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The combination of the holiday shopping season, the upcoming tax season and the pandemic creates additional opportunities for criminals to steal sensitive personal or financial information. Now, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is warning taxpayers to beware of a dangerous combination of events that can increase their exposure to tax scams or identity theft, according to a release. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: Don’t Fall For One of the ‘Dirty Dozen’ Tax ScamsFind: States Where Identity Theft Runs Rampant...

The report released yesterday by the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey shows that April job openings reached a historic high of 9.3 million, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The number of hires remained essentially unchanged at 6.1 million. However, separations, or the number of people who quit or left their jobs, increased to 5.8 million. By Georgina Tzanetos See: May Job Reports Up at 559,000 but Still Below ExpectationsFind: 10 Major Companies Offering Paid Returnships for Job Candidates Looking To Reenter the Workforce...

The standard for what makes Americans wealthy has never been clearly defined, though you could usually qualify by being a millionaire. That’s no longer the case — at least according to a large percentage of respondents to a new survey from Edelman Financial Engines, a Boston-based investment advisory firm. By Vance Cariaga See: How Long $1 Million in Retirement Will Last in Every StateFind: States Whose Economies Are Failing vs. States Whose Economies Are Thriving...

The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced last week that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be eliminating the Adverse Market Refinance Fee for loan deliveries effective August 1, 2021. This decision was made to help families reduce their housing costs so they can save more money, according to the agency. By Josephine Nesbit See: Foreclosure Moratorium Is Ending in 10 Days — Here Are Your Options Find: 13 Best First-Time Homebuyer Programs...

Inflation concerns are leaving many to worry about running out of money during retirement. Federal Reserve officials reassured that these prices are transitory; however, retirees are feeling the effects of higher costs with day-to-day living expenses. By Josephine Nesbit See: AARP Says These Workers Aren’t Confident about Retirement, But They’re Still Happy About the Future – Here’s WhyFind: The Downsides of Retirement That Nobody Talks About The consumer price index for June increased by 0....

Do you receive monthly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits? SNAP benefits typically can’t be used to buy hot and ready-to-eat food at grocery stores or restaurants, but depending on where you live, you may be able to use your SNAP EBT card at your local Papa John’s. By Josephine Nesbit Discover: Surprising Things You Can Buy With Food StampsSee: 25 Extra Grocery Costs You’re Probably Forgetting About Papa John’s does accept SNAP EBT, but you must qualify for your state’s Restaurant Meals Program (RMP)....

There’s a lot to consider in deciding when to apply for Social Security benefits, ranging from your personal wealth and financial needs to your health and life expectancy. Most financial experts recommend waiting as long as possible to apply so you can get a bigger monthly payment, but that doesn’t apply to everyone — or even to every economy. By Vance Cariaga See: Can I Draw Social Security at 62 and Still Work Full Time?...

With 79 days to go until Christmas, stores of all sizes are ramping up for the holidays by announcing their seasonal employee hiring plans. By David Nadelle See: 11 Grocery Items To Buy at Dollar TreeFind: 22 Side Gigs That Can Make You Richer Than a Full-Time Job Walmart, as always, was one of the first out of the gates, but its seasonal hiring announcement this year fell way short of public expectations....

The late Jim Rohn, who spent 40 years as a sales expert and motivational speaker, would frequently discuss financial freedom in his podcasts. In his distinctive voice, he would emphasize the need to learn to work harder on yourself than you work on your job. He called making money in America “easy.” Of course, his definition of “easy” was “something I could do,” meaning that it involved quite a lot of hard work....

You can add one more thing to the list of financial strategies that have to be altered during this period of high inflation: the amount of money you should keep around for emergency expenses. By Vance Cariaga Zelle Facebook Marketplace Scam: How To Recognize and Avoid This ScamFind: How Much Does a Person on Social Security Make? Based on recent data, your emergency expense fund should be more than triple the $400 that has been considered a standard for years, according to a new report from LendingClub Corporation and PYMNTS....

Starting a business can take many shapes and forms, but it can be challenging to find the perfect business model. For those who don’t have the funds to buy an existing business and don’t want to start from scratch, a franchise might be a great fit for you. Franchises exist in a lot of industries, including business service providers (UPS store), convenience stores (7-11), educational institutes (Mathnasium), real estate (RE/MAX) and many more, according to Incorporate....

If you’re looking to make your way into the Etsy market as a seller, but aren’t sure what to sell yet, there are a few items that may just send your store to the top. By Sam DiSalvo Below are some of the hot selling items on Etsy for July 2022. More From Your Money: Choose a high-interest saving, checking, CD, or investing account from our list of top banks to start saving today....

If you miss a payment due date for one of your bills, savvy bill payers know how to approach this kind of oversight. They’ll reach out to the appropriate company and make a payment as soon as possible. But, what if the reverse happens and you do not receive a statement for a recurring bill such as your cellphone or credit card? Rather than wait and see what happens, here are a few ways you can take action if you don’t receive one of your bills....

By Andrew Lisa Read: These 10 Career Fields Are Adding the Most WFH Jobs in 2021Find Out: 22 Tips for Landing a Job During the Health Crisis More From Your Money: Choose a high-interest saving, checking, CD, or investing account from our list of top banks to start saving today. A Year Is a Long Time — Get Your Head in the Right Place First Long periods out of work can be discouraging, demoralizing and depressing — not exactly a good mental space to be in when trying to impress potential employers....

ETFs, or exchange traded funds, have surged in popularity over the past twenty years. An ETF is a basket of stocks that you can buy or sell through a brokerage firm on a stock exchange. ETFs can be thought of as mutual funds that can trade throughout the trading day instead of only at the end of the day (like mutual funds are restricted to.) ETFs are a wonderful way to invest in high-earning and expensive stocks without having to buy entire shares....

By Gabrielle Olya Find Out: 10 Reasons You Should Claim Social Security EarlyRead More: 16 Budgeting Tips Every Single Woman Needs To Know The Financial Services Industry Doesn’t Cater Enough To Women One factor in women’s lack of retirement planning is the fact that financial services companies don’t do enough to educate and cater to this audience. “Women are generally savers, and the financial services community needs to provide additional guidance and support for women who save to make sure that they’re investing, make sure they understand what their options are,” Eweka said....

Buying a home is likely the most expensive purchase you and your family will make in a lifetime, with a few exceptions. Not only will you be forking out a sizeable amount of money for the down payment and a mortgage, there are a variety of other, often hidden or forgotten costs that pop up during the homebuying process. By Jordan Rosenfeld According to Amy Kite, real estate agent and owner at The Kite Team at Keller Williams Realty Infinity, “I have worked on the selling of hundreds of homes, and I can’t remember one instance where the purchase of a home didn’t cost more than expected....

An uncertain economic climate can cause added stress when you’re in the market for a new job. The majority of professionals (74%) cited concerns about a recession impacting their career decisions, according to a recent FlexJobs survey. These concerns may be warranted, as many companies are preemptively instituting layoffs or hiring freezes in anticipation of an economic downturn. By Gabrielle Olya Good Question: Does Working After Full Retirement Age Increase Your Social Security Benefits?...

If you’re willing to pay the premiums, you can insure just about anything. By Andrew Lisa According to GEICO, rocker Gene Simmons insured his tongue for $1 million. NFL star Troy Polamalu insured his hair — also for a cool million. A Dutch winemaker insured his nose for $8 million, but the terms of his policy forbid him from riding a motorcycle or working as a firebreather or a knife thrower’s assistant....

Costco famously keeps its inventory relatively low compared to other big-box stores. According to its official website, Costco warehouses carry about 4,000 items, compared to the 30,000 found at most supermarkets. “By carefully choosing products based on quality, price, brand and features, the company can offer the best value to members,” the retailer states. By Gabrielle Olya Save More: 11 Grocery Items To Buy at Dollar TreeSee: How To Get Free Gift Cards From Your Everyday Purchases...