Personal Finance
Day-to-day money decisions for individuals and households. Practical guidance on budgeting, saving, spending, credit, debt management, and financial planning.
Latest in Personal Finance
Series I savings bonds are inflation-linked, tax-deferred, and free of state tax
Savers holding Series I bonds locked in a 4.26% composite rate as of May 1, 2026, a return that reflects the bond’s direct tie to...
A defensive-driving course can shave hundreds off a retiree’s car insurance
Retirees watching their auto insurance bills climb have a concrete, state-backed way to cut costs: completing a defensive-driving course. In New York, the discount is...
Veterans who lose a limb, their sight, or need daily aid can collect special monthly compensation on top of the 100% disability rate
Veterans rated at 100% disability by the Department of Veterans Affairs often assume they have reached the ceiling of their benefits. They have not. Federal...
CHAMPVA covers health care for a totally disabled veteran’s spouse and children
Families of veterans rated permanently and totally disabled from service-connected conditions can receive health care coverage through CHAMPVA, a Department of Veterans Affairs program authorized...
Francesca’s is liquidating all 460 of its stores, so spend any gift cards before they lose value
Shoppers holding Francesca’s gift cards face a shrinking window to use them. The women’s clothing and accessories retailer filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection...
A Medicaid-compliant annuity can turn a couple’s savings into income and shield the healthy spouse from a nursing-home spend-down
Married couples face a stark financial threat when one spouse needs nursing-home care: Medicaid’s spend-down rules can force the healthy partner to exhaust nearly all...
Buy-now-pay-later loans now show up on your credit report, so a missed “four easy payments” plan can ding your score
Consumers who split purchases into four installments through services like Affirm, Klarna, or Afterpay now face a new reality: those short-term loans can affect their...
In many states Medicaid will pay a family member to care for a parent
Families caring for aging parents at home can, in many states, receive Medicaid payments for that work through self-directed personal assistance programs. The federal legal...
Disney streaming subscribers can claim a $50 million settlement share by August 27
Subscribers to Disney’s streaming platforms face a hard deadline to file claims in a $50 million antitrust settlement tied to the case Biddle et al....
Over 20 burn-pit and Agent Orange illnesses now qualify veterans for disability pay without proving the cause
Veterans diagnosed with certain cancers, blood disorders, and chronic conditions tied to burn-pit smoke or Agent Orange can now receive disability compensation from the Department...
$4,400 fills a single person’s health savings account in 2026, or $8,750 for a family, plus $1,000 at 55
Workers with high-deductible health plans can stash up to $4,400 in a health savings account for 2026 if they have self-only coverage, or up to...
Pull all three credit reports free weekly at AnnualCreditReport.com
Every person in the United States can now pull free credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion every single week through AnnualCreditReport.com, a permanent change...
Ford is recalling 288,314 Explorers over roof-rail covers that can fly off, and the fix is free, with refunds for owners who already paid
Ford has recalled 288,314 Explorer SUVs because their roof-rail covers can detach while the vehicle is in motion, turning a cosmetic trim piece into a...
Health insurance premiums are set to more than double for 22 million Americans as boosted ACA subsidies expire, hitting people in their late 50s and 60s hardest
Roughly 22 million Americans enrolled in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans face premium increases of 100 percent or more starting in 2026 if Congress does...
Medicaid looks back five years at a senior’s gifts and transfers before approving nursing-home coverage, and violations bring a penalty period
A senior who gave money to a grandchild or transferred a home to a family member within the past five years faces a direct penalty...
The VA helps cover burial and funeral costs for eligible veterans
Families of eligible veterans can receive federal reimbursement for burial and funeral costs through the Department of Veterans Affairs, but the benefit is not automatic....
Paying your credit-card bill before the statement closes can lower the balance that sets your credit score
Credit-card holders who pay only by the due date may be unknowingly inflating the balance that credit bureaus use to calculate their scores. The figure...
Kia will repair 462,869 vehicles free after power-seat motors were found to overheat and catch fire
Nearly half a million Kia Telluride owners now face a direct fire risk from a defect in their front power seats, and federal regulators want...
$73 billion in forgotten money sits in state treasuries, and a free national search turns up any filed under your name
Billions of dollars in old paychecks, dormant bank accounts, and forgotten insurance payouts sit in state treasuries across the country, waiting for the people who...
Medicaid lets a healthy spouse keep the family home and one car when a partner enters a nursing home
Married couples face a stark financial threat when one partner needs nursing-home care: Medicaid requires applicants to spend down most of their assets before coverage...