Personal Finance
Broke Again At 49, And This Time There Is No House To Blame
After stretching for the nicest house I could afford in 2023, I ended up living paycheck to paycheck for six months. It was stressful enough that I picked up a part-time consulting gig to shore up liquidity. Thankfully, stocks and real estate kept rebounding after a rough 2022, and the broke…
Rising Costs Are Changing How Americans Give Back
Charitable giving is taking a hit as cost-of-living challenges continue to put a strain on people’s budgets, a new study shows. More than 4 out of 5 in the U.S. said at least one cost-of-living pressure has prevented them from donating or donating more over the past six months, according to a…
Free Coffee? See the Deals Brewing for National Coffee Day 2026
National Coffee Day is on Tuesday, Sept. 29, and plenty of chains will offer deals and freebies on America’s favorite beverage. According to the National Coffee Association, coffee is consumed by more adults each day than any other beverage, including tap or bottled water. The 2026 National Coffee…
What the Fed’s first rate hike in years means for your wallet
The Federal Reserve’s first interest rate hike in more than three years is likely to increase borrowing costs for many consumers, particularly those carrying variable-rate debt such as credit cards and home equity lines of credit. Earlier this month, the Fed voted unanimously to raise its benchmark…
SNAP Checks Rise Oct. 1, but New Rules May Mean Benefit Cuts Ahead
October ushers in changes to SNAP, the government’s supplemental nutrition assistance program, including one shift Americans may see immediately and another one that could determine the program’s fate and benefits in coming years, analysts said. Most Americans on SNAP, formerly called food stamps…
Flip Out Over These National Pancake Day Deals
On Saturday, Sept. 26, waffle and French toast lovers step aside, because it’s National Pancake Day. If you’re a pancake fan, you might be looking at your calendar, a bit confused, because wasn’t National Pancake Day in March? And it was, sort of. IHOP declared that the second Tuesday of March is…
Early Retirement With a Roth Ladder: Strategy and Examples
A Roth conversion ladder can help early retirees access retirement savings before age 59 ½ without triggering the usual early withdrawal penalty. The strategy works by gradually converting pretax retirement money to a Roth IRA. However, timing is critical: Each conversion generally has its own…
Retailers Are Cracking Down on Returns. These 16 Stores Still Have the Best Policies
The pandemic saw a peak of loosened retailers’ return policies to the delight of shoppers, but now many stores have tightened their policies after seeing a wave of return fraud. So if you love to shop and want more liberal return policies, you have to read the fine print first. We’ve done a lot of
The RMD Mistake That Costs 401(k) Owners a 25% Penalty
Here’s a rule that’s cost retirees real money, and hardly anyone sees it coming. If you’re 73 or older and you own a couple of IRAs, the IRS lets you add up what you owe across all of them and take the entire withdrawal from just one account. Tidy. Convenient. Now assume that same convenience
8 Reasons Not to Waste Money on Car, Home or Renters Insurance
Insurance bills you every month for a disaster that may never come. On a fixed income with premiums climbing, dropping a policy can look like found money. Paying for insurance may seem like money poorly spent. In fact, you are not wasting money. You are protecting yourself against the financial…