Graduating With Student Loans? Prepare for Your Financial Future
College graduation season is underway, and nearly 3.2 million students are slated to pick up their associate or bachelor’s degree diplomas this spring, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. When the cap tosses and festivities wrap up, it’ll be...
Why Finance Cons Target Older Adults, and How to Protect Yourself
While financial fraud can happen to anyone, older adults face unique challenges when it comes to scams, which are increasingly common among that age group. Losses due to scams targeting those age 60 or older ballooned to $3.4 billion last year, an increase of 11% over...
Saving Big When Your Cash Stash Is Small
If your savings fund balance isn’t currently where you want it to be, don’t be discouraged. Having any amount saved for an emergency, no matter how small, means you’ve already taken the most important step to protecting yourself from a financial setback. The next step...
Retirement Could Come Sooner Than You Think — How to Plan for It
The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. American workers expect to retire at a median age of 65, according to a 2023 survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). But the actual median age for retirement is 62,...
5 Questions to Ask When Helping an Older Parent With Money
Credit still matters as we age. Here’s how you can help parents or other older adults check in on theirs. Conversations about money often require sensitivity and patience, especially when the person across the table is an older parent. Some of us won’t need — or want...
Homebuying Season: What Recent Data Suggests for 2024
This analysis of six years of housing market data tells the story of disruption, recovery and what we can expect for the 2024 homebuying season. Let’s cut right to the chase: 2024 will not be an easy year for the nation’s home buyers. The shortage of available homes...
5 Ways to Calm Financial Stress
Recognizing that money tension is common can be the first step toward reducing it. Financial stress is so common that certified financial planner Katie Lindquist says almost every client she has tells her they are feeling it. “They don’t know what they should be doing...
Why Spring Cleaning Your Wallet Can Save Money
A disorganized wallet makes it hard to find the things you need, so it’s a good idea to periodically get rid of crumpled business cards and faded receipts. With those things out of the way, you can look at the rest of your wallet’s contents with a more critical eye....
Will Rental Housing Prices Drop in 2024?
An ongoing boom in apartment construction has helped slow down rental inflation — but renters shouldn’t expect prices to drop dramatically from their pandemic-padded highs. That means affordability will remain the dominant narrative in rental housing in 2024. The...
Airfares Have Dropped. Here’s Why They Could Go Even Lower in 2024
Inflation has hit most of the economy, but that’s hardly the case with airfare. Not only are airfares down 6% year-over-year based on January 2024 prices, but they’re even down 15% versus a decade ago. That’s according to consumer price index data from the U.S. Bureau...