‘It’s just an arms race.’ How to make the most of Amazon’s next ‘Prime Day’ sale and Target’s ‘Deal Days’

In this article TGT AMZN Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Holiday shoppers are getting a head start on the season, and a few big-name retailers are paving the way. Amazon recently announced a two-day “Prime Early Access Sale” kicking off on Oct. 11, and Target is running its own “Deal Days” starting Oct. 6….

In a reversal, the Education Department is now excluding some borrowers from student loan relief

A graduate who calls himself “April Vendetta” protests student debt in New York’s Washington Square Park on May 19, 2021, after New York University’s virtual commencement ceremony. Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty Images Federal student loan borrowers whose loans are not held by the U.S. Department of Education will no longer be able…

Higher-income Medicare beneficiaries may face smaller premium surcharges in 2023. Here are tips for reducing or avoiding those extra amounts

Shapecharge | E+ | Getty Images If you’re a higher-income Medicare beneficiary, you may be paying less in extra premium charges in 2023 than you were this year. So-called income-related adjustment amounts, or IRMAAs, which are based on your tax return from two years earlier, kick in next year at $97,000 for single tax filers…

Papa John’s is the latest employer to offer free college for frontline workers

In this article CTRN Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT In a war for talent, employers are drastically expanding their benefit offerings to attract and retain workers. Free college may be the most effective tool yet. Most recently, nationwide pizza chain Papa John’s announced it is offering fully funded degrees from partner schools, including the…

IRS erred on child tax credit payments for millions of eligible families — but aid was 98% accurate overall, report finds

JGI/Tom Grill The IRS skipped about $3.7 billion in advance child tax credit payments for 4.1 million eligible households, but sent more than $1.1 billion to 1.5 million filers who didn’t qualify in 2021, according to an audit released Tuesday by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. However, the agency accurately issued 98% of…

New retirees will face financial surprises. Advisors share how to stay ahead of those shocks

Source: Getty Images Retirement is a major goal many workers keep their eye on throughout their career. However, once people actually reach retirement age, they are often in store for some financial surprises — despite decades of preparation. For today’s retirees, that is compounded by new uncertainties brought by on by historically high inflation and…

Medicare standard Part B premiums will drop by 3% next year, to $164.90

bymuratdeniz | E+ | Getty Images The 2023 monthly premium for Medicare’s outpatient care coverage will be about 3% lower than it is this year, the government announced Tuesday. The standard monthly premium for Part B will be $164.90 next year, down $5.20 from $170.10 in 2022, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid…

Even as expanded child tax credit helped millions out of poverty, some still haven’t accessed funds

wera Rodsawang | Moment | Getty Images Child poverty fell dramatically in 2021, thanks to an expansion put in place last year that sent monthly payments of up to $300 per child to millions of eligible families. Yet many individuals and families eligible for the child tax credit, as well as another called the earned…

Millennials, bailing on stocks and other investments, might not find bonds so boring anymore 

Most millennials have invested heavily in stocks or cryptocurrency — and that hasn’t turned out so well. The S&P 500 Index is down more than 20% so far this year. Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, is hovering around $19,000 after starting out the year above $45,000. As many younger investors bail out of those investments, bonds…

IRS steps up efforts to target U.S. taxpayers who failed to report and pay taxes on cryptocurrency transactions

Source: Getty Images The IRS continues to chase U.S. taxpayers who failed to report and pay taxes on cryptocurrency transactions with a new court order allowing a summons for customer records. The agency will issue a so-called “John Doe summons” requiring M.Y. Safra Bank to turn over crypto transaction data for SFOX, a digital currency…

Savings rates climb to levels not seen since 2009. Here’s how to get the best return on your money

JGI/Jamie Grill When the Federal Reserve hiked the target federal funds rate by another 0.75 percentage points this month, it opened some new opportunities for savers to earn better returns on their cash. The Fed’s move is aimed at combating high inflation, which has sent costs for housing, food and energy soaring. related investing news…

Here’s why pumpkin spice lattes are so popular: It’s ‘very simple economics,’ say the experts

Mphillips007 | E+ | Getty Images The pumpkin spice latte is back — and the popular and meme-ified seasonal drink can teach us a lot about consumer behavior and economics. Starbucks debuted the pumpkin spice latte in 2003, and the “PSL” grew to be the company’s most popular seasonal drink, selling more than 600 million…