The IRS is writing smaller refund checks, on average, at the start of this year’s income-tax-filing season, according to new numbers from the tax agency. Federal income-tax refunds are averaging $1,395 so far, according to Internal Revenue Service numbers released Friday on the filing season that started less than two…

There’s hope on the horizon for many different financial markets in 2024, but employee raises aren’t looking too promising, a WTW study reports. Employers in the U.S. are planning an average wage increase of 4% in 2024. This is down 0.4% from 2023 when the average increase was 4.4%. This…

Many Americans depend on Social Security to make ends meet each month. Depending on your total household income, you may be surprised that you owe taxes at the federal level on your Social Security benefits. Your state of residence will determine the taxes you owe on your Social Security benefits…

Mortgage rates ticked a tad lower this week, but the slight decline provides little-to-no consolation for potential home buyers and sellers as demand remains largely stalled. Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey released Thursday showed that the average rate for the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage decreased to 6.63% this…

When student loans restarted in October of last year, many borrowers were less than excited. The one saving grace for those struggling to keep up with these payments was the 12-month “on-ramp” where missed payments wouldn’t affect credit scores or result in default. This on-ramp was intended to make restarting payments…

It’s normal to worry about money. The trick is figuring out if your worries are valid or not. Worry is tied to uncertainty. We fret about potential outcomes that breed fear and adversity. Running out of money is among the scariest of those outcomes: The very thought of losing money…

Marriage is hard, and money makes it harder. Merging two lives, two beings who are always changing, is a delicate balance of individual autonomy and collective submission that requires perpetual calibration. Into this fragile ecosystem, each partner brings their own financial history, and the balance sheet—what you own and what…

Mortgage rates dropped to 6.63% this week, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Rates for 30-years fixed-rate mortgages were 6.69% last week, dropping by 0.06 percentage points. Rates for 15-year mortgages also dropped slightly from 5.96% last week to 5.94% this week. Both 15-year mortgages and 30-year mortgage…

The tech layoffs that hit the sector in 2023 have continued into 2024, with a host of companies ranging from Big Tech to smaller firms making cuts. Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, +2.71% recently announced that it is cutting “several hundred” roles across its Prime Video and MGM Studios organization while Twitch, the…

Parents have many challenges when it comes to raising their children. One of the most important is also one of the most overlooked: financial literacy. What does it take for a parent to teach a child about smart money behavior? Perhaps the best way to do this is by actions,…