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Stephanie Land Source: Simon and Schuster Stephanie Land’s daughter, Emilia, was 7 months old when Land was forced to leave her volatile life partner. What came next for the single mother was homelessness and food insecurity — but somehow, at the same time, Land also worked to finish her college degree and pursue a writing career.

Simpleimages | Moment | Getty Images Heading into 2024, consumers should “economize” their budgets, pay down debt and save money, if possible, to boost their personal finances, Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, said Thursday at CNBC’s Your Money event. This “three-point action plan” is important for households since there’s “a high risk

Feeling the pressure of inflation and rising interest rates over the past few months, an increasing number of consumers have been making credit card payments 30 days late or more, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. That climbing “credit card delinquencies” rate may trend

kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images Whether you’re starting to invest or nearing retirement, there are several ways to use exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, to achieve your financial goals, experts say. An ETF is like a basket of individual assets, such as stocks or bonds, with shares that trade on an exchange throughout the day.

Jimvallee | Istock | Getty Images This is the time of year when most companies hold their open enrollment periods, during which employees decide on their benefits for the next 12 months. You’ll likely have a window of just a few weeks to review health insurance plans, allocate your savings and review a host of

Kathrin Ziegler | Digitalvision | Getty Images Exchange-traded funds have become a pillar of the investment world since their debut in the early 1990s. In the three decades since inception of the first U.S. ETF — the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), in 1993 — investors have poured $7.2 trillion into such investment funds,

While Americans’ credit card debt levels have reached a record high of more than $1 trillion, their overall credit health has remained strong, according to a report from credit scoring company VantageScore.  Even with inflation, rising interest rates and concern about the overall economy, U.S. consumers still have room to spend. “The consumer is not

Getty Images For millions of people, it’s time to compare benefits and prices and pick health coverage on the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplaces. Open enrollment on those plans started on Nov. 1 and typically lasts through Jan. 15, though that will be extended to Jan. 16 in 2024 due to a federal holiday.

Peshkova | Istock | Getty Images Fixed-income investing is entering an exciting new era, and investors should take notice. Decades of low interest rates, engineered by global central banks, have suppressed the bond market’s ability to generate attractive and reliable returns. But in recent quarters, we have witnessed a dramatic shift higher in interest rates,

Jitalia17 | E+ | Getty Images The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced Series I bonds will pay 5.27% annual interest from Nov. 1 through April 2024, up from the 4.3% annual rate offered since May. Tied to inflation, investors can claim 5.27% for six months — the fourth-highest I bond rate since 1998 —

Insta_photos | Istock | Getty Images Inheriting an individual retirement account can be a welcome surprise. But the gift comes with mandatory withdrawals for heirs and following the rules can be difficult, experts say. According to the Secure Act of 2019, certain heirs now have less time to deplete inherited accounts due to a change

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona speaks during the National Action Network’s National Convention in New York on April 12, 2023. Jeenah Moon | Reuters The Biden administration announced on Tuesday a finalized plan to improve its oversight of higher education institutions and to bolster consumer protections for student loan borrowers. “We are raising the

Shapecharge | E+ | Getty Images The federal estate-tax exemption helps wealthy families avoid or reduce inheritance tax, but the clock is ticking on the size of this advantage. In 26 months, some families that pay no inheritance tax today face the potential for sizeable federal taxes unless benefactors act. Though few families have enough

Whether you’re at a restaurant, coffee shop or are using an app on your iPhone, you’re being asked to tip just about everywhere these days and for just about everything. It’s one thing to choose not to tip the worker at the cash register of a toy shop or clothing store, places where workers aren’t

Kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images If you’re itching to save more into your 401(k) for 2023, your plan may have a feature that allows you to bypass the yearly deferral limit. For 2023, you can funnel $22,500 into your 401(k), plus an extra $7,500 if you’re 50 or older. But so-called after-tax contributions can

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images Saving for retirement is one thing, meeting your goals in the golden years is another. That’s where worry creeps in. Among older workers, just 34% of baby boomers and 26% of Gen Xers feel like they’re on the right track with their retirement savings, according to a recent

To be sure, women in corporate America have come along way in the last decade. While the overall gender pay gap has not changed much, it has narrowed among top executives. And, for the first time ever, women CEOs make up more than 10% among Fortune 500 companies. But CEOs are often recruited from among

The floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Spencer Platt | Getty Images August and September are historically the worst months for stocks. That was the case this year, as the S&P 500 index fell 6.5% over that span. Much of the time, however, the rest of the year can provide a respite, helping investors

Jozef Polc / 500Px | 500Px Plus | Getty Images Social Security beneficiaries will see a 3.2% boost to their benefits in 2024, the Social Security Administration announced on Thursday. The annual cost-of-living adjustment for 2024 will affect more than 71 million Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries. These benefit adjustments are made annually

Ethan Hawke sits with Winona Ryder in a scene from the 1994 film “Reality Bites.” Universal Pictures | Moviepix | Getty Images As Generation X knows all too well, “reality bites,” to quote the iconic 1994 film of the same name. Most Gen Xers — roughly defined as those born between 1965 and 1980 —