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If you want to know what to put under the Christmas tree this year, here’s a tip: head to your nearest ATM. In a year of runaway inflation, most Americans plan to give cash (or a gift card) over a traditional present this holiday season, according to a new survey from MassMutual. By Vance Cariaga See: 29 Careless Ways Retirees Waste MoneyHoliday Spending: Get Top Holiday Shopping and Savings Tips...

The House of Representatives has passed Bill H.R. 2954, the Securing a Strong Retirement Act, moving it one step closer to becoming a law, per CNBC. The bill, commonly known as the SECURE Act 2.0, passed with a bipartisan vote tally of 414 – 5 and is designed to help Americans save more for retirement. By Dawn Allcot Discover: 11 Ways Warren Buffett Lives Frugally More: What Income Level Is Considered Middle Class in Your State?...

Cryptocurrency, including bitcoin, has one major drawback for investors: it is highly volatile. A form of crypto with its value tied to a currency or commodity, however, reduces this issue. By Dawn Allcot How Stablecoins Work Algorithmic Stablecoins Why Stablecoins Matter Popular Stablecoins Enter stablecoins: a type of digital currency with greater price stability than bitcoin and non-stable alt-coins because they are tied to the U.S. dollar, the price of gold or another commodity or currency....

By Dawn Allcot More From Your Money: Choose a high-interest saving, checking, CD, or investing account from our list of top banks to start saving today. Hulu, on the other hand, still costs $12.99 per month for ad-free viewing, or just $6.99 with ads. Netflix costs $9.99 for the basic plan, which allows streaming on just one screen at a time, without HD resolution. The standard plan permits viewing on two screens at a time for $15....

Texas has never lacked self-belief, especially when it comes to touting tax advantages it has over other states. Well, not so fast, Lone Star Staters — you could be paying higher taxes than even Californians. By Vance Cariaga Learn: All the States That Don’t Tax Social SecurityBiden’s Inflation Reduction Act Means 87,000 New IRS Agents: 6 Ways To Avoid an Audit As the Houston Chronicle reported, a graphic shared on Reddit’s main economic forum illustrated how the vast majority of Texans pay more in taxes than Californians do....

It has long been a rule of thumb to have $1 million saved for a comfortable retirement; but, thanks to inflation, the youngest generation of workers likely will need three times as much. According to a recent analysis conducted by Wealthcare Financial, by the time Gen Z and millennials retire, they will need around $120,000 to $150,000 per year to live comfortably — making $3 million the average amount they need to retire....

By Sam DiSalvo Find Out: Budgeting 101: How To Create a Budget You Can Live With Learn More: 50 Ways To Live the Big Life on a Small Budget Prioritize Professional Development After seeing how quickly jobs can disappear, it’s time to take stock of your career and determine if it’s worth fighting for. If you love your job, find ways you can become better at it and enhance your skill set so, in the event of another shutdown, you have the most leverage to use when defending the need for your position....

You’ve been searching for a new home for a while, and you’ve finally found the one you want to make your own. The seller accepted your offer, and now it’s time for the home inspection. By Jennifer Taylor “I think the inspection period for a realtor is probably the most nerve-racking part of the home buying process,” said Ula Zucker Williams, a real estate advisor with Compass in Boca Raton, Florida....

The biography on Mark Spitz’s own website refers to him as “the most famed athlete of all-time.” While that’s up for debate, the nine-time gold medalist and 11-time Olympic medalist is without question one of the greatest athletes ever to enter Olympic water. By Andrew Lisa Mark Spitz Net Worth: $20 Million At the 1972 Munich Olympics, Spitz became the first Olympian to win seven golds in seven events with seven world records, according to Team USA....

If you earn a paycheck in the United States, you’ve probably seen “FICA” somewhere among the taxes, but might not have known what it means. By Vance Cariaga See: Unclear on Social Security Benefits? These Are the 4 Types Seniors Should KnowFind: Social Security Got Its Biggest COLA Bump Ever – Are Rising Food Prices Covered? The short answer is, FICA stands for Federal Insurance Contributions Act. It’s deducted from each paycheck and comprises two different “contributions” (e....

Whole Foods has you covered with all the organic products you’ll need to prepare healthy meals for your loved ones. Whole Foods is a certified USDA organic grocer in the U.S., popular for its organic food selections. By Lydia Kibet Holiday Hours Store Locator Customer Service Read: 3 Ways Smart People Save Money When Filing Their Taxes Whole Foods stores generally remain open even on major holidays to meet their customer’s needs, but they may have reduced hours....

Before credit cards became the norm, “bank cards” were commonplace for everyday purchases. Bank cards, or debit cards, take money directly out of your checking or savings account, which then gets automatically rebalanced less the amount of your recent purchase. By Georgina Tzanetos See: It’s Time to Break Up With Your First Credit CardFind: The Riskiest Places To Swipe Your Credit Card Credit cards on the other hand, allow you to purchase something and then pay for it at a later date....

Food prices, unfortunately, are not likely to decrease next year. The Food Price Outlook, 2022 and 2023 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) summarizes September 2022 forecasts, incorporating the August 2022 Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) numbers. Here’s what the forecast for food prices in 2023 may potentially look like for consumers. By Heather Taylor How the Level of Food Price Inflation Varies Before we look at the Food Price Outlook, 2022 and 2023, it’s important to break down the varying levels of food price inflation....

Social Security actuaries project a deficit for the combined trust funds over the next 75 years of 3.54% of taxable payrolls, per an August report, 0.32 percentage points greater than last year. This data reflects rising costs, yet constant levels of income, as the number of retirees begins to outpace those participating in the American workforce. By Josephine Nesbit See: Elon Musk Said Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles ‘Extremely Silly’: Some Experts Now DisagreeFind: 25 Secrets Elon Musk and Every Other Rich Person Knows...

The U.S. Department of Education will discharge $415 million in student loans for nearly 16,000 borrowers who attended DeVry University and other for-profit schools accused of defrauding or misleading students. By Vance Cariaga See: Navient Predatory Student Loan Suit Ends in $1.85 Billion SettlementFind: Social Security Refund — Here’s Why Some College Students Can Get Money Back The agency announced the news on Wednesday, Feb. 16, following an investigation into DeVry, Westwood College, ITT Technical Institute’s nursing program and Minnesota School of Business/Globe University’s criminal justice program....

Since its founding in 1999, Alibaba has grown exponentially. What began in China as an effort to give small businesses everywhere an advantage by connecting them to manufacturers that could provide competitive pricing has become an expansive network of digital products and services. By Kelli Francis About Alibaba How It Works Sources of Revenue Earnings How Much It’s Worth Buy, Sell or Hold How To Buy Alibaba has made history a few times....

When Alphabet stock split earlier this month, many investors saw their net worth rise rapidly. The 20-for-1 stock split meant that each share of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, was now worth 20 stocks at 1/20 of the price. However, a stock split makes each individual share more affordable to investors. That usually results in more purchases, causing the stock to rise. In the case of Alphabet, the stock rose 9% in aftermarket trading following the split....

Renting out a home is a popular form of passive income because it doesn’t require a lot of time or energy and offers various tax breaks. But it can be risky when interest rates move higher. By Vance Cariaga See: The Ultrarich Plan to Conserve Their Wealth in 2023 — What’s the Strategy?Prepare: 3 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000Explore: Inflation Above 2% Means Overall Cost of Buying Home or Car Won’t Drop...

Exchange-traded funds are no longer a mere garnish for investors, simply there to help diversify portfolios heavily weighted toward traditional stocks, bonds and mutual funds. These days, ETFs have become a main course as more investors flock to them for their flexibility, variety and profit potential. By Vance Cariaga See: 10 Best ETFs To Buy for Long-Term Growth Find: Should You Refinance Now With the Low Mortgage Rates? Whether or not you can turn those profits into millions of dollars before you retire largely depends on how (and how much) you invest in ETFs....

If you’ve ever stumbled across a site for investment enthusiasts or perhaps you were researching investments yourself and saw a chart that had black and white rectangles with a line off the top and bottom, then it was probably a candlestick chart. By Diane Fogle Why Use Them Anatomy Analysis Patterns Common Chart Patterns Choosing To Use These charts, which originated with eighteenth-century Japanese rice traders, are used to analyze investment markets....