Consumers lay out $1,600 yearly for health-care products that flexible spending accounts could have covered

Pixelseffect | E+ | Getty Images If you have unspent money in your health-care flexible spending account, now’s the time to make a plan to use it before you lose it.  Health-care FSAs let workers stash away pretax dollars for qualifying expenses. However, they generally are “use-it-or-lose-it” accounts: Unless your company provides a grace period…

Biden administration to extend payment pause on student loans until after June or when legal challenges resolve

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on protecting Social Security and Medicare and lowering prescription drug costs in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on Nov. 1, 2022. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The Biden administration on Tuesday announced that it will extend the payment pause on federal student loans until after June or when it’s…

‘The stakes are high.’ Why there’s a push for Congress to renew the expanded child tax credit this year

Parents and caregivers with the Economic Security Project gather outside the White House to advocate for the Child Tax Credit in advance of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Sept. 20 in Washington, DC. Larry French | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images Millions of families received monthly checks of up…

For retirement-system changes proposed in Congress via ‘Secure 2.0,’ December is do-or-die time

Samuel Corum | Getty Images News | Getty Images For supporters of congressional proposals to improve the U.S. retirement system, it’s about to be a nail-biting few weeks. Lawmakers are heading back to Washington next week to finish out the so-called lame-duck session — the legislative period between the midterm elections and the new Congress,…

‘There is no such thing as a free lunch.’ 4 lessons for crypto investors from the FTX collapse

Bahamas-based crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. on Nov. 11, 2022, seeking court protection as it looks for a way to return money to users. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images After a difficult year for digital assets, many investors were blindsided by the recent collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX, as customers…

Even as the midterm election results were ‘positive for seniors,’ some worry about Social Security amid debt ceiling negotiations

Tom Brenner | Reuters The midterm elections made two key federal programs seniors rely on — Social Security and Medicare — a topic of national conversation. Now, as the final vote tally comes in — with a Democratic majority in the Senate and a Republican majority in the House of Representatives — advocates for the…

60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck heading into the peak shopping season

In this article LC TRU Follow your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNT Just as the holiday shopping season gets into full swing, families are finding less slack in their budgets than before. As of October, 60% of Americans were living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent LendingClub report. A year ago, the number of adults…

Biden administration asks Supreme Court to allow student debt forgiveness plan to continue

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about student loan debt at the White House on Aug. 24, 2022 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong | Getty The Biden administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to reinstate its federal student loan program after a federal appeals court issued a nationwide injunction against the plan. The administration’s request,…

Employers are planning pay increases of 4.6% in 2023, slightly above this year’s 4.2%, study shows

Violetastoimenova | E+ | Getty Images Even as companies spend more on pay raises in a tight labor market, those increases aren’t yet keeping up with inflation. Overall salary boosts are forecast to be 4.6% in 2023, up from a mid-year estimate of 4.1% and higher than the 4.2% bump that workers got this year,…

Taylor Swift public ticket sale on Friday is canceled, Ticketmaster says. But the secondary market can be ‘buyer beware’

Taylor Swift accepts an award onstage during the MTV Europe Music Awards 2022 on Nov. 13, 2022 in Duesseldorf, Germany. Kevin Mazur | Wireimage | Getty Images Taylor Swift fans are not having a “Love Story” with Ticketmaster — and may fall victim to scams if they’re not careful when looking for affordable concert tickets….

4 tips for maximizing the impact of your charitable donations during the season of giving

Vladimir Vladimirov | E+ | Getty Images With the holiday season about to be in full swing, the giving spirit is likely to follow. If you’re among those who plan to make charitable donations before the end of the year, it’s worth making sure you know exactly where your money is going and how it…

It’s been a rough year for crypto — but investors still may have a tax bill. Here’s how to prepare

damircudic | Getty After a rough year for cryptocurrency, taxes may not be a top priority for digital currency investors battered by steep losses. But the falling crypto market and the recent collapse of digital currency exchange FTX may affect next year’s tax bill — and beyond, according to financial experts. Despite recent losses, “gains…