Ascent/ Pks Media Inc. | Photodisc | Getty Images Many Social Security beneficiaries will soon receive their first benefit checks for 2026. Jan. 14 marks the earliest date beneficiaries can receive January payments, depending on the Social Security Administration’s schedule based on date of birth. Those checks will include a 2.8% benefit boost, thanks to…
Aj_watt | E+ | Getty Images Travelers who were briefly stranded abroad after the U.S. operation to extract Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro got a hard lesson in the limitations of travel insurance. Travel insurance policies offer a financial backstop to buyers for various unforeseen snafus, like having to pay for medical care abroad or for…
Coolpicture | Moment | Getty Images As you gauge how much income you’ll need to pay for your living expenses in retirement, don’t forget to consider how you’ll cover unexpected costs. More than 8 in 10 retiree households — 83% — will face unplanned outlays in any given year, according to new research from the Center for Retirement Research…
Maskot | Digitalvision | Getty Images A cooling labor market, characterized by sluggish hiring and anemic job creation, made it hard for job seekers to find work in 2025, according to economists. “It’s fair to say that 2025 was a hiring recession in the United States,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union,…
D3sign | Moment | Getty Images Read more CNBC personal finance coverage The reminder comes as the IRS faces tax changes enacted via President Donald Trump‘s “big beautiful bill” after staffing cuts from Elon Musk‘s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and other reductions. These cuts didn’t significantly impact the 2025 filing season because…
Damircudic | E+ | Getty Images As more older Americans near retirement, many are eager to boost 401(k) savings to combat the rising cost of health care and other day-to-day expenses. And for 2026, there are key 401(k) changes that investors need to know, financial experts say. This year, “small 401(k) details matter more than…
President Donald Trump’s call for a temporary 10% cap on credit card interest rates, if implemented, could have significant impacts — both positive and negative — for borrowers. “Effective January 20, 2026, I, as President of the United States, am calling for a one year cap on Credit Card Interest Rates of 10%,” Trump wrote…
Retail investors may already be preparing for the start of the 2026 tax filing season, which the IRS announced this week will begin on Jan. 26. Using tax-efficient investing strategies throughout the year can help minimize an investor’s tax burden and optimize their portfolio’s value for years to come, says Bill Harris, the founder and…
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell speaks at a press conference following the Federal Open Markets Committee meeting at the Federal Reserve on Dec. 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images The Justice Department’s criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell may, at first glance, seem far removed from consumers’ finances —…
Milorad Kravic | E+ | Getty Images For many consumers, buying a car increasingly comes with a hefty monthly bill. The share of new-car buyers who pay $1,000 or more per month for their auto loans rose to a record 20.3% of all new vehicle purchases financed in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to…