Personal finance

Chantel Bonneau made sure she had her finances in order before her daughter arrived in March 2019 Source: Chanel Bonneau If you’re expecting a baby, chances are you will have clothing, a crib or bassinet, blankets and other necessities ready for when your bundle of joy arrives. Yet it is just as important to be

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | DigitalVision | Getty Images Don’t let the holidays distract you from last-minute opportunities to reduce your 2020 tax bill. There are about five weeks left in the year, which means the clock is ticking on tax-planning strategies. Some tactics are only in play for 2020, thanks to the federal CARES

Siblings Jack, Catherine, Sam and Molly Matt pay a socially distant visit to Santa Claus at the Willow Grove Park Mall in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 14, 2020. Mark Makela | Reuters There are a lot of kids who won’t be getting a new Xbox for Christmas. As many as 1 in 3 people

Jeanne Flynn, 34, has accumulated thousands in credit card debt while waiting for unemployment benefits to arrive in New Jersey. Jeanne Flynn Jeanne Flynn used to worry about money. But never like this. Flynn, 34, lost her restaurant job in March as the coronavirus pandemic raged. Months of waiting for unemployment benefits and little savings

For now, it’s an open question if President-elect Joe Biden has interest in testing his presidential power to try to forgive student debt. Joe Raedle |Getty Images It’s a pressing question not just for higher-education experts and legal wonks. Tens of millions of Americans have a lot riding on the answer: Can the president forgive

RainStar | E+ | Getty Images There’s a chance that if you’re enrolled in Medicare, an Advantage Plan is on your radar as a supplemental coverage option. While these plans continue growing in popularity and availability, there are some things to watch for. And whether you’re mulling over switching to another plan or adding one

A President Donald Trump and a former Vice President Joe Biden supporter converse before the Joe Biden Campaign Rally at the National World War I Museum and Memorial on March 7, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. Kyle Rivas | Getty Images This year’s presidential election was expected to usher in a blue wave of votes

“As soon as I heard that that the freshmen class would be invited back, I decided to go,” said Ahmad Alsheikh, 18, of his decision to attend college in person this fall. But even though Alsheikh has been on campus since September, he still communicates with his classmates largely online. The Harvard freshman says he is

Volunteers distribute food to the needy in Orlando, Fla. Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images About 12 million Americans will lose unemployment benefits in December when CARES Act provisions lapse, absent an extension, according to a new analysis. Unemployment benefits will terminate for more than half of current recipients at the end of the year, coinciding

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) headquarters in Washington, D.C. Janhvi Bhojwani | CNBC Entrepreneurs who took a forgivable loan this year can’t write off certain expenses on their taxes if they expect the debt will be forgiven, according to the IRS and Treasury Department. The two agencies issued guidance Wednesday on the Paycheck Protection Program

If you’re like more than 37 million student loan borrowers, you probably haven’t made a single payment to your education debt since March, when bills were put on hold due to the coronavirus crisis. That break may stop at the end of the year, meaning it is time to figure out how you’re going to

Talaj | iStock | Getty Images With jobs to hold down, children to care for, friendships to maintain, food to be bought and cooked, dishes to be washed and laundry to be done, it can be a challenge to keep up with all the details of your personal finances. In passing, you may wonder: How

The Federal Trade Commission Building in Washington D.C. Ashley Stringer | CNBC The Federal Trade Commission has filed a civil complaint alleging “unfair or deceptive acts” by Beam Financial, a San Francisco start-up behind a savings app that purported to offer above-market interest rates on federally insured deposits. As CNBC first reported in October, dozens

GYRO PHOTOGRAPHY | amana images | Getty Images Growing rapidly within the socially responsible investing landscape is the world of so-called impact investing, which deploys your money more directly toward solving societal problems. Largely executed through direct investing platforms, this approach addresses specific problems, such as alleviating poverty in certain communities or reducing pollution. These

[embedded content] [The stream is slated to start at 2 p.m.. ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.] The Path Forward: Your Money virtual summit brings together some of the top experts in personal finance to provide critical advice on spending and saving, and examine the

Images By Tang Ming Tung If you still haven’t received your $1,200 stimulus check, you may be in luck. There’s one last deadline to submit your information to the government in order to get your payment this year. But you have to act before 3 p.m. this Saturday, Nov. 21. If you miss that cutoff,

XiFotos | E+ | Getty Images You’ve been working for a long time, and now you have started looking forward to retirement. It takes a lot of planning, and you may or may not feel you’ve done enough to enjoy a comfortable, worry-free life after work. As you consider the many factors that can affect

Aviation workers hold a protest organized by the Association of Flight Attendants outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 9, 2020. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Washington lawmakers have worked to come to an agreement on the next coronavirus relief package for months. Post-election, those talks could get shaken up by

Getty Images If you’re working and have access to a 401(k) plan, socking away at least enough money to grab the company’s matching contribution is key, experts say. Yet how much is that extra cash worth? Most companies that offer these workplace retirement plans will match your contributions up to a certain amount. Depending on

Guido Mieth | DigitalVision | Getty Images It’s a tale as old as time – you want to save money, but just can’t resist an impulse purchase in the moment even though you know it’s probably not a wise financial decision. There may be a simple reason why, and it boils down to how you