Personal Finance

Are retirement savings a priority for you? If not, why aren't they? Perhaps you have other expenses to deal with, excess debt, or too little income. Maybe you don't know how much money you'll need to retire, or you know very little about investing for retirement. It's possible that...

Did you end up owing a boatload of money to the IRS at tax time without having the money to pay for it, or did you receive a large refund? While the former is a lot more unpleasant than the latter, they are both symptoms of bad tax planning. A big refund feels good until you realize that refund...

It might be hard to wrap your head around the idea of paying off debt and putting money in your savings account. You’re already strapped for cash. Where will the money come from? Luckily, the Duke University’s Center for Advanced Hindsight has an answer. Through a case study, they found...

Retirement continues to be a thorny issue for many Americans. But there are tools used to calm these concerns. According to recent Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) press release, Americans find that Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) play a key role in protecting and ensure the future...

It's been more than seven months since the credit reporting agency Equifax revealed in September 2017 that 143 million Americans' personal data – including Social Security numbers, addresses and birthdates – had been accessed. Several weeks later, they announced that number was...

Most individuals in the U.S. know to keep their tax returns for three years in case the IRS decides to audit them, but few know that there are exceptions to that time limit. Some people throw away their oldest return when they file their new one annually, which is normally okay. However, in the...

April is National Social Security Month! Your Social Security Number (SSN) may be your most important piece of identification – yet it's likely that you never carry your Social Security card with you. You probably committed your number to memory long ago because it's required in so...

(1:30) - Tips For Finding Good Buys (11:30) - Stock Screener For Value Stocks (14:00) - Tracey's Top Stock Picks (18:00) - Episode Roundup: (NYSE: CC), (NYSE: DDS). (NYSE: M), (NASDAQ: MU), (NASDAQ: WDC) Welcome to Episode #89 of the Value Investor Podcast Every week, Tracey...

Your credit score may not be good enough to allow you to qualify for a home at a reasonable interest rate, but can a less-than-stellar credit score also keep you from finding a good place to rent? "Credit scores aren't just about mortgages," says Rod Griffin, Director of Public...

How would you like an overnight increase in your credit score, through no action of your own? An estimated 11% of Americans experienced an immediate credit boost as of April 16. It wasn't a visit from the Credit Fairy, but rather the result of regulatory oversight. A 2017 study by the Consumer...

Financial technology has revolutionized capital markets, as evidenced by the hundreds of companies showcased at events like the Benzinga Global Fintech Awards. Nelnet (NYSE: NNI) has been fintech since 1996—well before PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) launched or the phrase became a buzzword decades...

When it comes to saving for retirement, one of the most common recommendations is to find a great Roth IRA. Unlike the traditional IRA, you'll pay taxes when you deposit money into the account Then, you'll pay no more taxes on the money in the account, including any growth, unless you...

For many people, tax refund day is like Christmas in the spring. As they prepare their tax returns, millions of Americans hold their breath in anticipation of how much their tax refund is going to be — and then run to the mailbox every day hoping to receive their "gift" from Uncle...

Were you tempted in 2017 by cryptocurrencies promising huge financial gains? If you did make a Bitcoin purchase, you may have done very well. The value of Bitcoin gained more than 1,200% over the year. Your gains pose a vexing question. How are you supposed to pay taxes on your Bitcoin earnings?...

When you think about retirement, you may imagine living debt-free with financial independence and security. But, in recent years, seniors face a growing amount of debt. In fact, between 2007 and 2010, the amount of personal debt for families headed by a senior age 75 or older has more than doubled...