Carl Smith | Fstop | Getty Images Social Security benefits are typically adjusted every year to keep up with rising prices. Social Security beneficiaries saw record-high COLAs in 2022 and 2023, when the annual increases climbed to 5.9% and 8.7%, respectively. Yet as the pace of inflation subsided, the size of the annual COLA increase…
Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images At the start of 2025, during President Joe Biden’s final weeks in office, lawmakers pushed forward with last-minute major legislation that provides Social Security benefit increases to certain public pensioners. The Social Security Fairness Act was passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate,…
D-keine | E+ | Getty Images The average tax refund is 10.9% higher so far this season, compared to about the same point in 2025, according to early filing data from the IRS. The 2026 tax season opened Jan. 26, and the average refund amount was $2,290 as of Feb. 6, up from $2,065 about…
Amid the flurry of promotions for Trump accounts, families now have another way to opt in to the investing accounts for kids and claim seed money of up to $1,000. Parents or guardians can now start the process to open a Trump Account by filing IRS Form 4547 electronically via TrumpAccounts.gov. They can also…
Actor Austin Butler attends the 16th Governors Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, Nov. 16, 2025. Valerie Macon | AFP | Getty Images With an affordability crisis taking hold, financial stability is in fashion. Whether it’s wearing a quarter-zip sweater or the latest “401(k) mullet” hairstyle, young men, especially,…
President Donald Trump has picked Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve. In keeping with the president’s push for lower interest rates, Warsh is expected to be more supportive of cutting the Fed’s key benchmark rate later this year. “I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt…
A trader works as a screen displays the trading information for GameStop on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange. Brendan McDermid | Reuters The GameStop stock frenzy and the retail trading revolution it created five years ago were fueled in part by a financial malaise among younger investors, according to experts. That generational…
Fcafotodigital | E+ | Getty Images The IRS kicked off the 2026 tax season on Monday, and filers will see changes from President Donald Trump‘s “big beautiful bill” that could impact their 2025 returns. About 164 million individual tax returns are expected before the April 15 deadline, and many could receive bigger tax refunds after…
Stefanikolic | E+ | Getty Images As tax season opens Monday, families with minor children have the option to register for Trump accounts — plus a one-time federal government contribution — when filing 2025 returns. Enacted via President Donald Trump‘s “big beautiful bill,” Trump accounts were designed to start early wealth building with a one-time…
Soon, parents and guardians can open a Trump account for their children — and a number of large employers are piling on the incentives to get set up. For starters, babies born in 2025 through 2028 may receive a one-time $1,000 contribution from the Department of the Treasury. There are no income requirements, and all U.S. families are…
