Personal finance
Tax return backlog is still ‘crushing the IRS’ — and taxpayers — as pileup exceeds 21 million, agency watchdog reports
IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on April 7, 2022. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images News | Getty Images The IRS backlog of tax returns has swelled over the past year, despite efforts to clear the pileup, according to an agency watchdog. There were 21.3 million unprocessed paper returns as of […]
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Consumer watchdog eyes crackdown on credit card late fees as inflation threatens to increase them
Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, testifies during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on April 26, 2022. Tom Williams | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau signaled a crackdown on late fees charged by credit card companies on Wednesday, as inflation threatens to […]
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Beyonce’s ‘Break My Soul’ is a sign the Great Resignation ‘has seeped into the zeitgeist,’ says labor economist
Beyoncé released a new single, “Break My Soul,” on Monday. The song references quitting a job and employee stress, alluding to the recent Great Resignation trend. Larry Busacca | PW18 | Getty Images The Great Resignation is part of the zeitgeist. If you need proof, just ask Beyonce. The superstar singer’s new single, “Break My […]
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Tax pros ‘very skeptical’ about expanded IRS voice bots for payments plans
Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images If you get a tax bill and want help from the IRS to set up a payment plan, newly expanded voice bots may make for faster phone service, according to the agency. But some tax professionals are doubtful about the new plan to reduce wait times. Artificial intelligence-driven IRS […]
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A travel pro’s ‘secret’ for easing into work mode after a long vacation
Remote work makes it easier than ever to take a working vacation — you can travel to a new location, log in during the day and essentially get away without having to use your PTO days. But a lot of people are coming back from these “breaks” even more burned out than when they left. […]
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Estate planning 101: the do’s and don’ts, what to expect to pay and what your options are
Jodi Jacobson | Getty Images You don’t have to be older and rich to do some estate planning. In fact, regardless of age and wealth, experts say virtually everyone should consider how they want their assets distributed upon their death and what decisions will be made by whom if they are unable to make those […]
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Many younger baby boomers may outlive their 401(k) savings, new research finds. Here’s why
Elena Kurkutova | Istock | Getty Images Older Americans may have a number of different goals with their retirement savings. But usually their main goal is the same: to make it last. Unfortunately, many younger baby boomers and members of subsequent generations who don’t have access to a traditional pension could outlive the funds in […]
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Pandemic-era checks rewired how these Americans see money: ‘Stimulus changed how I think about what’s possible’
Ciydemimages | E+ | Getty Images For Denise Diaz, the benefits of pandemic-era stimulus checks went beyond everyday dollars and cents. They rewired how she thinks about money. Diaz, a mother of three who lives outside Orlando, Florida, received more than $10,000 from three rounds of “economic impact payments.” They were among the 472 million […]
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As SEC charges first brokerage to run afoul of new investor protection rule, here’s how to find a good financial advisor
Finding a broker or financial advisor you can trust may, at times, seem a daunting task. That’s especially true when investors see sensational stories of brokers fleeing the police in an underwater getaway or faking their death in an airplane crash. Then there are the high-profile fraudsters such as Bernie Madoff, who masterminded the nation’s […]
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One key problem has 1 in 4 expats ‘seriously considering’ or ‘planning’ to renounce U.S. citizenship
Valentyn Semenov / Eyeem | Eyeem | Getty Images While many filers dread tax season, Americans living abroad face even bigger yearly burdens — and those are frustrating enough that some want to ditch their U.S. citizenship. Roughly 1 in 4 American expatriates is “seriously considering” or “planning” to renounce their U.S. citizenship, according to […]
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