Ms. Harris suggests that her clients try “Frugal February” — avoiding discretionary spending and impulse purchases, and putting the money toward debt reduction or savings — because it’s a short month, and people often stay home anyway because of cold weather. The steps can be small, she said, like watching a movie on a streaming … Read more
It’s possible to amass $1 million in special health savings accounts to use in retirement, a new analysis finds, with several big caveats. You have to start young, contribute the maximum each year and leave the money untouched for decades instead of spending it on medical needs. Health savings accounts, known as H.S.A.s, let people … Read more
Halfway into his presidency, Jimmy Carter’s back was against the wall. It was July 1979, the height of the energy crisis, and the beleaguered president went on national television to deliver not a speech, but a kind of sermon. The address — called “Crisis of Confidence” — challenged Americans to acknowledge personal failings that he … Read more
Visions of champagne and lie-flat seats danced in my head when Azores Airlines accepted my 500-euro bid to upgrade my husband and me to business class during our kid-free vacation this past August. But the reality was far less cushy: Our seats reclined only a few inches more than regular coach seats. There was no … Read more
The Social Security Administration receives billions in free money each year from an unexpected source: undocumented immigrants. This group paid an estimated $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes in 2022, according to a recent analysis from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning tax research group. Since unauthorized workers cannot collect retirement and … Read more
Traveling off-season, booking early, playing with flexible dates and going somewhere off the beaten path are tried-and-true budget travel strategies. But each year brings traffic patterns and perennial sales that can cue savvy travelers on when to book and when to travel. Whatever the timing, it pays to shop for travel during low-demand spots on … Read more
By checking in early and getting to the gate with plenty of time, you’ve done everything right. But then the airline throws a curveball, announcing an overbooked flight. Instead of boarding passengers, gate agents ask for volunteers to give up their seats. Then they stop asking and start bumping passengers off the flight. And they … Read more
American Express said on Thursday that it would pay $230 million to settle civil and criminal allegations that the company used deceptive sales tactics related to credit card and wire transfer products sold to small business customers. The Justice Department’s civil division claimed that, from 2014 through 2017, the credit card and travel services giant … Read more
Wishing you could buy a home? It can be challenging to save enough for a down payment, given how much houses now cost. But many people don’t realize there are myriad programs that offer grants or loans to help home buyers come up with the necessary funds. “There are tons of programs to assist them,” … Read more
Taxpayers with income of $84,000 or less still have the option of using the separate Free File program, a partnership between the I.R.S. and several do-it-yourself tax software firms, to file free electronic returns. The I.R.S. also provides free online forms, without step-by-step guidance, that filers can use, regardless of income, to file federal returns. … Read more