon Valley Bank’s troubles be...

I’ll be 60, have $95,000 in cash and no debts — I think I can retire, but financial seminars ‘say otherwise’

I will be 60 in September, have $95,000 in cash, work part time ($30,000 yearly) for insurance and contribute 10% plus the employer match of 8% to a small 401(k). My home and car are paid for, I don’t...

Biden’s budget wants tax hikes, but expiring Trump tax cuts are the big showdown

For five years, most Americans have seen lower income-tax rates and tapped a bigger standard deduction, but without congressional action before the end of 2025, the rules could still revert to levels ...

GM stock slips after disclosing ‘voluntary separation program’ resulting in $1.5 billion employee separation charges

Shares of General Motors Co. GM, -1.63% slipped 0.1% in premarket trading Thursday, after the automaker announced a voluntary separation program (VSP) that is expected to lead to an employee separatio...

Tesla stock falls nearly 3%, heads toward 4th straight loss

Shares Tesla Inc. TSLA, -3.04% slumped 2.8% toward a five-week low in premarket trading Thursday, putting them on track for a fourth straight loss, amid Wall Street concerns over Chief Executive Elon ...

Medicare and HSAs don’t mix — what near-retirees need to know

Dear Ms. MoneyPeace, I am retiring this year and trying to understand Medicare. At this point I am covered fully by a company plan. I turned 65 last fall and plan to retire in August or September.  Wh...

Elon Musk apologizes to laid-off Twitter employee who was Iceland’s person of the year in 2022

“‘I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful. He is considering remaini...

Opinion: Powell will have to push rates even higher for the Fed to get inflation to 2%

Inflation is proving tougher to curb than Federal Reserve Chairman Powell anticipated, and despite indicators that a recession could be coming, consumers and businesses apparently haven’t gotten the m...

‘I don’t think I can wait until 70’ — I’m still working at 66, so should I wait for Social Security or claim now? 

My wife and I turned 65 last year, and applied and received Medicare. She chose to receive her Social Security benefits now. I myself am still working. I was thinking to get Social Security at 66 ½, w...

Exxon Mobil sued over 5 nooses displayed at Louisiana facility

Exxon Mobil Corp. violated federal law for failing to take sufficient action as five hangman’s nooses were displayed at its facility in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the U.S. government said in a lawsuit. A...

‘I’m holding my breath’: What will happen if the Supreme Court blocks Biden’s student-loan forgiveness plan?

As the Supreme Court debates President Joe Biden’s student-loan forgiveness plan, Americans’ consumer debt continues to rise — and more of it is past due. For Shanna Hayes, 34, who was recently laid o...

‘When we retire, we lose a lot.’ How to avoid retirement shock.

When I found myself unexpectedly packaged off by the bank, I was initially very happy. I was planning to leave anyway because the stress was getting to me. When the bank gave me a severance check at a...

Opinion: Ford’s pact with Chinese EV battery maker is a sucker punch to American taxpayers

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin made national headlines recently when he rejected a Ford Motor F, +1.30% factory in a struggling part of the state, owning to Ford’s partnership with Contemporary Ampe...

Retirees struggling to stay afloat: How to keep health and economic issues from draining your savings

Dorri Olds, a 61-year-old freelance writer and graphic designer, says she has spent nearly all her savings to refurbish her New York City apartment. In an emergency, she says she would sell it and con...

I’m 73 and will only have my 401(k) after retiring. How do I make it last?

I am 73 years old and still employed full time. I will receive no retirement benefits when I leave my job except for a 401(k). My question is: what is the best way to handle this 401(k) without losing...

We’re in our 60s and have lost $250,000 in our 401(k) plans — can we still retire?  

I am a 61-year-old female who has worked for the same financial institution since the age of 16. I will have 50 years at the company if I retire at 66. I’ve lost over $150,000 in my 401(k) this past y...

Opinion: No ‘soft landing’ is in the cards from Fed rate hikes. Look for recession and a buying opportunity once stock prices decline.

Is the bear market of 2022 over? Are we already in the early innings of the next great bull market? The S&P 500 SPX, -0.16% finished 2022 with a 19% decline (its biggest pullback since 2008). Mean...

These 61 companies tried out a 4-day workweek — and most are sticking with it

Four-day workweek for the win. Companies in the U.K. that experimented with a four-day workweek last year reported more revenue and less staff attrition, while most workers participating in the trial ...

‘I don’t use cash’: I’m 70 and my home is paid off. I live off Social Security, and I use a credit card for all my spending. Is that risky?

I am now 70 years old and partially disabled. I am fully retired, living on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income. Obviously, I have limited income. I am financially stable. I have no debts...

At 55 years old, I will have worked for 30 years — what are the pros and cons of retiring at that age? 

Dear MarketWatch,  I currently own one home, no mortgage with rental income. I own another home that will be paid off the year I turn 55. Both valued at $750,000.  I have a 401(k) and other stocks and...

I’m a single dad earning $100,000 – how do I maximize my retirement dollars?

Dear MarketWatch,  I make over $100,000 a year, and expect to for the foreseeable future. As of now, I am contributing 8% of my income to my 403(b) with a 3% 401(a) match; all Roth. It would be more, ...

My fiancé and I are 60. His adult daughter is opposed to our marriage — and insists on inheriting her father’s $3.2 million estate. How should we handle her?

What advice would you give to a widow and widower considering marriage on how to manage finances — and deal with adult children? We are both 60 years old and plan to work a few more years, mostly for ...

For a better retirement, you should work longer — but is that realistic?

Financial advisers and retirement coaches often have two words for people in their 50s and 60s concerned about retirement: Work longer. Doing so, they say, can boost their savings, help them receive l...

I’ll inherit $40,000 from my grandmother. Should my husband and I boost our kids’ college savings accounts, or pay off credit cards and student loans?

After a terrible battle with dementia, my grandmother died a few weeks ago. She did not leave much, but I will — along with my siblings — receive about $40,000 in life insurance. I am trying to figure...

‘I am trying to feverishly save for retirement’: My fiancé pays $1,700 a month to the IRS and owes student debt. We’re both 57. Should I marry him for his Social Security and pension?

Dear Quentin, My fiancé and I met at age 42 after being recently divorced. We have (now-grown) children from our previous marriages, but none together. We keep our finances separate. Neither one of us...

‘Is my financial planner crazy?’ We’re 55 and 60, five years from retirement and were told we should invest more aggressively

Dear MarketWatch,  Is my financial planner crazy?  I recently saw a MarketWatch article that recommended that one’s retirement portfolio should be 100 minus their age in stocks or perhaps even more co...

PayPal CEO Dan Schulman plans his exit as earnings return to growth

Only one thing was missing from PayPal Holdings Inc.’s packed fourth-quarter earnings report, which brought upbeat profit performance, a new user metric and the announcement of Chief Executive Dan Sch...

Older workers are fooling themselves when it comes to work, money and caregiving

Denial runs deep when it comes to money and retirement. Older adults are working longer, but at first blush they contend they are working because they want to. Only when pressed do they admit they nee...

‘And then 2022 happened’: I borrowed $500,000 from friends and family to invest in the stock market, foolishly promising a 10% return. Can I avoid legal action?

Dear Quentin, I am a budding options/futures trader with my own sole proprietor investment business.  Heading into 2022, I took on a large cash infusion of $500,000 from friends and family under the g...

‘I am watching my inheritance evaporate’: My brother and sister constantly hit our parents up for money. What can I do to stop this?

I am 46 and single. I have a good job and own my own home but live modestly. I have been fortunate not to have had to ask my parents for anything over the years. My brother and sister, by contrast, ha...

Retiring in a bear market can be catastrophic — working one more year can make a huge difference

Timing, apparently, is everything. Especially when it comes to retirement. Retiring in a bear market can harm your portfolio for the long-term, even if the market eventually recovers, according to a n...

I’m 64, make $1,500 a month driving Uber and get almost $5,000 a month in pensions and Social Security – should I pay off my mortgage before I retire?

Hi, I’m 64 and getting ready to retire in one year. I owe approximately $165,000 on my house with no other debt. I have close to $850,000 in retirement savings, $2,200 a month from a pension, approxim...