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Beginning July 1, Illinois began suspending its 1% grocery tax for the next year to help residents keep more money in their pockets as prices continue to rise nationwide. Illinois is only one of 13 states to levy a grocery tax, the Chicago Sun-Times reported, which critics said contributes to higher food insecurity for SNAP recipients and other low-income households. While Illinois residents may be paying less at checkout, this temporary change only applies to everyday grocery items to take home....

A traditional, passive retirement is fine for some, but many retirees are looking to start exciting new chapters of their lives when they stop working. By David Nadelle As noted by Fidelity, new retirees should plan on spending between 55% and 80% of what they were earning while still working every year in retirement and increase it by around 6% if they envision an active lifestyle or costly expenditures. “Each family’s retirement situation is different,” said Beau Zhao, director of Financial Solutions at Fidelity....

The NFL announced that attendees of Super Bowl LVI on Feb. 13 will receive virtual commemorative tickets in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to celebrate. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy Learn: How Much It Will Cost To Attend Super Bowl LVI — Plus $5K at Least for Tickets!Explore: Tips for Throwing a Winning Super Bowl Party on a Tight Budget The NFL has partnered with Ticketmaster to provide each fan who attends Super Bowl LVI to receive a complimentary, customized NFT featuring their unique section, row and seat to commemorate gameday, providing a digital keepsake from their Super Bowl experience, according to a press release....

Tesla stock prices dropped more than 6%, down to roughly $715, around mid-day of May 18 after it was announced that the electric vehicle manufacturer lost its spot on the S&P 500 ESG index. The S&P 500 follows major companies in a variety of industries, while the S&P 500 ESG ranks companies in the larger index based on environmental, social, and governance factors, per Barron’s. By Dawn Allcot Discover: Unplug These Appliances That Hike Up Your Electricity Bill More: 27 Ugly Truths About Retirement...

Most employers offer some sort of matching contribution or profit-sharing contribution to their employee 401(k) savings plans, but what workers might not know is that those funds are not theirs the moment an employer deposits them. By Georgina Tzanetos Retirement Savings: 401(k) Contribution Limits Are Rising in 2022 — Here’s Why You Should Make the Change Now Find: What Are Your Options With an Existing 401(k)? Employer contributions have a “vesting” schedule just like some investment accounts....

The vintage comic books that fetch seven figures at auction — on Dec. 17 of last year, “Superman” #1 sold for $2.6 million — didn’t start out as vintage. They started out as new-release comics that anyone could pick up for a pittance or maybe even for free — if they got lucky. On May 7, you can get lucky with a free copy of what could be tomorrow’s million-dollar vintage treasure on Free Comic Book Day....

More and more support has been developing for a fourth — and possible fifth — stimulus check amongst members of Congress. By Georgina Tzanetos See: Child Tax Benefits Will Start Hitting Accounts July 15Find: New Stimulus Perk Helps Pay for Your WiFi and Laptop In a letter to President Joe Biden, seven members of the influential Ways and Means Committee have joined fellow members of Congress who support additional stimulus checks....

E-commerce app Rosie has launched an online program allowing independent retailers to accept SNAP benefits online, giving recipients a wider range of vendor options. Their program will help grocers and vendors assist the 12% of all shoppers that use EBT to pay for their food, Winsight Grocery Business reported. By Georgina Tzanetos See: The 15 Best Things To Buy With SNAP at CostcoLearn: Should You Buy Groceries at the Dollar Store?...

Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate love for significant others, friends and family, and for those who show their love through gifts, it can be a big spending day. In 2022, the National Retail Federation set average spending for the holiday at $175 per person, while the Lending Tree estimated $208 per person. By Virginia Anderson Who Spends the Most Cost Breakdown Read: 3 Ways Smart People Save Money When Filing Their Taxes...

Despite prices rising throughout the country in almost every sector, Walmart is refusing to succumb to inflationary pressures and has instead decided to offer more discounts with its Rollbacks program. By Georgina Tzanetos In an earnings call on Tuesday, U.S. CEO John Furner said that the store had about 30% more discounts in the first quarter than the same period a year ago. “Over the last 12 months, we saw our price gaps improve versus the market, and our merchants are working hard to ensure that that will continue” he stated....

The earliest early birds who filed their tax returns in January might have been frustrated to learn that, by law, the IRS can’t issue their refunds until mid-February if they claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit. As vexing as that delay might be at the time, taxpayers who qualify for this lucrative credit will certainly find it to be well worth the wait when their refund arrives with a whole lot of extra padding....

College sports are a big business. From the football playoff to March Madness, college sports have some of the most popular events around. By George Malone Football The biggest revenue producer among college sports is no surprise: It’s football. College football brings in an average of $31.9 million per school per year, financial website Zacks.com reported. That’s an eye-popping number, but it’s even more impressive when you see that number is more than the next 35 college sports combined....

Following a two-year whirlwind that saw homes flying off the market amid rock-bottom mortgage rates, the housing market is finally starting to cool down a bit, and inventory is growing. This is chiefly because mortgage rates have gone back up, and because inflation is crushing so many would-be buyers. By Nicole Spector It all makes for a rather confusing situation that may have hopeful homeowners asking themselves, “So should I buy a house now or wait?...

By Sam DiSalvo Generation Z: The Future of FinancesLearn More: Gen Z Has Strong Opinions on Capitalism – Do Experts Agree? Generation Z: The Future of FinancesLearn More: Gen Z Has Strong Opinions on Capitalism – Do Experts Agree? That convenience is so important that 80 percent of shoppers surveyed want same-day shipping, while 61 percent want their packages even faster–within 1-3 hours of placing an order The impact of shopping local goes far beyond feeling good about ourselves....

Telegram is known to be one of the most private and secure free apps for messaging. The company is so confident about its security that in 2014, it offered entry into a competition to try and decipher its secure messages for a prize of $300,000 to anyone who succeeded. By Cynthia Bowman Fake Accounts Phishing Fake Job Listings Fake Classified Ads Learn: If Your Credit Score is Under 740, Make These 4 Moves Now...

It was a tough year for most industries. CEOs in sectors across an array of business sectors — from restaurants and furniture stores to motor vehicle and parts dealers — wrangled with market volatility, supply chain woes and inflation. By Nicole Spector And yet a handful of industries bucked the negative trends and actually prospered in 2022. Let’s have a look at the sectors that surged in the past year — or at least picked up steam....

Student loan borrowers who anxiously await President Joe Biden’s decision on whether to forgive their debt might have to cool their heels for another couple of months. It could be late summer before the White House issues an announcement — if one is forthcoming at all. By Vance Cariaga See: How Can I Get My Student Loan Forgiven? PSLF Waivers and MoreFind: Here’s How Much Cash You Need Stashed if a National Emergency Happens...

Overall inflation is around 6.2% higher now than it was a year ago, but a certain sector has been unevenly tipping the scales upwards — meat. By Georgina Tzanetos See: Consumer Price Index Shows Food and Gasoline Prices Surged Again In OctoberFind: How To Host A Holiday Meal on A Budget Meat prices have significantly contributed to the overall increase in inflation this year, according to Consumer Price Index data. Prices for beef are up a whopping 20....

Americans can claim Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but that’s not always the best option. The longer you wait to collect, the higher your Social Security payment when you do decide to collect. For example, on average your payment would be 30% less if you do not wait until age 67 to collect, instead collecting at age 62. By Vance Cariaga See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money ExpertsMore: With a Recession Looming, Make These 3 Retirement Moves To Stay On TrackLearn: 7 Florida Cities That Could Be Headed For a Housing Crisis...

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, annual spending on retail prescription drugs is projected to increase by about 5%, on average, through 2030. Even after rebates, U.S. drugs are almost twice as expensive as those in similar countries, as noted by a report from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. But despite these challenges, some industry disrupters are helping consumers pay less for prescription drugs, regardless of insurance status....