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...
Tag: Society/Community
Retirement may be bad for your brain. Is working longer the solution?
When we retire from our jobs we may be giving up more than staff meetings, desk lunches and a paycheck. The social interaction and mental challenges found through work can be good for our mental healt...
Households earning $100,000 or more are cutting spending more aggressively. What’s going on?
We want to hear from readers who have stories to share about the effects of increasing costs and a changing economy. If you’d like to share your experience, write to [email protected]. Ple...
‘I have $30,000 in my savings account’: I’m 56, unemployed and single. I invented products that will cost $20,000 to bring to market. Should I do it?
Dear Quentin, I am a 56-year-old divorced woman who has raised four children as a single parent. I made the decision at a young age to give birth to all of my children, and I was the sole provider for...
JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo earnings show the good, the bad and the ugly of people’s finances. So how are they holding up?
Friday’s wave of big-bank earnings gives an important glimpse into Americans’ finances amid high prices, rising interest rates and recession worries. At first glance, most consumers appear to be keepi...
IRS says ‘Tax Day’ will be different this year — put these important tax dates on your calendar
It’s not too early to start thinking about your 2022 income-tax return, if you can bear the thought. That’s because the tax-filing season is scheduled to start on Monday, Jan. 23, the Internal Revenue...
The ‘best job in America’ pays over $120,000 a year — and offers a low-stress, healthy work-life balance
We’ve had the great resignation, quiet quitting, resistance to going back to the office — and now? It turns out people are looking for happiness, stability, flexibility and a good salary. In 2023, in ...
Why a stock market obsessed with the Fed’s inflation fight should focus on Main Street jobs in 2023
Fortunes on Wall Street this year could hinge less on what’s happening to high-paid workers in San Francisco’s reeling technology sector and more on a familiar part of American life: the working class...
Workers in California and Washington State will get more pay transparency
Do you know how much your job is worth? Millions of Americans are finally getting the answer. Starting Jan. 1, California and Washington state will require employers to include pay ranges with their ...
‘I dug myself out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle’: Should I use my bonus to pay off my mortgage, put it in a savings account or Vanguard?
Dear Quentin, Over the last couple years I dug myself out of the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle, and I am making good money. I never learned about stocks, investing, etc. I do not have a 401(k) at work. M...
Democrats release six years of Trump’s tax returns, and CPAs have questions: ‘The personal tax return is just the tip of the iceberg.’
The nonpartisan committee’s findings also raised several red flags related to the filings, namely Trump’s carryover losses, loans to his children that may or may not also be considered taxable gifts, ...
5 things not to buy in 2023
It’s been a year of contradictions. The recession drum beats on, interest rates are rising, and the stock market has taken a tumble, and yet retail sales have risen 6.5% in the last 12 months, trailin...
‘Auto makers are building more expensive vehicles’: Why you should not buy a new car in 2023
There are always good reasons for most people not to buy a new car. Such a purchase can set you back for years, as high monthly payments delay the buildup of savings and investments that will be neede...
With this simple year-end change to your retirement accounts, you can reap significant tax rewards
If you are a middle-income earner, you may be in a much better position tax-wise than you realize. That’s good news: You may be able to take advantage of that better position to strengthen your retire...
Are high-deductible health plans worth it? Here’s who can benefit the most.
Hello and welcome to Financial Face-off, a MarketWatch column where we help you weigh financial decisions. Our columnist will give her verdict. Tell us whether you think she’s right in the comments. A...
10 ways American finances actually improved in 2022, despite high interest rates and a slump in stocks
Many Americans are ending the year feeling gloomy about their finances, and you don’t need to be a psychiatrist to figure out why. Runaway inflation gnawed through household budgets as prices soared o...
Scammers are out to get your mortgage money and even your home. Here’s how to fight them off.
We’ve all seen the email scams: “This is a genuie request.” “Your lendar has detected an unpaid sum.” “I’m a prince and I need your help.” Digital fraud has become highly sophisticated and, according ...