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As summer heats up and we head into July, you’re probably thinking of how you can have a great time while saving money. Fortunately, summer isn’t just a great season for weather — It’s also a great season for discounts and freebies from some of your favorite brands. By Sam DiSalvo Food and Drink Electronics Apparel, Jewelry and Beauty Home and Furniture Adventure 4th of July Find Out: 50 Brands With Lifetime WarrantiesLearn More: McDonald’s and 41 Other Franchises That Could Make You Rich...

The IRS offers free tax filing assistance programs to help make taxes straightforward and inexpensive. Here’s a list of the available programs, important contact information and eligibility requirements. Whether you’re unsure how to fill out the forms or need legal counseling for tax-related issues, the following resources can help make tax season less stressful. By Taylor Milam-Samuel See: 10 Things To Stop Buying in 2023Find: 3 Ways Smart People Save Money When Filing Their TaxesLearn: Can I Draw Social Security at 62 and Still Work Full Time?...

Veteran entrepreneurs are considered to be one of three groups of “unsung entrepreneurs” that contribute more to the economy than the general population. Findings from SCORE’s 2021 “The Megaphone of Main Street: Unsung Entrepreneurs” report indicate that veteran entrepreneurs, over the past 25 years, have started businesses at higher rates and operate more small businesses than others. By Heather Taylor Discover: 14 Billionaires Who Are Also VeteransRead More: 10 Companies That Give Back to Veterans...

If you have the means, what can you buy that is actually worth the hype and the money? There are plenty of purchases that might make us feel better momentarily, but will lose their luster after a while. Or, we buy something because we see influencers raving about it all over our feed, but when we actually test it out, it’s nothing like it was sold to us. By Sam DiSalvo Take a Look: Social Security Changes That May Be Coming for 2023More: 11 Best Cities To Retire on $2,500 a Month...

If you rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to feed your family, you’re not alone. In 2021, nearly 41.5 million people participated in the program, according to the Kids Count Data Center. By Jennifer Taylor See: 11 Grocery Items To Buy at Dollar TreeCheck Out: This Credit Score Mistake Could Be Costing Millions of Americans The program serves as a vital way to put food on the table, but it also comes with plenty of restrictions....

As cryptos are becoming more mainstream, as reflected most recently by President Joe Biden’s executive order on digital assets signed Mar. 9, you can now buy a car with cryptos, whether partly or fully, thanks to a partnership between digital retailing company CarNow and Cion Digital. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: Top 4 Cryptocurrencies To Consider Buying in MarchExplore: TransUnion Partners With CarNow to Address Affordability and Availability in Vehicle Market...

Nothing beats a home-cooked meal. But affording one is getting harder by the month. By David Nadelle See: May Inflation Reaches Highest Level Since 1981, Touches Every Sector of the EconomyFind: Consumer Price Index: How Much More Was Your DoorDash and GrubHub Bill Because of Inflation in May? The consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.0% in May to a year-over-year high of 8.6%, reflecting the inflationary tension that has characterized 2022....

Does USPS deliver on New Year’s Eve? The United States Postal Service does deliver on New Year’s Eve. This is because New Year’s Eve is a Saturday, which is a day of regular operation for USPS. It’s also because the federal government does not recognize Dec. 31 as a federal holiday. By Sarah Horvath New Year’s Day New Year’s Eve Reducing Shipping Costs Read: 3 Easy Tips to Turn Your Credit Woes into Wows...

With the tax filing season officially underway, Americans may be looking to claim as many credits and deductions as they legally can to reduce their tax bills. If you have older adults living with you, including disabled adults or retired parents or grandparents, you might be able to claim them as a dependent on your taxes and receive a non-refundable credit via the credit for other dependents (ODC). By Dawn Allcot See: Why You Should Line Up a Tax Preparer Now — and What Paperwork You’ll Need Find: Tax Prep 2022: AARP Offers Free Assistance — What Documents Will You Need To Provide?...

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell reiterated that aggressive rate hikes will need to be implemented and a half-percentage point interest rate hike may likely come at the Fed’s next meeting in May. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy Read: 9 Bills You Should Never Put on AutopayLearn: 6 Bad Habits That Hike Up Your Grocery Bill “It is appropriate in my view to be moving a little more quickly to raise interest rates,” Powell said while part of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) panel on April 21, according to CNBC....

When it comes to finances, many Gen Zers are just getting their feet wet — often unaware of the numerous financial pitfalls lurking ahead. And while they may feel secure in the fact that they have their whole life ahead of them, it’s important to realize it’s never too early to start making smart financial decisions. By Cynthia Measom Find Out: Surprising Ways Gen X and Boomers Are Worlds Apart FinanciallyTips: What Millennials Can Learn From Gen X’s Money Mistakes...

Starting in just a couple of weeks, monthly $300 payments will start rolling out to millions of American families in the first installment of the advance child tax credit. From July to December, eligible families will receive the monthly payment totaling half ($1,800) of the $3,600 full benefit. Those with children under 6 years of age and who make under $75,000 filing singly and $150,000 filing jointly will largely be eligible....

Super PACs, dark money, outside spending — keeping it all straight can be tough, especially with the seemingly constant barrage of political attack ads in the background. By J. David Herman Holiday Spending: Get Top Holiday Shopping and Savings Tips See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money Experts With the 2022 midterm elections looming and campaign spending records falling across the country, here’s a quick primer and a rundown of the most powerful outside spending groups....

Once they find out Apple also has a streaming service, many people’s first question is: How much is Apple TV? By Scott Jeffries What It Is Cost Offerings Competitor Comparison Is It Worth It At just $4.99 per month, Apple TV+ is much cheaper than other streaming services, such as Disney+, Netflix and HBO Max. However, there are tradeoffs — including that its catalog is not as extensive as that of Netflix or HBO Max....

Paramount Plus, a subsidiary of CBS, is one of the top-rated on-demand and live TV streaming services of 2022. It features various network TV content, such as CBS, BET, MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. By Kathy Evans Pricing Tiers Signing Up Entertainment Offerings Streaming Devices Ways To Save Switching Plans Cancelling Plan Read: 3 Easy Tips to Turn Your Credit Woes into Wows So how much is Paramount Plus and is it worth it?...

An excellent way for BJ’s Wholesale Club shoppers to earn cash-back rewards on purchases and get a discount on gas is to apply for a BJ’s Mastercard. However, as with any rewards credit card, if you don’t pay attention to payment due dates and your account balance, late fees and interest can cost more than any rewards earned or discounts gained. By Andrea Norris Registering Online Logging In Retrieve Lost Credentials Customer Service Using Your Login Benefits Registering for online access to your BJ’s credit card account can help make account management simple by providing access to statements and the ability to schedule payments....

A $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill passed by the U.S. House on Wednesday, Mar. 9 made a major cut to previously planned budget increases for the IRS, though the money the agency did get will help it deal with a backlog of unprocessed tax returns. By Vance Cariaga Learn: Major Tax Changes for 2022 You Need To KnowExplore: Child Tax Credit: 5 Things You Need To Know in 2022 The House approved the bill with the aim of spending $14 billion in military, humanitarian and economic aid to Ukraine to assist with its battle against Russia, Accounting Today reported....

The IRS recently revised the 2021 Child Tax Credit and Advance Child Tax Credit Payments Frequently Asked Questions page on its website. With these changes, Publication 972, Child Tax Credit, is obsolete. Taxpayers should use Schedule 8812 (Form 1040) to calculate child tax credits and report advance child tax credits received in 2021, the IRS stated. By Dawn Allcot See: Child Tax Credit Payments Will Probably Lower Your Tax Refund Amount — Here’s WhyFind: Child Tax Credit — I Received Money, But Don’t Usually Submit a Return — Do I Need to File Taxes This Year?...

Roughly 75% of all Americans received a tax refund in 2022. The average refund, according to IRS data reported by CBS News, was nearly $3,200. This was a 14% increase over the prior year. By Dawn Allcot State Stimulus & Taxes: Is Your Inflation Relief Check Taxable?Explore: 3 Ways Smart People Save Money Filing Their Taxes But American taxpayers awaiting the same windfall this year may be in for disappointment. The IRS warned in a news release in late 2022 that tax refunds in 2023 may be smaller....

Elon Musk bought 73.5 million Twitter shares on March 14 — a 9.2% stake — according to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 13G filing released April 4. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: 22 Side Gigs That Can Make You Richer Than a Full-Time Job Find: Don’t Get Suckered Into Paying For These 20 Useless Things at Car Dealerships Twitter shares skyrocketed 25.9% in pre-market trading April 4. “Given Musk’s long-standing critical view of Twitter and social media platforms, it was viewed that Musk could look to build a new social media platform to compete with Twitter and others,” Ives wrote....