Text size Al Gore’s investment firm, Generation Investment Management, made big bets on Microsoft and Shopify stock. Ian Forsyth/Getty Images Al Gore’s investment firm recently made some big cha...
Tag: Personal finance
Euro-dollar exchange rate yields steep discount for Americans
Mathieu Young/Getty Images Americans traveling to Europe can do so a bit more cheaply these days than in recent years. The U.S. dollar is trading at its highest level in roughly two decades relative t...
Backdoor Roth IRA: Pros, Cons, and Examples
Contents If your income exceeds the limits to contribute directly to a Roth IRA, you may have heard about the so-called ‘Backdoor Roth IRA,’ which allows traditional IRA conversions to Rot...
How to deal when you’re stressed out about credit card debt
london, uk Peter Muller | Image Source | Getty Images Few things cause more financial distress and anxiety than a large slug of high-interest rate credit card debt. Millions of Americans of all income...
How much cash you need in an emergency fund at every career stage
Nirunya Juntoomma | Istock | Getty Images If you’re feeling unsteady amid stock market volatility, high inflation and rising interest rates, you may wonder how much cash you really need to have ...
Gasoline Prices Should Keep Falling Unless This Happens
Gasoline prices are expected to continue their downward trend during Labor Day weekend as consumers are still receiving a reprieve. Crude oil prices declined on Sept. 2 to $86.97 a barrel on ongoing f...
ETF or mutual fund — which is better?
Q.: I have read that one should always use ETFs instead of regular mutual funds and I’ve read one should never use ETFs and read that it doesn’t matter. What is your viewpoint on funds v ETFs? —Ted in...
5 tips for retiring in a volatile market
Retiring is usually accompanied by celebrations and relaxation, but recent market volatility is adding a measure of doubt for those nearing or at the start of their retirement. That volatility, couple...
IRS Says It Exposed Some Confidential Taxpayer Data on Website
WASHINGTON—The Internal Revenue Service inadvertently posted what is normally confidential information involving about 120,000 individuals before discovering the error and removing the data from its w...
When to claim climate tax breaks, rebates
Sebastian Rothe / Eyeem | Eyeem | Getty Images Households may soon be able to claim thousands of dollars in tax breaks and rebates if they take steps to reduce their carbon footprint. But eco-friendly...
‘That was unheard of not long ago.’ This is what you should be earning on your savings account right now (and psst: many of you aren’t)
If you’re only saving $1,000 and your APY is 0.10%, that might not move the needle, however “if your savings is in the five figures or more, a higher APY could be more rewarding,” an expert said. Gett...
Why a higher unemployment rate may be good
Catherine Mcqueen | Moment | Getty Images Why the unemployment rate increased in August The unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points from 3.5% in July — a level that had tied with early 20...
Ranking Your 401K Account Against Your Peers
Once in a while, U.S. retirement savers should sit down and compare their 401k amount totals with peers in the same age group. That task is made easier by the California Society of Certified Public Ac...
These states may tax federal student loan forgiveness
dmphoto | E+ | Getty Images There’s good news if you’re eligible for student loan forgiveness: It won’t trigger a federal tax bill. And while some may still owe state taxes, it may b...
Car shopping over Labor Day weekend? Here’s what you can expect
Newsday Llc | Newsday | Getty Images In pre-pandemic years, Labor Day sales events offered generous discounts on new cars as dealerships aimed to clear out current-year models and start selling the ne...
Post-pandemic, Americans are tipping less generously for takeout
At the Sweetly Bakery & Cafe in Battle Ground, Washington, near Portland, Oregon, customers seem to be feeling a little less generous lately. With inflation near record highs and consumers increas...
‘Should I wait until the market calms down or pull the trigger now?’ I’m tired of my brokerage charging 1%, and I want to move my money now, but don’t want to lock in losses. What’s my move?
Is 1% too much to pay? Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: My current brokerage account charges 1% and also has high-priced funds so I’m thinking of moving my money. My question is should I wait until...
Despite recession fears, most investors haven’t shifted 401(k) assets
Morsa Images | E+ | Getty Images Many investors worry a recession is coming amid rising interest rates, high inflation and stock market volatility. But the majority haven’t changed their portfol...
Opinion: Don’t forget that the big money in stocks is usually made during down markets
The VanEck Semiconductors ETF SMH, -0.90% is down 12%. The Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, -0.29% is down 9%, and the S&P 500 SPX, -0.47%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.58% and the Russel...
Identity crime is at an all-time high. Here are 3 ways to protect yourself
d3sign | Moment | Getty Images Pandemic spurred jump in identity theft Since the beginning of 2020, consumers have lost about $886 million in fraud specifically linked to Covid-19, as criminals have l...
Education Dept. cancels $1.5 billion in loans for Westwood College borrowers
Tero Vesalainen | Istock | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday announced it will cancel all remaining federal student debt for former students of the now-defunct for-profit Westwo...
Usually the worst month for stocks, this September could buck trends
Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images September has historically been the worst month for stocks. To that point, just two months have delivered an average negative return for stocks since 1945, accordi...
Fannie Mae says fixed mortgage rates could fall to 4.5% next year
The Good Brigade | Digitalvision | Getty Images Mortgage rates are projected to decline next year — but that doesn’t mean prospective homebuyers should necessarily delay a purchase for the prosp...
How much do I need to retire? 11 big retirement questions answered
I spend a significant amount of time reading the viewpoints of people who are planning for retirement or who are already retired. My frequent reaction: What are they thinking? When I review retiremen...
Here’s What a $2 Million Retirement Looks Like in America
For many Americans, retirement advice is limited to encouragement to save more or warnings that they haven’t saved enough. But most people get little guidance or give little thought to what to do with...
Opinion: The stock market is unrelentingly bearish but still nowhere close to triggering a ‘buy’ signal
The S&P 500 Index SPX, -1.07% has been in a bearish phase since the mid-summer rally fizzled out near 4,300 points. The declining 200-day moving average of the benchmark index happened to be close...