Personal finance

U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., questions IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig at a June 8, 2021 Senate Finance Committee hearing. Tom Williams | Pool | Reuters As Democrats inch closer to finalizing their social spending package, Senate Democrats are eyeing a tax on billionaires amid pushback on income and corporate levy hikes.

In this article TREE Why pay now when you can pay later? Whether it’s holiday gifts or groceries, it’s easier than ever to postpone payments on purchases. “Buy now, pay later,” or BNPL, lets shoppers break their purchases into equal installment payments, often interest-free, which can make even the biggest-ticket items seem affordable and the

The value of Bitcoin (BTC) has exceeded the threshold of 66,895 dollars for the first time in his history. Chesnot | Getty Images This week marked a milestone for cryptocurrency as investors started trading the first U.S. bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund, exceeding other ETF launches, and another followed Friday.  These funds invest in bitcoin futures

MoMo Productions | DigitalVision | Getty Images American life expectancy is trending up — and that creates more financial risk for retirees, who must make their nest eggs last a longer time. An average 65-year-old today will live another 20 years, about six years more than in 1950, according to the Centers for Disease Control

Dorie Clark, author of “The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World.” We spend our days replying to emails, going to meetings, checking off to-do lists and, as our careers zip by, sometimes we wonder if we picked the right profession, or if our lives wouldn’t have been better spent

As employers reimagine the workplace post-Covid, a four-day work week may become a new perk. Last month, technology company Bolt became one of the latest companies to jump on board. Earlier this year, New York-based crowdfunding platform Kickstarter announced it would pilot a four-day workweek. There’s a campaign now underway from 4 Day Week Global

XiFotos | E+ | Getty Images After the Social Security Administration announced a record-high cost-of-living adjustment for 2022, many beneficiaries are asking, “How much bigger will my monthly checks be?” People who receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, benefits will get a 5.9% boost to their payments next year. That is that

Getty Images The enhanced child tax credit has sent monthly checks to millions of American families since July. Now, it’s one of the programs on the chopping block as Democrats slim down President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. Lawmakers are proposing to extend the benefit for only one year. Previously, the Biden Administration proposed

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks outside of the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 20, 2021. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images As Democrats wrestle over their spending package, key lawmakers are still fighting to change the $10,000 cap on the federal deduction for state and local taxes. The measure, known as SALT, is a

In this article AMZN Karl Tapales | Moment | Getty Images Con artists pretending to be Amazon employees scammed Americans out of $27 million from July 2020 through June 2021, the Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday. These fraudsters were part of a “business impersonator” scam. Criminals pose as someone the consumer trusts — in this

Bitcoin on display. Chesnot | Getty Images Investors who are bullish on cryptocurrencies are betting more on the digital assets than stocks. In September, crypto investors put an average of $263 into accounts dedicated to coins, more than the average $250 they put in traditional brokerages during the month, according to a recent survey from

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images You may want to get used to higher prices at the pump, at least for now. As of Monday, the average cost of a gallon of gas was $3.30, up 7.5 cents from a month ago and $1.08 higher than a year ago, according to fuel savings app GasBuddy. By

VALERIE MACON | AFP | Getty Images When the Covid-19 pandemic prompted a dramatic drop in wages, that also sparked concerns that one particular cohort would see lower Social Security benefits as a result. Those concerns, however, have abated, according to new data from the Social Security Administration. The reason comes down to the national

Bitcoin on display. Chesnot | Getty Images The first U.S. bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund will launch on Tuesday, a milestone for the cryptocurrency industry, and others may soon follow. The long-awaited ProShares ETF will offer exposure to bitcoin futures contracts — agreements to buy or sell the asset later for an agreed-upon price — rather

fizkes | iStock | Getty Images For Medicare beneficiaries who want to join an Advantage Plan, now is the time to do it. Just be sure you know what the plan covers and what your potential costs will be — and how long you have to change your mind. During the annual fall open enrollment

The Good Brigade | DigitalVision | Getty Images The vast majority of health savings account owners aren’t investing their money — and it’s likely shortchanging them over the long term. Just 9% of accountholders were investing a portion of their HSA balance in 2020, according to an Employee Benefit Research Institute study published Thursday. The

VALERIE MACON | AFP | Getty Images People who collect Social Security are about to see bigger checks. The cost-of-living adjustment in 2022 will be 5.9%, the Social Security Administration said Wednesday. The bump, which will help beneficiaries keep up with rising costs due to inflation, is the largest increase in about 40 years. The

designer491 | iStock | Getty Images Retirement savers could start seeing annuities in their 401(k) plans. While allowing them in workplace retirement savings plans is not new, the 2019 Secure Act aimed to eliminate companies’ fear of legal liability if the annuity provider were to fail or otherwise not meet its obligations. Now, insurance companies,

In this article COIN Grandbrothers | iStock Editorial | Getty Images Kenny Schachter, an art dealer, columnist for Artnet and self-proclaimed nonfungible tokens evangelist, believes that the digital works could eclipse the traditional art market within five years. This month cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase and the auction house Sotheby’s, which has been around since 1744, both

Fizkes | Getty Images The Department of Labor wants to reverse a Trump-era policy that restricts 401(k) plans and other retirement savings vehicles from offering environmental, social and governance-focused assets, known as ESG, investing options. Values-based assets have become increasingly popular, with investors funneling $51.1 billion of net new money into ESG funds in 2020,