Is now the time to start a side hustle? Here’s what to know

Cheerful female entrepreneur watching movie on laptop. Beautiful young woman is spending leisure time at home. She is sitting with legs crossed on sofa. Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images As high inflation persists, many Americans are seeing their hard-earned incomes covering fewer of the essentials. For some, a side hustle may make a…

The IRS is working to increase its audit rates for higher earners

Jeffrey Coolidge | Photodisc | Getty Images The IRS is working to boost its audit rates for the wealthiest Americans, according to a statement released with the agency’s annual Data Book, covering activities for the 2021 fiscal year. While plummeting audits have drawn scrutiny from Congress, percentages have doubled for filers making over $100,000 to more than…

Social Security’s funds have a new, later-projected depletion date of 2035. How Congress may shore up the program

Professionalstudioimages | Istock | Getty Images The clock is ticking for Congress when it comes to shoring up the Social Security trust funds, according to an annual report released on Thursday by the program’s trustees. Both Social Security and Medicare face long-term financing shortfalls, due to the fact that those programs will grow faster than…

Consumers spend an average $133 more each month on subscriptions than they realize, study shows

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | DigitalVision | Getty Images There’s a decent chance you don’t have a good handle on how much your subscriptions are really costing you. Consumers’ offhand guess of how much they spend monthly on subscriptions averaged $86, according to a survey commissioned by market research firm C+R Research. Yet when asked…

Biden administration will cancel student debt for half a million students from Corinthian Colleges

Teachers line up to enter Everest College, one of the Corinthian Colleges that closed, for a meeting and opportunity to collect their personal items, in City of Industry, Calif., April 27, 2015. Al Seib | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images The Biden administration plans to cancel all outstanding student loans for those who attended…

Investors revisit muni bonds amid higher yields and strong credit

David Jakle | Image Source | Getty Images It’s been a tough year for municipal bonds, with investors cashing out amid rising interest rates. However, higher yields and strong credit may be sparking a shift, experts say. While investors piled a record-breaking $96.8 billion of net money into U.S. muni mutual and exchange-traded funds in…

Feeling behind on retirement savings? These tips can help you make up for lost time

xavierarnau Many investors are missing out on one of the most valuable parts of retirement planning: time. A Bankrate survey found that almost 36% of respondents have never had a retirement account. Not saving enough for retirement is a big financial regret for many people, the research found. There’s a key reason for that remorse. For…

A pay freeze vs. returning to the office: Workers equally hate both options

Morsa Images | Digitalvision | Getty Images Employees who work remotely don’t look favorably on the notion of returning to the office. To that point, 45% of people who work from home said they’d be at least somewhat likely to look for a new job if required to return to work in person, according to…

25% of Americans are delaying retirement due to inflation, survey finds

A customer pumps gas into their car at a gas station on May 18, 2022 in Petaluma, California. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images Americans’ finances are being squeezed as inflation pushes up prices on things such as rent, groceries and gasoline. As a result, one-quarter of Americans will have to delay their retirement, according to…

House hunting? Here’s when to increase your budget and when to stick to your original price

valentinrussanov | E+ | Getty Images The housing market is hot right now — if you’re a seller. Buyers, on the flip side, are having a harder time finding homes. Americans are aware of the struggles they face in buying a home. More than 70% of U.S. adults believe the housing market is currently in…

Your Social Security check might be taxed. Here’s how that could change

Fertnig | E+ | Getty Images Death and taxes are two certainties in life, as the saying goes. But many people may not realize their Social Security benefits they receive from the government are also subject to taxes. The way in which those levies are applied is unique. A recent MassMutual quiz found just 42%…

5 years ago, New York made 4 years of college free for residents. Here’s how it’s going

Even though college enrollment has slid since the start of the Covid pandemic, many students still want to get a degree, and for some, free tuition programs are the only way to make higher education a reality. In 2017, the state of New York’s Excelsior Scholarship made headlines when it became the first in the nation to…