Here’s what’s wrong with TikTok’s viral money hacks

Here’s what’s wrong with TikTok’s viral money hacks

From cash stuffing to loud budgeting, TikTok is chock-full of ways to build wealth — and more people are taking notice. Financial TikTok, also known as #FinTok, is now one of the most popular sources for financial information, tips and advice, particularly among Generation Z. With less access to professional advisors and a preference for obtaining … Read more

Gens Zs are traveling this summer and going into debt to pay for trips

Gens Zs are traveling this summer and going into debt to pay for trips

Move over family travelers. Gen Zs are set to make the biggest splash this summer, with surveys showing they are upping their vacation plans and spending more than older travelers. No longer satisfied with road trips to their parents’ homes, Gens Z are planning international trips at higher rates than other generations, according to a … Read more

Why groceries are so expensive — and how consumers may see some relief

Why groceries are so expensive — and how consumers may see some relief

Elena Perova | Istock | Getty Images High inflation is subsiding, but many Americans have yet to see relief from elevated prices at the grocery store. “Grocery prices skyrocketed during the pandemic, and in many cases, they’ve kept going up, even though the pandemic is over,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at a Wednesday Senate … Read more

Lawmakers debate if child savings accounts may reduce wealth inequality

Lawmakers debate if child savings accounts may reduce wealth inequality

Urbazon | E+ | Getty Images An unequal distribution of wealth in the U.S. can make it so some children are behind from birth. Now lawmakers are considering whether federal children’s savings accounts can help. One proposal — the 401Kids Savings Act — would create savings accounts for all newborns. Low- and moderate- income families … Read more

Delaying Social Security even by months can boost retirement security

Delaying Social Security even by months can boost retirement security

Aj_watt | E+ | Getty Images A recent Social Security report showed a strong economy has helped the program. Still, Social Security’s trust funds may be depleted in the next decade, if no changes happen sooner. Many Americans have a misplaced worry that benefits will disappear. “The biggest myth about Social Security is that when … Read more

Women’s financial security worries and the 2024 presidential election

Women’s financial security worries and the 2024 presidential election

A voter casts her ballot in the Pennsylvania primary elections at the Rockledge Fire Company in Rockledge, Pennsylvania, May 17, 2022. Hannah Beier | Reuters Older women are the largest bloc of swing voters — and the biggest concern they have heading into the November election is their financial security, according to the AARP. Most … Read more

How to effectively use credit cards for summer travel

How to effectively use credit cards for summer travel

Klaus Vedfelt | Digitalvision | Getty Images If you plan to spend money on travel as the days get longer, sunnier and warmer, be careful: It could leave you with high-interest debt you will still be paying off through the fall and winter. Almost half (45%) of Americans plan to take a summer trip requiring … Read more

Walmart bubble due to high-income grocery spending, warns Bill Simon

Walmart bubble due to high-income grocery spending, warns Bill Simon

Higher-income consumers may be creating a frothy situation at Walmart. Even though affluent shoppers helped drive the retailer’s latest beat on quarterly results, former Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon warns they’ll be hard to keep. “The Walmart experience is better than it used to be, but it’s still not a premium experience. Walmart is built … Read more

29% of U.S. households have jobs but struggle to cover basic needs

29% of U.S. households have jobs but struggle to cover basic needs

Over time, higher costs and sluggish wage growth have left more Americans financially vulnerable, with many known as “ALICEs.” Nearly 40 million families, or 29% of the population, fall in the category of ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — according to United Way’s United for ALICE program, which first coined the term to refer … Read more

Americans worry changes to retirement system will upend their plans

Americans worry changes to retirement system will upend their plans

Viewstock | View Stock | Getty Images Last year, Americans’ confidence that they would have enough money to live comfortably in retirement fell the most since the global financial crisis. New research shows both workers’ and retirees’ confidence has not recovered. But some signs of optimism have emerged, particularly as wage growth now outpaces inflation … Read more