Make It – Spend

When faced with a financial emergency, Americans are increasingly tapping their retirement accounts to come up with the cash. Last year, some 4.8% of plan participants took hardship withdrawals from 401(k) plans, according to Vanguard, up from 3.6% in 2023. As Vanguard researchers note, the prevalence of automatic enrollment means that more workers than ever…

Living in The Golden State is not cheap. It’s “impossibly unaffordable” to buy a home in four major California metropolitan areas — San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego — according to a May study by the Chapman University Center for Demographics and Policy. The study compared the median home price to median…