Most women see money as a tool to effect change, survey shows

Over the past couple of years, the effects of Covid-19, social activism and economic uncertainty have profoundly impacted women’s attitudes about their finances, according to a UBS survey. Nearl...

Home Improvements and Tax Deductions: CPA Tax Advice

It’s a frequently asked question, “Are my home improvements tax-deductible? “For most people when you’re doing home improvements it’s a personal expense.” according...

How retirees should navigate this bear market

Here’s how best to play the market for the rest of 2022: Don’t look. I offer this advice not because I believe the bear market will continue—though of course it could. I would offer the same advice if...

How inflation, interest rate hikes affect the 60/40 portfolio strategy

How a 60/40 portfolio strategy works The strategy allocates 60% to stocks and 40% to bonds — a traditional portfolio that carries a moderate level of risk. More generally, “60/40” is a sho...

Women prefer values-based investing. Here’s how that impacts their wealth

Mint Images | Mint Images Rf | Getty Images Women prefer investing in a way that helps the environment and does social good, some studies have found. Such values-based investing could help raise women...

Here’s how you can compound dividend stocks to double the S&P 500’s return

Companies announce dividend increases all the time, but here’s one that points to a simple investing strategy that can lower your risk and make you a lot of money over the years. Maybe it isn’t so exc...

These dividend stocks yield at least 5% and have plenty of room to raise payouts

This year’s stock price declines make for an increasing number of stocks with high dividend yields of at least 5%. Below is a screen that highlights 29 that appear to be able to raise their payouts co...

Here’s how much the average working boomer has saved for retirement

Three news items that say a lot about the retirement crisis facing Americans and what we can do about it—if we want to. The first is a survey of 1,000 working Americans conducted recently showing much...

Big Changes to 401(k) Retirement Plans Get Closer With Senate Vote

Americans could wait longer to start emptying retirement accounts and face fewer restrictions on emergency withdrawals under a bill advanced unanimously Wednesday by the Senate Finance Committee.  The...

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...

CFPB may limit credit card late fees as inflation threatens to raise them

Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, testifies during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on April 26, 2022. Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. ...

I’m the COO of a mortgage company that’s funded more than $100 billion in loans. Here are the 3 things you need to know about the housing market now

Steve Reich Mortgage rates climbed above 6% last week, according to Bankrate data, with some pros saying they may go higher. (You can see the lowest mortgage rates you may qualify for here.) On top of...

Millennials Are Right to Expect Cuts in Social Security. What to Do Right Now.

Text size Millennials need to save more over the course of their careers, according to a new report. Dreamstime Millennials will probably collect less in Social Security than older generations, but a ...

Beyonce’s ‘Break My Soul’ is an ode to the Great Resignation

Beyoncé released a new single, “Break My Soul,” on Monday. The song references quitting a job and employee stress, alluding to the recent Great Resignation trend. Larry Busacca | PW18 | Ge...

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...

Meet the ‘unluckiest’ stock market investor of modern times

If you’re thinking of pulling your 401(k) out of the stock market, or you’re too terrified to invest more, you need to meet my friend Betty Badluck. Poor old Betty has had the worst luck of any stock ...

Tax pros ‘very skeptical’ about expanded IRS voice bots for payments plans

Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images If you get a tax bill and want help from the IRS to set up a payment plan, newly expanded voice bots may make for faster phone service, according to the agency. Bu...

I Got Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Now What?

courtesy of Getty Creative. getty The past few months have brought some pretty eye-catching trends and headlines where our collective finances are concerned. These days, you can’t go far without bumpi...

Here are the do’s and don’ts, costs and options of estate planning

Jodi Jacobson | Getty Images You don’t have to be older and rich to do some estate planning. In fact, regardless of age and wealth, experts say virtually everyone should consider how they want t...

As inflation hits a 40-year high, here’s how to rethink emergency savings

How much do you really need in your emergency fund? Getty Images/iStockphoto You’ve likely long heard that you should have 6-9 months of expenses socked away in your emergency fund – ideally in a safe...

I’m paying my adviser 1%, but ‘the only communications I get are invoices.’ So I want to regain sole control of my accounts — without having to talk to him about it. Is this possible?

“I want to take back control of my accounts and manage them myself — perhaps in consultation with a fee-based advisor eventually.” Getty Images Question: Eight years ago I hired a financial advisor be...

The 60/40 Stock and Bond Strategy’s Time Has Come Again

Text size Dreamstime It may be time for investors to return to one of the oldest of portfolio management tools to cope with the new bear market. That would be the traditional combination of 60% stocks...

Hot Housing Market Keeps Home Foreclosures at Bay

The U.S. moratorium on home foreclosures ended nearly a year ago, but the sizzling housing market is still protecting many delinquent mortgage borrowers from losing their homes. The pandemic that wipe...

These money and investing tips can help you be smarter in a bear market that might not be average

Don’t miss these top money and investing features: Sign up here to get MarketWatch’s best mutual funds and ETF stories emailed to you weekly! INVESTING NEWS & TRENDS Why bonds haven’t performed be...

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...

Stimulus checks rewired how some Americans see money

Ciydemimages | E+ | Getty Images For Denise Diaz, the benefits of pandemic-era stimulus checks went beyond everyday dollars and cents. They rewired how she thinks about money. Diaz, a mother of three ...

Why retiring this year could be a ‘worst-case’ scenario

This is an urgent update for anyone who has recently retired, or who is hoping to retire shortly, and who was expecting to follow one of those simple, time-tested rules for spending down their money d...

America’s Retirement System Is Broken. This Economist Is Trying to Fix It.

Economist Alicia Munnell has been telling America it has a retirement problem for decades, and by most measures it has gotten worse. Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research, which she heads, c...

Markets Won’t Sink Forever. Asset Manager Stocks Are a Cheap Play on a Rebound.

Asset-management stocks have been hit hard this year in the market selloff, with some down 35% to 45%, almost double the decline in the S&P 500 index. No industry is more directly tied to stock an...

Bitcoin crash ‘absolutely’ a buying opportunity, Michael Saylor says

“‘Nobody has ever lost money investing in bitcoin for four years.’” That was MicroStrategy MSTR, +3.88% CEO and bitcoin BTCUSD, -6.27% optimist Michael Saylor talking about the recent dip in bitcoin p...

The Housing Market Just Hit a Wall. What’s Next for Prices, Brokers, and Builder Stocks.

My summer portfolio strategy is to play the old disco hit “Baby Come Back” while slow dancing with my December brokerage statements. If it works, I have a business idea involving Hall, Oates, and a tw...

‘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...