Americans overspent during the holidays, increasing credit card debt

By many measures, 2021 saw a record-spending holiday season despite ongoing supply chain problems, inflation and a new Covid-19 variant. Holiday sales are on track to grow as much as 11.5% over 2020, ...

Three signs you’re ready to retire

Many people don’t have much choice about when they retire. Illness, job loss or caretaking responsibilities push them out of the labor force, ready or not. But some people have the opposite problem: T...

Here are top 22 global travel hot spots with ‘cheap’ airfares for 2022

The Canadian province of Alberta came in at No. 5 for cheap flights thanks to low average airfares to and from Calgary. AJ_Watt | E+ | Getty Images So you haven’t taken a vacation to a long-haul...

20 cheap value stocks that Wall Street expects to rise up to 58%

There are plenty of arguments for why the bull market for U.S. stocks will continue in 2022. But investors’ focus appears to have shifted recently in favor of value stocks, rather than the growth stoc...

Powerball’s jackpot is now $630 million. What to do first if you win

Warren-Pender | iStock Editorial | Getty Images Yes, you have another chance to win a ton of money in Powerball. No, you probably won’t win. The jackpot jumped to $630 million from $610 million ...

Where is the market headed in 2022? What two professional mind readers say

Some say you need to be a mind reader to accurately predict which way the stock market is headed. So MarketWatch decided to ask actual mind readers — or mentalists, as they sometimes prefer to be call...

Intel Joins the Dogs of the Dow. Why These Stocks Could Be a Good Strategy This Year.

Text size Sign at Intel headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif. Intel joins the so-called Dogs of the Dow for 2022. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg Intel will join the Dogs of the Dow for 2022, replacing Cisc...

Verdict in case of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes has lessons for investors

Sometimes an investment is too good to be true. Take Elizabeth Holmes’ health-care start-up, for example. On Monday, the founder and former CEO of Theranos was found guilty of four charges in he...

23 dividend stocks that can pass this strict quality screen

Stocks are expensive. You’ve probably been hearing that for years, and based on traditional price-to-earnings ratios it’s true. If you invest now in a broad index, such as the benchmark S&P 500 SP...

Have Covid? You can’t get unemployment benefits

A healthcare worker administers a Covid-19 swab test at the Boulder County Fairgrounds testing site in Longmont, Colorado, on Dec. 14, 2021. Chet Strange/Bloomberg via Getty Images Covid-19 infections...

Auto insurance climbing 5% in 2022. Where it’s most, least expensive

Prostock-Studio | iStock | Getty Images Like many things right now, the cost of auto insurance is rising. For 2022, the average national cost to insure a car is expected to jump 5% to $1,707 annually,...

These are the stocks Wall Street analysts heavily favor for 2022 and also expect to rise the most

As the coronavirus pandemic has stretched out, investors have continued to pour money into stocks, in part because the alternatives have been dismal. Why bother with 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds that y...

5 ways to reset your retirement savings and save more money in 2022

Review workplace retirement plan contributions Contribute to traditional or Roth accounts — or both One decision is whether to put money pre-tax in a traditional 401(k) or workplace plan or contribute...

Powerball’s jackpot surges to $540 million but isn’t among 10 largest

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images The Powerball jackpot just won’t quit. Through 38 drawings over three months, no ticket has managed to match all six numbers drawn. For Monday night’s drawin...

These 12 ‘Dividend Aristocrat’ stocks have been the best income compounders over 5 years

Stock-market investors typically want to anticipate industry events or companies’ successes so they can make as much money as possible. But as a new year begins, a look back can be useful, especially ...

4 simple things to do with your money now, so you start 2022 off right

Getty Images Need a kick-start to your financial New Year’s resolutions? There’s no need to make it complicated, says Ashley Feinstein Gerstley, author of the upcoming personal finance guide book “Fin...

How to help your parents organize their finances

Like many baby boomers, my wife and I have watched our parents go from total independence to assisted living to death. We’ve been thankful that, at key moments, they made the difficult decisions thems...

Weekend reads: Your money and how to invest in 2022

Happy New Year! As 2021 ends, we once again hope for the new year will bring a pandemic recovery. Here are some looks ahead at what may affect financial markets, companies and even you in 2022. Turn a...

10 things that will be more expensive in 2022

One thing is for sure: 2022 is going to cost you. Between inflation and ongoing supply chain issues, prices are rising on consumer goods nearly across the board. “I really don’t think ther...

These are the best-performing S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 stocks of 2021

The performance of the stock market in 2021 has been nothing short of remarkable, surprising many investors after the dramatic crash-and-recovery cycle of 2020. A continuing recovery for the world eco...