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Maybe you think you have your finances in order, but there are a few key signs that your money management skills leave something to be desired. Just because you aren’t overdrafting every week doesn’t mean there aren’t still some things you need to work on. Here’s how to tell you’re not great with money–and how to get better. By Sam DiSalvo Day 1 of Living Richer: The Top 3 Budgeting Tips From ExpertsRead: What It Means To Live a Truly Rich Life and How To Achieve It...

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the lives of both workers and employers for the bulk of 2020 and 2021. Although businesses are reopening and employees are returning to the workplace, the coronavirus is still spreading, in part due to the refusal of some Americans to get vaccinated. In an effort to get employees vaccinated, employers have tried all types of enticements, yet a large number of workers remain unvaccinated....

Problems with the Social Security program are well-known, with funding shortfalls expected to cut benefits as much as 25% by 2034 unless Congress acts to provide a fix. One possibility is raising the retirement age above 67 – a move some financial experts say is a definite possibility. By Vance Cariaga See: The Average Social Security Check the Year You Were Born Find: SNAP Benefits Available in Your State in 2022...

Elon Musk tweeted — yet again — about his support for cryptos, causing the prices of bitcoin, ethereum and dogecoin to briefly spike on the morning of March 14. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: Labor Department Has ‘Serious Concerns’ About Cryptos in Retirement PlansFind: Elon Musk Tweets Support of Increasing US Oil Production To Limit Dependence on Russia “As a general principle, for those looking for advice from this thread, it is generally better to own physical things like a home or stock in companies you think make good products, than dollars when inflation is high....

The COVID-19 economy reshaped the housing market. Mortgage rates hit record lows in January 2021 before moving to today’s post-2008 highs, which are now approaching 7%. Home prices rose by nearly 17% in 2021, the fastest appreciation rate in history, as bidding wars and above-list sale prices sent values soaring across the country. By Andrew Lisa Inflation Relief Checks: When Will You Get Yours?If You Haven’t Bought Yet: Should You Still Buy a Home in Today’s Market?...

Happy Friday, folks. With the official start of summer just days away, take some time to cool down and catch up on today’s top financial stories. Have a great weekend! By Gary Dudak The Big Lead: New Social Security Bill Could Give Seniors an Extra $2,400 a Year Social Security recipients could get an additional $2,400 a year in benefits if a new bill recently introduced to Congress wins approval — something seniors would no doubt welcome as surging inflation wipes out their annual cost-of-living increases....

Update: Some offers mentioned below may have changed or are no longer available. View current credit card offerings from our partners at CardCritics Here or on the issuer’s website. By Gabrielle Olya There are certain factors that make for an overall good credit card such as low interest rates and fees, and the ability to earn rewards, cash back and other perks. But when it comes down to it, the best credit card for you will depend on exactly what you are looking for in a credit card....

Self-care is a commonly heard term that means different things to different people. It can range from simply taking care of your basic physical and mental health to spending big money on luxury items and spa days. By Jordan Rosenfeld Check Out: Surprising Things You Can Buy With Food StampsSave More: 10 Things You Always (and Never) Should Buy at the Dollar Store However you define it, it’s helpful to get perspective on just how much of your budget you should allocate to this undeniably important area of life....

Money is a much less tangible thing nowadays. It floats in the ether from one account to another. When it comes to payment apps, it can get confusing as to where the money is coming from and to whom it is going. By Caitlyn Moorhead Adding Money to Venmo Bank Account Credit or Debit Card Venmo Balance Venmo makes this process both accessible and user-friendly. This app started as a free way to send money to peers from either an iPhone or Android device....

If older Americans could send a message to new high school graduates, it undoubtedly would be this one: Do everything you can to stay out of student loan debt. By Jami Farkas Student loan debt in the United States reached $1.59 trillion as of March 21, 2021, the U.S. Department of Education reported. That represents 42.9 million borrowers, and 90% of the loans are backed by the federal government. See: Surprising Ways Gen Z and Millennials Are Worlds Apart FinanciallyFind Out: 30 Things You Do That Can Mess Up Your Credit Score...

The fastest-growing debt category is student loan debt, and it’s a category that is no longer limited to young professionals either. The percentage of older borrowers (ages 50 and older) who carry student loan debt has jumped from 10% in 2004 to 22% in 2020. Now these 8.4 million older borrowers have a total of $336.1 billion in student loan debt in the United States. By Heather Taylor What can older borrowers do now to manage student loan debt from threatening their retirement security?...

At the start of 2020, before we’d ever heard of COVID-19, 20% of employed American adults worked from home, a Pew Research Center study reported. Amid the pandemic, as companies sent their employees home to work, the total grew to 71%. By Jami Farkas Read: Cutting Out These 25 Expenses Will Save You $16,142.08 a Year If you fall into that category, you undoubtedly have noticed one downside: increased energy bills....

The Fed’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is meeting today and June 15, and investors are bracing themselves for a potentially faster and steeper rate hike, as inflation data was worse than expected — hitting 8.6% in May. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: How Much Did Inflation Increase the Price of Bacon, Bread & Eggs in May?Find: How Much More Did Gas & Electric Cost You in May? Following the Consumer Price Index (CPI) release last week, several analysts and Wall Street insiders believe the Fed will be more hawkish, raising rates by 0....

Of 14 major cities reporting October data, consumer prices have climbed fastest in Atlanta, Saint Louis and Phoenix. Residents of the Atlanta area are experiencing the worst inflation among major U.S. cities, with October prices up 7.9% from a year ago — more than double the rate in San Francisco. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy POLL: Rising Inflation and Personal Spending Woes Continue — Have You Been Affected?Consumer Price Index Shows Food and Gasoline Prices Surged Again In October...

Risk is by definition an inherent part of investing. Even U.S. government securities like Treasury bills — which are backed by the full faith and credit of the government and are considered the safest investment in the world — carry inflation and interest-rate risk. But speculative investments in volatile instruments like stocks can carry much higher levels of risk. In some cases, risk is foolhardy, leading to devastating losses that can be irrecoverable....

Weekly jobless claims inched even lower for the week ending Nov. 6, showing a 4,000 drop from the prior week’s revised level. With seasonally adjusted initial claims at 267,000, the levels are creeping closer to pre-pandemic levels. On March 14, 2020, the country saw jobless claims of 256,000. Levels began to rise from there as the pandemic caused shut-downs, furloughs and layoffs. By Dawn Allcot See: Job Hunting? 3 Takeaways from the Latest Employment ReportFind: 22 Side Gigs That Can Make You Richer Than a Full-Time Job...

On March 18, the IRS sent out a reminder to all taxpayers that there is a question regarding virtual currency at the top of the tax returns they will file this year. The question asks, “At any time during 2021, did you receive, sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of any financial interest in any virtual currency?” By David Nadelle See: 5 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About Side Hustles and Taxes Find: Taxes 2022: Money Received Through Crowdfunding May Be Taxable...

A majority of restaurant operators say that business conditions are worse than three months ago, in large part due to the Delta variant. Deteriorating business conditions are impacting their outlook in such a way that they now believe a recovery from the pandemic will be prolonged well into 2022, according to a new survey. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy Learn More: Fast-Food & Chain Restaurants That Are Raising PricesSenior Stimulus: How an Additional $1,400 Check Could Help Social Security Recipients Afford Rising Grocery Costs...

The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), one of the largest nonpartisan senior citizens advocacy groups, currently has a petition to garner support and attention for an emergency $1,400 stimulus check to cope with unprecedented inflation. By Georgina Tzanetos Stimulus Update: Petition for a Fourth Stimulus, State Economic Boosts, Golden State Checks & Child Tax CreditsSocial Security: Grocery Store Shortages Comparable to 2020 — Are You Prepared for Lack of Supply During the Holidays?...

SNAP provides food-purchasing assistance to low-income working people, senior citizens and the disabled. In New York, SNAP is administered by two different agencies: the Department of Social Services Human Resources Administration is in charge of SNAP benefits in New York City and the New York Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance in the rest of the state. By Josephine Nesbit See: Major Food Stamps Change Means More Grocery Options for SNAP Users EverywhereFind: This Credit Score Mistake Could Be Costing Millions of Americans...