Skynesher | E+ | Getty Images New laws enacted in 2025 may have a big impact on how much Social Security beneficiaries pay in taxes this season. On Jan. 5, 2025, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act, a law that ended provisions that reduced or eliminated Social Security benefits for more than…
Artistgndphotography | E+ | Getty Images With many expecting a bigger tax refund this season, there may be an incentive to file returns sooner. But that doesn’t mean you should rush to send yours. First, you’ll need all the necessary tax forms, or you could risk processing delays — or worse, experts say. Every year,…
Lechatnoir | E+ | Getty Images Employers don’t appear eager to mix their 401(k) plans with emergency savings options for workers, new research suggests. Although companies have been permitted since 2024 to allow $1,000 emergency withdrawals from retirement savings and to offer 401(k)-linked emergency savings accounts, there’s been little adoption, according to a Vanguard report…
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…
