Milorad Kravic | E+ | Getty Images When buying a car, whether new or used, experts say that a specific framework can be a great starting point to keep costs down. The so-called “20-4-10” rule uses three components to help you determine if a car purchase is affordable: the ideal down payment, the maximum recommended […]
Trump’s ‘no tax on tips’ deduction — Treasury, IRS release details
Ugur Karakoc | E+ | Getty Images The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS on Friday issued proposed regulations with more details about President Donald Trump‘s “no tax on tips” deduction. Enacted via Trump’s “big beautiful bill” in July, the provision allows certain workers to deduct up to $25,000 in “qualified tips” per […]
Inflation refund checks from New York: Who qualifies
ALBANY, NY – MAY 21: Gov. Kathy Hochul holds a press conference at Common Roots Outpost to announce MIG, a national consultant group, will guide public engagement process for spending $200 million in downtown Albany on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Albany, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren/Albany Times Union via Getty Images) Albany Times Union/hearst Newspapers […]
Bipartisan proposal to fight elder financial abuse gets attention in Congress
Djelics | E+ | Getty Images A bipartisan proposal to combat elder financial abuse is getting attention in Congress. The bill — the Financial Exploitation Prevention Act — would give the financial industry new ways to address suspected financial abuse of seniors or physically or mentally disabled individuals. Older adults over age 60 lose an estimated […]
The right and wrong ways to do it
Tom Werner | Digitalvision | Getty Images Workers are “hugging” — or, clinging to — their jobs right now. But there’s a right way and a wrong way to “hug” your work — and doing it poorly could be costly, according to career experts and labor economists. “I don’t think job hugging is the move,” […]
Third-quarter estimated tax deadline for 2025 is Sept. 15
Millions of Americans live abroad and still have to pay taxes in the U.S. Kseniya Ovchinnikova | Moment | Getty Images More from Financial Advisor Playbook: Here’s a look at other stories affecting the financial advisor business. Some payments could be harder to calculate Trump’s “big beautiful bill” enacted several tax breaks that apply to […]
What that means when buying a new vehicle
Maskot | Maskot | Getty Images More drivers across the country are “underwater” or “upside down” on their auto loans — meaning they owe more money than the car is worth. That’s costing them when it comes time to buy a new car. About 26.6% of trade-ins toward new car purchases had negative equity in […]
Google Flights’ ‘No. 1 advice, always’ to score cheap airfare
Passengers walk through the entrance of a TSA PreCheck in Terminal One at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Feb. 1, 2017. Armando L. Sanchez | Chicago Tribune | Getty Images Finding a cheap flight can at times feel as tough as scoring a decent snack on an airplane. But travel experts generally agree on […]
These are the biggest ETF mistakes to know before investing
Businessman working in the office Pixelfit | E+ | Getty Images Demand for exchange-traded funds continues to grow as investors seek lower-cost, tax-friendly options to meet their financial goals. But missteps can happen, experts say. ETFs brought in $540 billion in new money during the first half of 2025, which exceeded total inflows for the […]
Social Security cost-of-living adjustment may be higher in 2026: estimates
Customers shop for produce at an H-E-B grocery store on Feb. 12, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Brandon Bell | Getty Images Millions of Social Security beneficiaries may see a 2.7% to 2.8% increase to their monthly checks in 2026, according to new estimates based on the latest government inflation data. A 2.8% Social Security cost-of-living […]