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Although more states are introducing Paid Family Leave programs, and the federal government permits fathers up to 12 weeks up of unpaid leave after the birth of a child, adoption, or fostering, fewer than 5% of fathers take two or more weeks of leave, says a new study out of Ball State University. By Dawn Allcot See: 82% of Americans Want Paid Maternity Leave – Making It as Popular as ChocolateFind: Are Finances To Blame for America’s Declining Birth Rate?...

The home and garden market has always been blooming, but right now it is booming. By Nicole Spector Check Out: Where To Invest for the Rest of 2021 See: The 11 Most Popular Pandemic Home Improvement Projects According to Technavio Research, there’s a major growth spurt occurring in the home and garden B2C e-commerce market, which is expected to rise by $101.65 billion from 2020 to 2024, growing at a compound annual growth rate or CAGR of nearly 9% during that time frame....

Billionaire Richard Branson’s space company, Virgin Galactic, launched his spaceplane VSS Unity from Spaceport America in New Mexico early Sunday morning. With the flight, which took Branson and his team to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere, Branson became the first individual to travel on a space vehicle manufactured by his own company, MIT Technology Review reported. By Dawn Allcot See: If You Could Afford to Go to Space, Would You? We Asked Someone Bidding on a Seat in Bezos’ New Spaceship Find: Numbers Behind the Modern-Day Space Race — Why Billionaires Are Obsessed With Going to Space and How Much They’re Spending...

Wells Fargo recently launched the . It’s a rewards credit card that helps you earn 3X on categories such as restaurants, travel, gas stations, transit, popular streaming services, and phone plans. By Katherine Cantrell Wells Fargo Autograph Card Capital One SavorOne Comparison Which Is Best for You Takeaway Is the card worth it for individuals that dine out often? After all, other rewards cards offer the chance to earn rewards for restaurant purchases, such as the ....

Impulse spending is never a good idea from a financial standpoint, but it’s especially risky in an economy exhibiting the highest rate of inflation in 40 years. You’re not only buying something you probably don’t need — you’re also paying a lot more for it than you normally would. By Chris Ozarowski About the 30-Day Rule Why It Works Tips Other Ways To Save One way to wean yourself off of impulse spending — and put your money to better use — is by following the 30-day savings rule....

In many ways, our lives have begun to return to something like normal even though we are still in a pandemic. While the Delta variant continues to raise alarm and is keeping many industries on tenterhooks for surges and potential shutdowns, travel has resumed for some time. However, many people had to cancel trips and stays and may have obtained credits that will be expiring soon. What do you do if you’re facing expiring miles or credits and you don’t want to lose your money?...

A strong case can be made that investing in stocks should be an important part of everyone’s long-term financial plan. With the growth of online trading platforms and the widespread availability of credible information from financial websites, social networking and media sources, it’s never been easier to buy and trade stocks. By John Csiszar Online brokers make buying stocks a simple and straightforward process. But before you jump into the market and start buying, understand how to evaluate stocks....

By Jeff Bartlett, Co-Founder and President of ConsumerTrack, Inc. By Jeff Bartlett The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to small businesses across the country. During the peak of the pandemic in May 2020, 23% of small- and medium-size businesses were closed. And unfortunately, many of them ended up closing permanently — the pandemic resulted in the permanent closure of roughly 200,000 more U.S. establishments than the amount that typically close in any given year....

Google’s annual “Year in Search” report offers a window into what stirred people’s imaginations and piqued their curiosity that year in America and across the world. By Andrew Lisa Check Out: 6 Shakeups to Social Security Expected in the New YearSee: States Whose Economies Are Failing vs. States Whose Economies Are Thriving On Dec. 7, the biggest name in search released its 2022 edition. The report reveals the most-searched words in categories like “people,” “songs,” “recipes” and “passings....

For many people, saving too little is the problem. However, for others, it’s the exact opposite because they are saving too much. Too much of anything can be dangerous, including stashing excess cash in a savings account or under a mattress. By Cynthia Measom Find Out: 20 Ways To Pay Less at CostcoRead: 50 Ways You’re Throwing Money Away But how do know if you’re putting too much cash toward savings?...

The world is changing every day, and the digital age has accelerated many of those changes to what feels like light speed. So many of the skills that were absolutely necessary at home and at work in the 20th century feel completely outdated today. By Bob Haegele Here It Is: Our 2022 Small Business SpotlightMore: 7 Surprisingly Easy Ways To Reach Retirement Goals Some of these skills may have benefits in terms of brain development that could make them worth keeping around to some extent....

Energy exchange-traded funds are similar to other ETFs — they invest in securities based on a specific index, sector, commodity or other category of assets. Therefore, an energy ETF focuses on energy-related securities, such as oil, gas or clean energy companies. By Taylor DeJesus Top 9 Energy ETFs See: 5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000 Top 9 Energy ETFs Here are nine of the best ETFs for energy....

The baby formula out-of-stock rate nationwide sits at 40%, according to a report from Datasembly. In Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, Texas, and Tennessee the rates were greater than 50% during the last week of April. By Dawn Allcot Shopping: 10 Dollar Store Items That Aren’t Even Worth the BuckRead: 9 Bills You Should Never Put on Autopay “This issue has been compounded by supply chain issues, product recalls and historic inflation,” Datasembly CEO Ben Reich said in a report from mid-April....

Interest rates are going up, which is good news for savers, but not so much for those who carry a balance on a credit card. To save some money, it may be worth looking around for a new credit card with a lower interest rate. By Karen Doyle About Interest Rates Best Overall 0% Intro APR Cash Back Improving Credit Balance Transfers Here’s what you need to know about the best credit card interest rates right now....

In the wake of the Great Resignation, employers across America are trying to walk a fine line between attracting new talent and keeping the workers they already have, according to a study by management consulting firm McKinsey and Company. By Andrew Lisa The McKinsey report referred to the desired outcome as the creation of a “sticky workplace” where employers could attract new hires — or win back employees who left — and get them to stay....

Failing to raise the U.S. debt limit in time would mean the first U.S. government debt default in history and a list of complications, including a delay in Social Security benefits. By Josephine Nesbit Government Shutdown 2021: Will SNAP Benefits Be Impacted?Retirement Mistake: 29 Careless Ways Retirees Waste Money “The federal government would have to significantly cut back spending, [which] would probably mean delaying about $80 billion in payments due November 1 to Social Security recipients, veterans and active duty military for as long as two weeks,” wrote Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics in a new report....

The price of rent, food, gas and just about everything else climbed in February as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) jumped by 7.9% over the last year. That’s nearly four times the Fed’s target rate of 2%, according to Reuters. By Andrew Lisa The Labor Department’s report revealed an annual inflation surge that’s without precedent over the past 40 years. Inflation was already public enemy No. 1 for many economists before Feb....

President Joe Biden pitched a one-year extension of the advance portion of the Child Tax Credit to Democrats on Tuesday, Insider reported. By Georgina Tzanetos Stimulus Update: Reasons Your October Child Tax Credit Payment Hasn’t Hit Yet Learn: Biden’s $3.5 Trillion ‘Build Back Better’ Plan Could Be Slashed to $1.9 Trillion — What’s Still in Play? The current advance portion of the Child Tax Credit, which are the monthly payments of either $300 or $250 paid out per child each month, is a temporary feature of the stimulus relief bill that was enacted last year....

With a 1 in 292.2 million chance of winning Monday night’s historic Powerball jackpot, the sting of rejection shouldn’t be too severe for those who bought tickets and didn’t win. Everyone likes to win, and JCPenney is giving 20,000 Powerball players the chance to get a $20 off $20 coupon to use on anything in-store and online — and in conjunction with all other deals, including Black Friday deals already started — if they still have a non-winning ticket handy....

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, were all the rage in 2021, soaring to astronomical heights along with skyrocketing cryptocurrency prices. However, cryptocurrency prices fell off a cliff in 2022, throwing cold water on the NFT market. Prices have fluctuated dramatically, and trading volumes have been far below those seen in 2021. By John Csiszar See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money Experts Advice: 5 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000...