During the week of June 10, 2024, French markets were rocked by a government bond sell-off after a strong showing by the far-right National Rally party in the European Union election. With polls suggesting the party might win a plurality of seats in the upcoming French parliamentary election, investors feared a promised social spending program,
With the COVID pandemic receding in most areas of the world, Americans are traveling again. U.S. citizens took more than 98 million international trips in 2023, just short of the pre-pandemic level of 99 million in 2019 and almost three times higher than the 33 million low in 2020. Here are the regions they visited.
529 plans were created in 1996 to give families a tax-advantaged way to save for college. Roth IRAs were created a year later to give people another tax-advantaged way to save for retirement. Along the way, some parents began using Roth IRAs as a college savings tool. And now, starting in 2024, extra funds in
A 2023 survey found that about three out of four U.S. adults had a financial regret. The most common were not saving for retirement early enough, taking on too much credit card debt, and not saving enough for emergency expenses. It’s probably not surprising that the weight that people placed on these and other regrets
After falling in 2023 by the widest margin since the 2008 financial crisis, retirement confidence began to edge back up in early 2024. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2024 Retirement Confidence Survey, workers who said they are at least somewhat confident in their ability to afford a comfortable retirement rose to 68%, up
If you participate in a traditional pension plan (also known as a defined benefit plan), your plan may offer several payout options including “qualified joint and survivor annuity” (QJSA) if you are married. A QJSA is an annuity that pays a dollar amount (usually monthly) for the rest of your life, with at least 50%
Remember when you turned 16 and rushed to get your driver’s license? Or earned the right to vote at 18 and enjoyed the privileges and responsibilities of adulthood at 21? There aren’t many legal changes associated with birthdays after that until you turn 50, and then there are plenty. Can you match these ages to
Most home improvements are not tax deductible — with one possible exception. In certain situations, you may be able to deduct improvements deemed necessary for medical reasons (not just beneficial to general health). If you itemize instead of taking the standard deduction, you can deduct unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross
About 1,019,000 associate degrees, 2,136,000 bachelor’s degrees, 860,000 master’s degrees, and 206,200 doctoral degrees (which include medical and law degrees) are projected to be awarded during the 2023–2024 academic year. More women than men will attain undergraduate and graduate degrees at every level, a trend that is expected to continue. Source: National Center for Education
New vehicle prices have skyrocketed these past few years, with the cost averaging well over $48,000 toward the end of 2023.1 These increased costs, coupled with rising interest rates, mean that buying a vehicle can take a significant bite out of your budget. If you are in the market for a new vehicle, you might
