7 financial planning steps to take in the decade before retirement

The decade leading up to your retirement is one of the most critical periods for retirement planning. There are a number of financial planning issues to consider during this time period to help ensure...

I’ll be 65 soon, have $320,000 in retirement savings and a paid-off home but I’m $46,000 in debt – should I take more money out of my investments?

I’ll be 65 in a couple months. I retired at 63 and am currently receiving survivor Social Security payments (from my late husband). I plan on switching over to my Social Security at 70. I receive abou...

Gasoline Demand Is the Lowest in a Year. Blame Remote Work, Not Pump Prices.

Text size U.S. crude oil inventory levels still remain 5% below the five-year average for this time of year. Brandon Bell/Getty Images It isn’t just high oil prices, but Americans working from home th...

We have 25 years until retirement and are saving 25% of our income — are we doing it right? And are we saving too much?

My wife, 33, and I, 40, have our own 403(b)s, Roth accounts (maxing their contributions this year for the first time) and pensions as part of our retirement plan.  My wife contributes 14% of her pay t...

Opinion: Medicare is broken — and not in the way you might think

For nearly every retiring American, Medicare is both universal and universally complex. Yet, Medicare is broken – and not in the way most people think.  Every few years, news organizations raise the a...

The DOL has a new IRA rollover rule for advisers to follow

IRA rollovers are common, whether they’re from an old 401(k) or just one account to another, but a newly implemented Department of Labor rule says financial advisers suggesting the move have some expl...

Car quality is slipping: These are the brands with the most and least complaints, study finds

New car owners are experiencing more problems in the first 90 days of ownership than ever before. Buick took the top spot in the 2022 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, but the headline isn’t the winne...

Gas prices edge down just in time for July Fourth travel — here’s why

It’s a cool breeze during a hot moment, but it’s not the summer weather. As record-breaking numbers of Americans pack their cars and travel to Fourth of July barbecues that will cost them more than la...

Apple Stock Is Under Pressure. Why Its Earnings Could Trigger a Rebound.

Text size Apple stock has fallen 23% so far this year. Getty Images Investors are feeling a little jittery about Apple stock, and for logical reasons. The company’s June quarter earnings report is les...

Carnival and Other Cruise Operators Face Too Many Headwinds. Steer Clear of the Stock.

An analyst note predicting Carnival stock could fall to zero in a worst-case scenario has revived concerns about the cruise industry. Here, a Carnival ship docked at Key West, Fla., earlier this year....

There may be another shoe to drop after Micron’s big outlook miss

Micron Technology Inc. delivered an outlook that fell far short of the consensus view, prompting questions about how the memory market will fare in a downturn. The company expects August-quarter reven...

AutoZone and 3 Other Auto Parts Stocks That Look Like Buys

Text size Morgan Stanley recently upgraded AutoZone, citing its ability to pass on higher prices to consumers. Andrea Morales/Bloomberg Auto parts retailers have outpaced the market for much of the pa...

‘I wouldn’t be successful at my job without her’: My friend cleans, cooks and cares for my child. I pay her $50 a day. Am I taking advantage of her?

I’m a working-from-home mom and my supervisors have no intentions of bringing me back to the office at this time. In order to actually get work done, I have pieced together childcare using the help of...

Carnival Stock Could Fall to $0 in a Worst-Case Scenario, Analyst Says

Text size Carnival Dream cruise ship is docked at Port B in Key West, Florida. Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images Carnival stock was tumbling Wednesday after Morgan Stanley cut its price target to a ...

Opinion: Early retirement in 3 steps: Follow the ‘Cashing Out’ couple’s road map to financial freedom

A couple of months ago, our five-year-old son was relieved to find out that he could have two best friends. For weeks he’d been stuck in an innocent adolescent triangle where both kids wanted him to b...

Office workers in San Francisco, Manhattan and Chicago are not returning to the office in significant numbers, research shows

Companies are trying to bring back employees into the office. Early data suggests that workers still aren’t that keen. According to a new report by Placer.ai, visits to office buildings have yet to ca...

Cruise Lines Can’t Duck Their Debt

Cruise ships, it seems, are like ducks—elegant and effortless above the water, fighting like crazy to stay afloat beneath. On the surface, the industry is finally steaming ahead after over a year at b...

Carnival Stock Surges as Second-Quarter Revenue Rises Sharply

Text size A large Carnival cruise ship docked at port in turquoise blue water. Dreamstine Shares of Carnival were rising Friday after the cruise line posted second-quarter revenue that rose sharply fr...

Stock market nosedive, recession and your 401(k). Here’s what to do.

Even some of the most aggressive retirement savers and investors might find themselves a bit nervous these days with talks of a recession and a market downturn, so the best strategy for those in it fo...

Nearly one-third of older Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement

Many older Americans are willing to work during their retirement years — and they may have to be — because they aren’t financially prepared for their old age.  Almost three in 10 people between 55 and...

I want to retire next year, but I have $25,000 in credit card debt and a major monthly mortgage payment — I also live with my three kids and ex

I’ll be 57 next month and am divorced with three kids living with me. One is 28, she’s working, another is 21 and a senior in college (with a full scholarship) and the youngest is 15 (a sophomore in h...

Trillion-dollar crypto collapse sparks flurry of US lawsuits – who’s to blame?

With investors worldwide looking at a $1.5 trillion in recent cryptocurrency losses, a blizzard of class-action lawsuits are being prepared. One big question is: who, if anyone, is to blame ? See: Bit...

25% of U.S. expats ‘seriously considering’ or ‘planning’ to renounce citizenship

While many taxpayers dread tax filing season, Americans living abroad face even bigger yearly burdens and those are so frustrating that some want to ditch their U.S. citizenship. Roughly 1 in 4 Americ...

‘I feel bad that I’ll be taking most of his income’: I make twice what my boyfriend does. He pays me $300 in rent, but I want him to pay $800. Is that fair?

Dear Quentin, My boyfriend and I have been together seven years, and in that time I bought a house. I used my own savings and spent about $10,000 on renovations. My house is a three-bedroom family hom...

Crypto crash FOMO? ‘I missed the bus on Bitcoin, but now feel like my time has come. Is it time to go big or go home? I have another 25 years of a boring 9-to-5 job, and I just want out.’

I read a letter from a reader last year who was suffering from crypto FOMO, and I have been following the crypto markets ever since. I felt like I missed the bus on Bitcoin, but now feel like my time ...

New car prices rose again, everyone’s paying over sticker; when will the squeeze start to ease?

The average new car sold for $47,148 in May. That’s not quite the record high prices hit last December. But it’s close — May saw the second-highest prices on record. The average sale price increased b...

‘The goal is never to seek the top’: The wild, hair-raising ride of a 30-something investor who battled against NFT hackers and dodged the crypto crash

Vinny Zane has a taste for life — and an appetite for risk. The 38-year-old teacher and father of a 2-year-old son on Brooklyn’s Coney Island got into crypto in 2017 with $4,000 worth of Bitcoin, and ...

‘I respect every profession equally, but I feel like so many people look down on me for being a waitress’: Americans are tipping less. Should we step up to the plate?

I read your article about tipping. I’ve been serving and bartending for almost 16 years now, since I was 18. Waiting tables is so hard on your body, and a lot of people don’t appreciate all of the wor...

Retirees on edge over inflation and stock volatility can take these 5 steps

If you’re like many retirees, the combination of inflation and stock market volatility may set you on edge. “It is one of the higher risk environments for retirees,” says certified financial planner J...

‘I’m being taken advantage of by my own husband’: I pay all the bills and gave the down payment for our home, and all he does is buy stuff and contribute to his 401(k)

I’m being taken advantage of by my own husband. I have been married for almost 10 years. When my husband and I were first married, he convinced me to stop working after the first year or so, which I r...