Is college really worth it? Here’s why it’s so hard to figure out the return on investment

Between sky-high costs and hefty student loan debt, more students and their families are questioning the value of a college degree. While about 81% of college-bound juniors and seniors still see college as a worthwhile investment, only 42% of families feel confident about covering the cost, according to a report by Sallie Mae. As a…

Here’s how much money athletes at the Beijing Olympics earn for winning medals

Gold medalist USA’s Nathan Chen celebrates at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games on February 10. Sebastien Bozon | AFP | Getty Images The 2022 Winter Olympics is well underway in Beijing, and more than 200 medals have already been awarded to athletes from around the world. Finishing on the podium is a matter of…

Metaverse ETFs are booming in South Korea and retail investors are piling in

An attendee takes a selfie as she experiences an ‘extreme sumarine 4D simulation’ with immersive VR by SK telecom during the second day of the annual Mobile World Congress. Matthias Oesterle | Corbis News | Getty Images Metaverse exchange-traded funds are booming in South Korea as retail investors buy into funds focused on tech’s new…

Your tax return may get rejected if last year’s is still pending. Here’s how to fix the problem

Steven Heap/EyeEm/Getty Images If you’re one of the millions of Americans still waiting on your 2020 tax return, you’ll need to take a special step to avoid a rejection for this year’s electronic filing, according to the IRS. When filing digitally, you validate your return with the previous year’s adjusted gross income. Typically, your tax filing…

Sources of U.S. Tax Revenue by Tax Type

Policy and economic differences among OECD countries have created variances in how they raise tax revenue, with the United States deviating substantially from the OECD average on some sources of revenue. Different taxes create different economic impacts, so policymakers should always consider how tax revenue is raised and not just how much is raised. This…

A new inflation reading shows the small business tipping point has been reached

Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images The latest Consumer Price Index reading, the highest in four decades, isn’t the only sign that inflation is extending rather than giving up its hold over the U.S. economy in 2022. An increasing number of American small businesses say they are now passing on higher costs…

Western drought fueled by climate change is the worst in 1,200 years, scientists say

A dried cracked lake bed at Lake Oroville during a drought in Oroville, California, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 11, 2021. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images The megadrought gripping the American West has generated the driest two decades in the region in at least 1,200 years, and human-caused climate change has fueled the…

68% of investment execs don’t think clients should own crypto, survey finds

A Bitcoin ATM is seen inside a gas station in Los Angeles on June 24, 2021. CHRIS DELMAS | AFP | Getty Images Roughly 2 out of 3 “fund selectors” don’t think individual investors should own cryptocurrency in their portfolios, largely for reasons related to transparency and regulation, according to a Natixis Investment Managers survey….

Here’s the outlook for bitcoin as geopolitical tensions heat up and interest rates rise

Artur Widak | NurPhoto | Getty Images The bitcoin narrative could be tested this week as investors monitor tense developments between Ukraine and Russia and weigh the possibility of the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates by 50 basis points, or 0.5 percentage point, in March. The largest cryptocurrency by market capital currency has long been…

Here’s where to keep your cash amid high inflation and rising interest rates

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc Finding a competitive interest rate on your emergency savings has become even more difficult amid record high inflation. But there is good news. The Federal Reserve is expected to begin raising interest rates. When they do, that will kick up the interest you can earn on your cash. Some accounts may…