Does the Inflation Reduction Act violate Biden’s $400,000 tax pledge? Expect ‘a different answer depending on who you ask,’ says analyst

Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images Senate Democrats’ package of climate change, health-care, drug pricing and tax measures unveiled last week has proponents and opponents debating whether the legislation violates a pledge President Joe Biden has made since his presidential campaign, to not raise taxes on households with incomes below $400,000 a year. The answer isn’t…

Biden has promised a student loan forgiveness decision this month. Here are 5 things borrowers can do while they wait

Getty Images President Joe Biden has promised to make his decision on student loan forgiveness “by the end of August.” That means tens of millions of Americans could learn the future of their debt within days or weeks. Here are 5 things borrowers can do while you wait for more news, to be prepared for…

If you’re ‘unretiring’ and collecting Social Security, here’s what to know before heading back to work

Kelvin Murray | Getty Images A combination of record high prices and a record number of job openings has been encouraging more retirees to go back to work. The trend, called “unretirement,” rebounded this spring to pre-pandemic levels. About two-thirds, or 68%, of retirees would consider returning to work, according to a recent CNBC All-America…

Use of credit cards, personal loans surges, but ‘it’s not a red flag,’ expert says

In this article TRU There’s no doubt Americans are falling deeper in debt. As prices jump across the board, consumers are increasingly relying on credit cards to make ends meet. The number of people with credit cards and personal loans hit record highs in the second quarter of 2022, according to TransUnion’s latest credit industry…

Retirees may be focusing on the wrong risks to financial security, due to ‘exaggerated assessments of market volatility’

Sporrer/Rupp | Image Source | Getty Images Market drops may stoke retirees’ fears that they will no longer have enough assets to live on. But it turns out that may not be the biggest financial risk they should be watching for in retirement. Instead, longevity — the prospect retirees may live longer than expected and…

Is the economy in a recession? ‘What you call it is less relevant,’ says one economist: Here’s ‘what really matters’

There’s a lot of speculation lately about whether the U.S. is officially in a recession. Both President Joe Biden and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said we’re not there just yet, pointing to the strong labor market and rising wages. The official declaration typically comes from the National Bureau of Economic Research, and it has…

Would you be included in student loan forgiveness? What we know so far

Nosystem Images | E+ | Getty Images Student loan forgiveness could be coming as soon as this month. The Biden administration is considering a number of different ways to move forward with cancelling education debt. The biggest uncertainty is how much of the debt it will relieve, if any. On the campaign trail, President Joe…

Equifax coding error caused millions of inaccurate credit scores. How to know if you are affected

Getty Images If you took out a loan earlier this year, there’s a chance you’ll be hearing from your bank about a flub that may have been part of its lending decision. One of the three big credit-reporting companies, Equifax, announced this week that a coding issue resulted in the company providing inaccurate consumer credit…

The Fed is fighting inflation. So is remote work

Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images While the Federal Reserve raises borrowing costs aggressively to tame stubbornly high inflation, remote work may be serving as an unlikely ally to the U.S. central bank. The Fed increased its benchmark interest rate by 0.75 percentage points last week, after having raised it by a similar amount…

7 changes Americans are willing to make to fix Social Security — including one with ‘overwhelming bipartisan support’

zimmytws | iStock | Getty Images There are just 13 years before Social Security may not be able to pay full benefits, according to a recent annual report from the program’s trustees. In 2035, just 80% of benefits will be payable if Congress doesn’t fix the program sooner. Shoring up the program will generally mean…

Embryos can count as dependents on Georgia state tax returns: For many families ‘there is no benefit at all,’ says analyst

Anti-abortion activists demonstrate outside the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, June 13, 2022. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters Residents of Georgia may now claim embryos as dependents on their state income tax returns. Any “unborn child with a detectable human heartbeat,” may qualify for a $3,000 state income tax deduction for 2022, effective…

Parents are spending a lot more on back-to-school shopping, even if it means going into debt

In this article TREE For parents already stretching budgets to pay for groceries and gasoline, stocking up on school supplies will be a little harder this year. “Back-to-school shopping is stressful even in the best economic times,” said Matt Schulz, the chief credit analyst at LendingTree. “With inflation running rampant and supply chain issues lingering,…