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After a year of delays, errors, staff shortages and all-around misery, the IRS wants to make it as easy as possible for taxpayers to manage their records and prepare their tax returns as filing season cranks up. One option is ID.me, a third-party service that has partnered with the IRS to provide identity verification for IRS applications. By Vance Cariaga As ID.me noted on its website, identity proofing services help the IRS ensure that millions of taxpayers and tax professionals can securely access the agency and its applications....

With the holidays coming and inflation still running rampant, people are pulling out all stops to save money this holiday season. Sometimes this comes from using the right technology to find the lowest prices. Other times, it means earning straight-up cash back on your purchases. By Dawn Allcot See: 10 Items That Are Always Cheaper at Sam’s ClubFind: 7 Walmart Brand Items That Are Just as Good as Name Brands...

Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey on Friday tweeted, “Hyperinflation is going to change everything. It’s happening.” By Dawn Allcot See: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk and 21 More CEOs Who Changed How We Live Explore: 15 Mortgage Questions To Ask Your Lender Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she expects inflation rates to return to normal, which is in the 2% range, by the second half of 2022, citing COVID-19 issues and supply chain challenges as reasons for rapidly rising consumer prices....

Upromise Overview Originally launched in 2000, Upromise has a self-stated mission of helping families save for college. In the last 22 years, the platform has awarded over $1 billion in rewards to parents saving for their child’s college education. By Sarah Sharkey Overview Features How It Stands Out Comparable Options How To Sign Up Who It’s Best For Final Take Rewards 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 Customer Satisfaction 4.4 Savings Options...

SNAP, which is administered by the Department of Social Services (DSS) in South Carolina, provides food-purchasing assistance to low-income households. SNAP recipients receive monthly scheduled benefits through their SNAP account, which is linked to the South Carolina EBT card. By Josephine Nesbit See: What Is the Highest Income for Food Stamps in 2022?Find: This Credit Score Mistake Could Be Costing Millions Of Americans To apply for SNAP online in South Carolina, visit the DSS Benefits Portal....

Chase is one of the giants in the industry when it comes to credit cards. Most of its rewards credit cards offer a good combination of both travel-oriented perks and high earnings rates in other spending categories as well, on top of some quite large sign-up bonuses. Chase also offers a good variety of cards with annual fees and those with no fees. But how do you decide which is the best Chase credit card?...

Will 2022 see the launch of the first Bitcoin spot exchange-traded fund? While 2021 saw the first launches of several Bitcoin-linked ETFs, a “Bitcoin only” one is what many investors and analysts are hoping for. However, early indicators point to continued stalling from regulators. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: Bitcoin at $100,000? Crypto Could Steal Market Share from Gold, Analysts Argue Find: Bitcoin Returns Reach Over 70% in 2021, Outperform Gold and Stock Market for Third Straight Year...

If 2020 and 2021 symbolized anything, it was change. And a big part of that change took place across the job landscape. For better or worse, the way we look at and approach careers has changed forever. By Cynthia Measom See: 11 Colleges With the Most Billionaire AlumniGet What You Want: 24 Tips To Change Your Career and Land Your Dream Job As a result of the pandemic, many companies transitioned their employees to remote positions....

The leftovers are gone. The temperature is dropping. Mariah Carey is playing around the clock. It must be time to do some Christmas decorating! By Jake Arky Take a Look Back: 2022 Year in ReviewLearn: 3 Easy Tips To Turn Your Credit Woes Into Wows But while it might be time to deck the halls with all sorts of fun and festive decorations, that doesn’t mean it’s time to empty your wallet....

Luxury is often in the eye of the beholder — what someone is willing to pay a fortune for may be something that you’d never wear or own. Just by the nature of being pricey, products lend themselves to being counterfeited, because what people with money can afford the masses also want — but for a fraction of the price. By Jordan Rosenfeld The Future of Finances: Gen Z & How They Relate to MoneyExplore: Your Biggest Money Etiquette Questions Answered...

Many people treat their dogs like a part of the family, but sometimes extravagant dog expenses can go too far. When you spend more on your pup’s clothes than you do on your own, you might be spoiling your pooch a little too much. But, we know dogs are so cute that it’s sometimes hard to resist giving them the very best — no matter how ridiculous. By Sam DiSalvo See: Affordable Alternatives to Overpriced Pet ProductsFind: 8 Money-Saving Tips for Traveling With Pets...

If you are wondering about Social Security earnings limits, what is full retirement age, and average Social Security benefits, here are six numbers you should know. By Dawn Allcot Social Security: Women Get $354 Per Month Less Than Men – Here’s WhyImportant: 5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000 Keep in mind that every Social Security rule carries exceptions and rules are subject to change. It’s best to always reference the Social Security website, SSA....

An increasing number of employees are interested in being paid in alternative assets, a new survey found. According to research conducted by SoFi, 36% of workers want the ability to receive part or all of their paycheck in cryptocurrency, and 42% would like to receive NFTs as a performance reward. By Andrew Lisa Rising Gas Prices: The True Cost of Going Electric Find: 22 Side Gigs That Can Make You Richer Than a Full-Time Job...

Over the past decade, the cryptocurrency space has gained a lot of traction. Digital currencies have slowly evolved to become a common alternative payment method. They have even found their way into the credit card world, with several cards offering rewards in the form of various cryptocurrencies. By Lydia Kibet Gemini Credit Card BlockFi Rewards Card SoFi Credit Card Upgrade Bitcoin Rewards Card Brex Credit Card Venmo Credit Card Cryptocurrency credit cards function like traditional rewards credit cards....

With inflation hovering around 6% for the last several months — a 30-year high — October’s Consumer Price Index showed that prices across all major categories are continuing to crawl upwards. Although pay increases are returning to pre-pandemic levels, rising prices could mean that higher salaries won’t be able to compete with inflation in 2022. By Josephine Nesbit Let Us Know: Is Inflation Affecting How You Spend Your Money? Retirement Alert: The 4% Rule Is ‘No Longer Feasible’ — How Seniors Should Adjust To Match Inflation...

The housing market has been smoking hot in 2021, and many renters are looking into whether or not they can afford to make the leap to homeownership. But some renters are held back by the financial misinformation that’s floating around the internet. The truth is that many of the most commonly cited reasons for avoiding homeownership are based on myths. By John Csiszar Start Here: 7 Things You Should Know Before Buying a House...

The expanded child tax credit of 2021 brought about tremendous change for millions of families throughout the country, but that initial benefit seems to be reversing now that the payments have stopped. By Georgina Tzanetos See: Child Tax Credit Payments Will Probably Lower Your Tax Refund Amount — Here’s Why Find: Child Tax Credit: Poverty Spiked 41% After Benefit Program Ended Ordinarily, the child tax credit is available to parents each year but caps out at $2,000 regardless of the age of the dependent....

A shipment of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite dishes was delivered in Ukraine on Monday, Feb. 28, following an appeal to Elon Musk from the country’s digital minister Mykhailo Fedorov on Twitter. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: Elon Musk Gives $6 Billion to Charity in Historic Philanthropic Donation Find: Musk Says Biden is Ignoring Tesla in Favor of Legacy Automakers “@elonmusk, while you try to colonize Mars — Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space — Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people!...

The lure of the house-flipping lifestyle isn’t hard to understand. No job, no boss, no cap to what you can earn beyond the limits of your own skill and ambition. As an added bonus, you’re doing well by doing good — taking ugly houses, making them beautiful, and turning the keys over to proud new homeowners is a noble way to earn a living. By Andrew Lisa First, There’s the Whole Money Thing Having the Cash Is a Good Start – But Only a Start People With Specialized Backgrounds Have a Huge Leg Up Side Hustlers Are Minnows Who Get Swallowed by Full-Time Sharks Lessons From a Real-Life House-Flipping Side Hustler Be Aware: Unplug These Appliances That Hike Up Your Electricity BillGood To Know: 20 Home Renovations That Will Hurt Your Home’s Value...

After a few days (or weeks) of feverishly chasing down Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, holiday shoppers can take a needed break on Giving Tuesday to support their favorite charities and get the old karma back in alignment. Before sending in your money, though, make sure the charity is legitimate and not some scam. By Vance Cariaga See: 5 Essential Tips for Spotting and Avoiding Online ScamsFind: Seniors Beware: Latest Social Security Scam Involves Downloading Malicious Phone App...