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You hear it mentioned in car ads all the time: automobile purchases should reflect who you are, right down to the smallest detail. This is especially true when you are choosing a luxury vehicle. Those bent on buying a Beamer will have to wait to get all the features normally available to new BMW drivers. By David Nadelle Live Blog: Consumer Price Index, Inflation and MoreCash App Borrow: How To Borrow Money on Cash App...

If you receive severance pay from a former employer, you may actually end up in a pretty good place financially. Many severance packages pay 50% to 100% of wages for a specified time period, and if you’re collecting unemployment benefits as well, you may even earn more after you’ve been laid off than you did while you were working. By John Csiszar Unfortunately, this type of “double-dipping” is not always allowed....

Early Life and Rise to Music Stardom Born Kanye Omari West on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta. West lived with his parents, Ray and Donda West, for three years until their divorce. He and his mother then relocated to Chicago and even lived in China for a year when Kanye was 10, a period he has said had a huge impact on his life. Donda played a tremendous role as both his mother and manager, publishing the book “Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar” just six months before her passing in November 2007 due to surgery complications....

Commuting has always been one of the lousiest parts of the working life — and the most costly. During the pandemic shutdowns, Americans saved an average of $2,000 each on commuting expenses, amounting to $758 million a day since the pandemic struck in March 2020. By Nicole Spector Follow Along: 31 Days of Living RicherSee: Where You Should and Shouldn’t Cut Costs in the Second Half of 2021 Though some companies are sticking to remote work for the long haul, for many people it’s back to the grind....

It seems we can’t escape headlines about inflation lately. However, that’s no surprise given that inflation reached 9.1% in June, the highest since 1981. To be sure, some industries have been hit hard by inflation. For instance, energy prices remain high even though prices at the pump have fallen somewhat. By Bob Haegele Check Out: Stimulus Payments Are Coming to These States in OctoberSNAP Benefits: How Long Do They Last?...

A majority of millennial millionaires not only own crypto, but hold the bulk of their investment wealth in the assets, according to the new CNBC Millionaire Survey. The results show a shifting economic paradigm as younger investors view cryptocurrency more favorably. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy See: What Is the Crypto Fear and Greed Index? Find: Reaching $300 Billion and Influencing Crypto: A Look Back at the Year for Elon Musk The survey, which polls investors with investible assets of $1 million or more, found that 83% of millennial millionaires own crypto....

Millennials (approximately ages 25 to 40) may seem young to Gen X and older generations, but the oldest of them are approaching midlife, at 40 this year. As such, many of them have already proceeded through the big milestones of life: going to college, buying a home, starting a family. And in the process, they’ve learned some hard lessons about making, managing and spending money that they can pass on to Gen Z (approximately ages 9 to 24)....

The Department of Labor has announced a final rule that implements President Biden’s executive order to increase the hourly minimum wage to $15 for employees on federal contracts beginning Jan. 30, 2022. By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy Learn: What Income Level Is Considered Middle Class in Your State? Explore: 22 Side Gigs That Can Make You Richer Than a Full-Time Job Biden had signed the order on April 27, 2021 to raise the minimum wage from $10....

Last week, news broke that the Federal Reserve had raised interest rates again. While the increase affects everything from non-fixed mortgage payments to credit card debt, there is one silver lining — savings accounts can really benefit. By Selena Fragassi See: 9 Bills You Should Never Put on AutopayFind: Inflation Relief Checks: When Will You Get Yours? While the economy remains turbulent, there’s one good thing you can do now to take advantage of current circumstances: Invest in a savings account....

Overview The PNC Cash Rewards Visa credit card is a good choice if you’re looking for a card to use for everyday purchases like gas, groceries and dining out. If you have balances on other cards that have a high interest rate, you can transfer them to the PNC Cash Rewards Visa and pay 0% APR for 12 months, after which the APR for balance transfers is APR, the same as for purchases....

As consumers head out to restaurants, spending in record numbers, QR codes, which allow for easy menu updates and touchless transactions, may have emerged as a permanent replacement for physical menus. Bitly, a link management service, said that it’s seen a 750% increase in QR code downloads over the last 18 months, CNBC reported. By Josephine Nesbit Learn: Taco Bell Adapts to Pandemic, Launches ‘Defy,’ a Contactless Drive-ThruFind Out: Google’s Advertising Revenue Surges 69% – What Does That Mean For Your Privacy?...

On Oct. 13, 2022, the Social Security Administration announced that the annual cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits in 2023 would be 8.7%. While on the surface it may seem like retirees are getting a huge raise, in reality, seniors may not feel much of a change. This is because the annual COLA is based on the current rate of inflation, as measured by the CPI-W. Since costs have risen so much in 2022, the added money the SSA will pay to recipients in 2023 will essentially keep their lifestyle more or less the same....

The Social Security Administration (SSA) originally proposed to have employees return to the office by Jan. 3, 2022, but these plans have now been pushed back. By Josephine Nesbit Explore: Top Side Hustles To Supplement Your Social SecurityLearn: 5 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About Social Security According to a statement released on Dec. 22, the SSA said: “You may have seen a proposed reentry date of January 3, 2022 in the draft reentry plan that we provided to our unions, or in the media....

Unilever — proud parent of such frozen dessert brands as Popsicle, Ben & Jerry’s, Magnum and Breyers — is launching two test pilot programs in a bid to lower energy use. By David Nadelle The British consumer goods company hopes that a change in freezer temperatures will reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by 20%-30% per freezer, while ensuring the same ice cream quality and consumer experience. Find Out: 10 Things You Always (and Never) Should Buy at the Dollar StoreBe Aware: 6 Bad Habits That Hike Up Your Grocery Bill...

Strong jobs reports and unrelenting prices might just be enough for the Fed to bump up its deadline to start raising interest rates. By Georgina Tzanetos See: Inflation Comes In Hot: Consumer Price Index Shows Food and Gas Prices Rose Again In July Find: What New GDP Numbers Could Mean for Interest Rates The Fed had originally laid out a timeline to start discussing the tapering of bond purchases, which in effect lowers interest rates, around late 2023....

The East North Central part of the United States encompasses the Midwest’s Great Lakes region and is home to the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. It stands out as one of the rare sections of the country where not a single top 10 best bank or credit union is a local institution exclusive to the region. Those that did make the list range from regional names with fewer than three dozen branches to some of the biggest banks in the world....

You’re in a bit of a financial predicament, and you really want to talk to someone about it. The thing is, bringing up money woes is often considered taboo, so you’re not sure if doing so is appropriate. By Jennifer Taylor See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money ExpertsDiscover: 7 Surprisingly Easy Ways To Reach Your Retirement Goals Carrie Glenn, founder of Etiquette at Hand based in California’s Monterey Peninsula, said there are really only three types of people it’s OK to talk to about financial issues....

The thought of the cost of attending college is daunting, whether you’re a parent or a student. According to the College Board, costs of tuition in 2020-21 ranged from an average of $10,650 a year for a public, four-year in-state college to $37,650 for a private nonprofit four-year college. By Jami Farkas Worth Reading: Explore the Cost of Education in the United States Find Out: Can You Afford Education in America at These Prices?...

We took a deep dive into NFTs this week, detailing how to create them, how to trade them and how to play NFT games. We also examined the digital real estate market (does it have a future or is it just a fad?) and the concept of NFT rentals in play-to-earn games. By Chris Cluff See Our List: 100 Most Influential Money Experts Looking To Diversify in a Bear Market? Consider These 6 Alternative Investments...

Today is IRS (Internal Revenue Service) Free File Day, meaning that some providers will accept completed tax returns and hold them until they can officially be filed. that’s because the official start of tax season is Jan. 23 for individual tax return filers, the agency announced on Jan. 12 — a date which will allow “the IRS time to perform annual updates and readiness work that are critical to ensuring IRS systems run smoothly....