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Fire season in parts of the country prone to wildfires typically begins in late spring or early summer and peaks in August, when land and forests may be at their driest. But this year, fire season may come quickly and affect parts of the country not typically afflicted by wildfires, multiple reports say. By Dawn Allcot See: Stimulus Updates To Know for Spring 2022Read More: 8 Items Around Your Home That May Be Worth More Than You Think...

Disney World is a popular vacation destination for families across the U.S. — and it’s an expensive one. A standard one-day theme park ticket starts at $109 for guests ages 10 and over, which means it costs a minimum of $436 for a family of four to visit “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” By Gabrielle Olya Learn: How To Stay Safe When Using Mobile Banking AppsDiscover: 3 Ways Smart People Save Money When Filing Their Taxes$2,000 Quarter?...

The Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is designed to ensure that benefits paid out to program beneficiaries keep up with inflation. In principle, it’s a great facet of the program. In reality, the COLA often falls short in terms of covering rising costs during inflationary periods. By John Csiszar Social Security: New Bill Could Give Seniors an Extra $2,400 a YearSee: Ways You Can Lose Your Social Security Benefits...

The cost of college has risen rapidly. As the White House notes, the price has nearly tripled since 1980, even after accounting for inflation. With such a dramatic rise in cost, the need for changes to student loan repayments is more pressing than ever. By Bob Haegele The Biden administration is taking the situation seriously, promising changes to the cost of college and how people repay their student loans. While there have already been legal challenges to some of the proposed changes, the administration is trying to do what it can to make college more affordable and equitable....

Money is the driving force, constant motivation and figurative pot of gold at the end of the work day’s rainbow. You work for it, and yet negotiating how to spend it, invest it or save it can seem quite complicated. Proper money management shouldn’t be something you put off, but instead can be something you start today. By Caitlyn Moorhead 5 Steps Personal Inventory Financial Blueprint Set Goals Persistence Pays Diversify Read: Protect Your Financial Future With Gold and Silver...

New Year’s resolutions are hard to keep because they require 12-month commitments. But if you can’t devote yourself to a full year of financial piety, you can at least commit to a season — and the best way to spend your winter saving money is by getting off to a good start in January. By Andrew Lisa Discover: 10 Things To Stop Buying in 2023 Learn: 3 Easy Tips To Turn Your Credit Woes Into Wows...

PayPal is a convenient way to send and receive money in just a few taps or clicks. While the ease is a big selling point, fraudsters are at work trying to take advantage. You’re probably familiar with the PayPal scam email asking you to provide your PayPal information to unlock your account. There are ways to tell it’s not real, but as online scammers get more sophisticated, it’s getting harder to spot danger....

It seems almost everything is going the way of the subscription these days. From Netflix to CatLadyBox, you may find yourself shelling out a monthly payment for a lot of stuff you want. By Bob Haegele From a business perspective it makes sense, as it gives companies and individuals a way to generate consistent revenue. The problem for consumers is that subscriptions are approaching ubiquity. With so many subscriptions available, it’s easy to flat-out forget about a subscription — or several of them....

Across the nation, families are dealing with a winter that isn’t only be freezing and filled with rain and snow but is also expensive. The Department of Energy projected steep spikes for home heating compared with last winter. Already we’re seeing the effects: The price of piped gas is up 33.1% from this time last year. By Nicole Spector Fortunately, there are some ways to save without sacrificing a cozy environment....

As we enter our third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain things have become a way of life. The Omicron variant has spiked Coronavirus numbers across the country. One of the key steps to protecting yourself from the virus is wearing a face mask. Face masks that are both comfortable and effective have been a shopping list item for awhile, but now you can get N95 face masks for free. President Biden’s administration is aiming to distribute 400 million free face masks to community health centers and pharmacies....

With inflation at record highs, supply chain issues and a host of other global issues, almost everything is more expensive than it used to be. Food prices alone jumped 13.1% in July, the highest one-year spike since 1979, as reported by CBS News. By Crystal Mayer See: 9 Costco Brand Items That Aren’t Worth the MoneyCheck Out: 3 Easy Tips To Turn Your Credit Woes Into Wows With double-digit increases across the board, it isn’t just grocers that are raising prices....

When purchasing holiday gifts, it’s a good idea to compare different retailers to try and find the lowest prices. But what if you would like to make all your purchases in one store or have already bought an item before realizing it’s cheaper elsewhere? By Chris Ozarowski See: 3 Easy Tips To Turn Your Credit Woes Into Wows If you shop at Target, you’re in luck. The retailer’s robust price match guarantee can help you pay the best price for all your holiday purchases....

Louisiana SNAP benefits are administered by the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), which provides food-purchasing assistance for low-income households. Benefits are distributed once per month to Louisiana Purchase Cards. For November 2022, SNAP benefits go out between Nov. 5 and Nov. 23. By Josephine Nesbit Food Stamps: What is the Maximum SNAP EBT Benefit for 2023?Social Security: Could COLA Increase Reduce Your Food Stamps Benefits? Your Louisiana Purchase Card can be used to shop and pay for most food items in grocery stores and some retailers....

Inflation has been mild enough in the United States over the past few decades that many Americans have lost touch with how corrosive it can be. That may all be changing with inflation readings topping 8% on a year-over-year basis in 2022, the highest jump in 40 years. While most Americans realize that inflation raises the prices of everything from gasoline to groceries, many overlook the way it can diminish your overall financial standing....

Esteemed actor, singer, playwright and LGBTQ icon Leslie Jordan died at the age of 67 from a car accident, Variety reported on Oct. 24. His car hit the side of a building at Cahuenga Blvd. and Romaine St. in Hollywood on Monday morning, and he was declared dead at the scene, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Variety reported that he may have had “some sort of medical emergency” that led to the crash....

Taking a pay cut, whether it happens by choice or due to circumstances beyond our control, can feel like a setback. You may worry that you won’t be able to keep up with current bills and expenses or feel stress or panic over whether you’re able to meet your financial goals for the future. If you are faced with an expected or unexpected pay cut, follow these steps to regain control of your financial health....

From the mountains to the ocean to the desert to the big cities, the United States has wondrous places to visit from coast to coast. But maybe no location occupies a space on more travel bucket lists than the Grand Canyon. By Jami Farkas Check Out: States Whose Economies Are Failing vs. States Whose Economies Are ThrivingSee: In Less Than a Decade, You Won’t Be Able To Afford a Home in These Cities...

Getting the most out of your career, your investments and your finances didn’t become any less important during the pandemic — but it did become a whole lot harder. The labor market has undergone a permanent transformation, rising inflation continues to make just about everything more expensive and stark political lines continue to define issues like vaccine mandates. By Andrew Lisa Take a Look: The Best Resources for Financial Help Post-COVID-19Important: How To Determine Your New ‘Financial Normal’ After the Pandemic...

Americans looking for relief from high inflation could see a tiny glimmer of hope this week if they squinted their eyes really hard, as a pair of reports showed that inflation in April eased slightly from the previous month. By Vance Cariaga Explore: Stimulus Updates To Know for Spring 2022Live Blog: Inflation, Crypto Crash and More The latest report, released on May 12 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, found that April’s rate of growth in the Producer Price Index (PPI) decelerated from March....

Under normal circumstances, income from unemployment insurance is treated as income from a paycheck and subject to federal tax and state taxes where it applies. Unemployment income is also typically considered taxable income and is reported on your tax return as such — from there it depends on your particular state what tax treatment comes along with it. By Georgina Tzanetos See: Child Tax Credit and Stimulus 2021 Recipients: Be on the Lookout for IRS Letter With Tax Filing Info Find: ‘Tis the Season To Gift Crypto: Taxes and More Variables You Should Consider Before You Commit...