Tim Bieber | Photodisc | Getty Images Amid stock market gyrations, recession fears and loftier payouts, consumers last year pumped a record sum of money into annuities, a type of insurance that offers...
Tag: Personal finance
‘I’m stretched thin.’ I’m 23 and make $75K a year living in the Northeast. But between rent and other bills I have ‘very little’ in the bank each month. Should I hire a pro to help?
Question: I’m 23 and living in a high-cost area in Rhode Island. I make a $75,000 salary, plus monthly bonuses that will hopefully get me near six figures by the end of the year. I’ve worked full time...
If you haven’t switched your savings account recently, now may be the time
Getty Images/iStockphoto On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates again — which is good news for savers. What’s more, savers have been seeing yields on savings accounts rise for months ...
As Fed raises rates by a quarter point, here’s where financial advisers are telling their clients to invest — and store — their money
The Federal Reserve boosted its influential interest rate yet again Wednesday, even as more signs indicate that inflation is cooling. It hiked the benchmark’s key rate by a quarter of a basis point, b...
Why 2022 was the ‘real year’ of the Great Resignation
andresr | E+ | Getty Images More than 50 million workers quit their jobs in 2022, according to federal data, breaking a record set the year prior and demonstrating the resilience of a hot labor market...
Want to earn a guaranteed 4%-4.75% on your money? While this savings vehicle hasn’t been that popular in recent years, pros say it’s now worth another look
The latest rates on certificates of deposit. Getty Images/iStockphoto Looking for a safe place to park your money with a guaranteed return of sometimes 4.5% or more? While certificates of deposit, or...
10 best high-interest savings accounts for February 2023
10 savings accounts that deliver rates that top 4%. Getty Images/iStockphoto Want to let your hard-earned cash work for you? How about letting it work more than 15x harder than the national average? T...
Tax credits vs. tax deductions: How they differ
D3sign | Moment | Getty Images It’s tax season, and households are confronted by a lot of tax jargon when preparing their returns. Two types of tax breaks stand out among all the lingo: credits ...
These 2 dividend-stock ETFs are more like growth funds in disguise. Can either still work in your income portfolio?
Quality-stock and dividend-focused strategies shined during the market declines of 2022, rebounding from what investors may have found to be disappointing performance during the previous long bull mar...
A self-made millionaire shares 8 money secrets rich people know that ‘most of us don’t’
It took me 20 years of trial and error before I achieved a multimillion-dollar net worth. Now, at 64, I draw income from the 18 companies I started and the 12,000 apartment units I own. But I wish I h...
How to handle cryptocurrency losses on your 2022 tax return
A worsening macroeconomic climate and the collapse of industry giants like FTX and Terra have weighed on bitcoin’s price this year. STR | Nurphoto via Getty Images Crypto losses can offset inves...
Long Covid has ‘underappreciated’ role in labor gap: study
Simpleimages | Moment | Getty Images Long Covid is keeping people out of work and may reduce on-the-job productivity for others, contributing to a labor shortage and weighing on the U.S. economy at la...
These money and investing tips can warm your portfolio when stocks cool
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 Think you know where interest ...
‘Timing couldn’t be worse’: Inflation is easing, but more people are using credit cards for unexpected expenses — and the next Fed meeting will raise borrowing costs
A record number of people say they would need to pay for an unplanned $1,000 expense by using their credit card, according to a new survey showing the burden of high prices even as inflation rates ebb...
U.S. unemployment system still plagued by delays 3 years post-pandemic
People wait in line to attend a job fair at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 9, 2021, in Inglewood, California. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty Images These days the U.S. unemployment system is somewhat of an an...
What to know about the Republican plan
John Miller | iStock | Getty Images A group of House Republicans is revisiting the Fair Tax Act, which would replace certain federal levies with a national sales tax and decentralize the IRS. While th...
Metro areas where U.S. rent prices have dropped the most
Colorful cafe bars at the iconic Beale Street music and entertainment district of downtown Memphis, Tennessee. benedek | iStock | Getty Images Despite broad hikes in rental prices, competition is easi...
What will the Fed and Jerome Powell do next week?
Jittery U.S. investors are still in “bad news is good news” mode because they want to see interest rates decline. And they expect to get what they want, as shown by the inverse yield curve. Two-year U...
5 things to know as filing season opens
Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images This is an excerpt from the Personal Finance team’s weekly Twitter Space, “This week, your wallet.” Check out the latest episode here, and tune in ever...
My job is being eliminated and I will get a severance package. Is that considered income for IRS limits on Roth IRA contributions?
I know my job is being eliminated at the end of March 2023. I will receive a severance package paid out over a period of almost one year. I understand I will not be able to make 401(k) deductions from...
This 72-year-old is hoping to fund her retirement on GoFundMe
GoFundMe campaigns have been raising piles of cash for older Walmart workers who want to retire — but the heartwarming stories about sudden windfalls mask a dark reality about economic security and gr...
Opinion: ‘Don’t just sit there, do something.’ The stock market is telling you to make some hard decisions with your money now.
I have always refrained from saying what legendary investor Sir John Templeton considered the four most dangerous words in investing: This time is different.” After months of talking to and reading th...
Here’s why your tax refund may be smaller this year
Bill Oxford | E+ | Getty Images If you’re banking on a tax refund, it may be “somewhat lower” than last year’s payment, according to the IRS. Typically, you can expect a federa...
Earn a guaranteed 4%, with no minimum deposit? These savings accounts offer just that.
Should you switch banks? Getty Images/iStockphoto If you’re still with the same old bank you’ve been with for years, you may be losing out on money. Indeed, while the average savings account is still ...
Opinion: 6 cheap stocks that famed value-fund manager Bill Nygren says can help you beat the market
These are tricky times in the stock market, so it pays to look to the best stock-fund managers for guidance on how to behave now. Veteran value investor Bill Nygren belongs in this camp, because the O...
Suze Orman says ‘most of America today has absolutely no money.’
Financial guru Suze Orman thinks that most consumers are, or soon will be, facing dire straits, in an environment of higher interest rates, higher inflation and elevated volatility in stocks and bonds...
Wall Street to Jerome Powell: We don’t believe you
Do you want the good news about the Federal Reserve and its chairman Jerome Powell, the other good news…or the bad news? Let’s start with the first bit of good news. Powell and his fellow Fed committe...