Student loan forgiveness, tech layoffs, big money stories from 2023

Student debt rose to $1.6 trillion Student loan borrowers spent the first half of the year hoping to see their balances reduced, if not erased, by the end of the summer. Many spent the second half of the year scrambling to figure out how they were going to resume making payments.  By the end of … Read more

McDonald’s, Chipotle prepare for fast-food worker battles in 2024

Scott Olson | Getty Images News | Getty Images There will be no fooling California fast-food workers come April 1. That’s the day they can honestly believe the minimum wage in the Golden State will jump to $20 an hour from $16, and only in that sector. The pay raise exclusive for that workforce, estimated … Read more

Why employers can force out small 401(k) accounts when a worker leaves

Tom Werner | Digitalvision | Getty Images If you left behind a small 401(k) plan account at a former job, odds are your former employer has moved those funds out of the plan. That move may hurt your retirement savings over the long term, experts say. Current law allows employers to “force out” 401(k) accounts … Read more

Women face a retirement savings shortfall. Three ways to close the gap

What begins as a gender wage gap inevitably becomes a significant shortfall by retirement. In the U.S., women who work full time are typically paid about 80 cents for every dollar paid to their male counterparts. That gap has persisted despite women’s increasing levels of education and representation in senior leadership positions. Women are also still more … Read more

Student loan borrowers won’t face penalties for missed payments

Miodrag Ignjatovic | E+ | Getty Images Borrowers don’t need to apply Borrowers do not need to enroll in the on-ramp period, the U.S. Department of Education says. If your loans were eligible for the pandemic-era payment pause, which mainly include those in the Direct program, then borrowers will also qualify for this relief. Loans … Read more

Boston recently narrowed the city’s gender pay gap. Here’s how

Tomasz Szulczewski | Moment | Getty Images Women continue to make great strides in the workforce, achieving increasing levels of education, and advancing into senior leadership positions. However, the gender pay gap — the difference between the earnings of men and women — has barely budged in recent years. In the U.S., women who work full … Read more

Inflation has created a dark cloud over how everyday Americans view the economy

Grocery items are offered for sale at a supermarket on August 09, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. Scott Olson | Getty Images When Kyle Connolly looks back at 2023, she sees it as a year defined by changes and challenges. The newly single parent reentered the workforce, only to be laid off from her job at … Read more

Why American CEOs quit in record numbers during 2023

American CEOs are leaving their posts in record numbers in 2023. While the “Great Resignation” may be over, it’s just beginning for CEOs, according to research by Challenger, Gray and Christmas. The firm found that more than 1,500 CEOs have left their posts so far in 2023, marking the highest number of departures since Challenger … Read more

Google, Meta, other tech giants cut DEI programs in 2023

AnitaB.org CEO Brenda Wilkerson speaks on a panel with Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland at the 2019 Grace Hopper conference. Shortly after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in 2020, Google was among many tech companies that set up new programs aimed at supporting Black employees. The goal, CEO Sundar Pichai … Read more

Lawmakers praise ‘ Wells Fargo branch union

Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers on Thursday praised workers at a New Mexico branch of Wells Fargo for becoming the first branch of the nation’s fourth-largest bank to unionize. “Your success brings the fight for the Dignity of Work directly to Wall Street’s front door,” said Sen. … Read more