Chanel Reynolds got the call you never want. Her husband, Jose, had been in a terrible accident and was now in intensive care, irreparably wounded. A week later, with no signs of brain function, he was removed from life support and died. Meanwhile, Reynolds realized they had wills, but they were not signed or notarized.

President Donald Trump has called for a sweeping look at regulation of the energy industry — and that includes investments in retirement plans. In an executive order issued last week, Trump called for the Department of Labor to complete a review of energy investment trends and the fiduciary responsibilities tied to proxy voting to determine

If you’re among the 4.3 million consumers whose car lease ends in 2019, don’t be surprised if going that route holds less appeal this time. With record-high auto prices, higher interest rates and generally weakening residual values on cars, consumers can expect to pay $1,600 more on average for a lease than they did in

Tax season has come and gone — at least for the more than 103 million filers who submitted their returns before April 15. This spring marked the first time taxpayers and their accountants submitted tax returns under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The overhaul of the tax code, which went into effect in 2018,

You’ve probably heard of the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3. And most car companies, if they are not selling an electric vehicle, are working on bringing one to market. But consumers in the market for new cars have a right to ask “are we there yet?” when it comes to whether it

Drop the avocado toast. Many millennials can barely pay their tax bill. Six out of 10 people in this age cohort don’t have $500 set aside to cover what they owe the IRS for tax year 2018, according to a recent survey from Varo, an online savings bank. The company polled 1,200 U.S. consumers between

If you ask any Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate what is the most significant fiscal accomplishment of the Trump presidency, the overwhelming answer would be the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA. When passed in December 2017, the TCJA did not have majority American support. Despite this

A dozen Democratic senators introduced a bill on Thursday to overhaul the popular but challenged Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. The legislation, the What You Can Do for Your Country Act, would dramatically expand the pool of student loan borrowers who are eligible to have their debt cancelled. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts),

People were recently asked in the CNBC and Acorns Invest In You Savings Survey how they would spend an unexpected $5,000 bonus. Good intentions abound: More than a third of respondents said they’d pay off debt. Many others claimed they’d save for short-term expenses (22%) or invest for long-term goals (15%). A measly 2% said

Many people who wind up with a smaller Social Security check because they claim their benefit early could have waited longer to file, thanks to funds in their individual retirement account. That’s the finding from a recently published study in the Journal of Pension Economics & Finance. “It seems like there is a significant portion

Late filers: Don’t shred those receipts just yet. You might be able to nab a break on your state tax return. We are closing in on the final days of the 2018 filing season. It’s the first time taxpayers are submitting returns under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This overhaul of the federal tax

A pending lawsuit in Florida is a good example of why jackpot winners need to choose wisely when deciding who manages their windfall. The suit, filed on behalf of Gloria Mackenzie, age 90, alleges that her son and his financial advisor mismanaged her winnings after she won the Powerball jackpot in 2013. Her after-tax haul

Retirement may mean different things to different people, but most agree on one thing. It should be stress-free. However, lack of stress usually comes from years of planning and decades of saving — which not everyone can do. The average savings balance in the U.S. is less than $60,000. Few people can depend on pensions.

Say what you will about presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., but it looks like she’s getting some good tax advice. Warren released her 2018 tax return Wednesday. She filed jointly with her husband Bruce H. Mann, a professor at Harvard Law School. The two reported total income of $905,742 and paid total taxes of

Here’s a home improvement project nobody looks forward to: replacing a sewer line. For homeowners, the mortgage, property taxes and insurance only account for a portion of the cost of owning an abode. It’s those surprise emergency repairs that can destroy your budget. Indeed, 18% of homeowners polled by HomeServe USA said that they had

The lack of financial understanding by consumers has been signaled as one of the main reasons behind savings and investing problems faced by many Americans. To that point, a variety of financial research and reports have made it clear that we, as a country, need to focus on financial literacy. The TIAA Institute-GFLEC Personal Finance

Relationship advice — “be honest, talk it over, respect each other’s feelings” — often goes right out the window when you’re in an actual relationship. Take money. Who talks about it honestly? Who can have calm discussions when tempers are running high over someone’s spending habits? “We don’t talk about money with anyone, even our

On Sept. 28, 2018, President Donald Trump signed into law a bill allowing people with cancer to put their student loan payments on hold. The rollout of the new program has been rocky. The Education Department, in a notice in the Federal Register, writes: “The law was immediately effective, meaning that borrowers can immediately request

President Donald Trump loves climate-wrecking coal and hates the climate-saving Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, forward-looking impact investors hate the problems of burning coal and its financial downside – and love portfolios of companies and funds pursuing climate solutions, which can have stronger returns. This love-hate split has motivated investors – and eco-focused ESG investment funds —

If you’re looking for a new home in an urban area, you might be attracted to some more up-and-coming areas. But buyer beware: Some of those areas come with big risks. That is according to a new study from GOBankingRates, which evaluated cities based on multiple criteria: percentage of homes with mortgages in negative equity,