Retirement income isn’t automatically beyond a creditor’s reach, but it’s also far from being fully exposed. Jamie Grill/Getty Images While many people enter into retirement and expect their expenses to stabilize, the reality is that today’s higher healthcare costs, rising insurance premiums and growing costs of everyday essentials have made that harder to achieve. Older … Read more
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos told CNBC on Wednesday that the bottom half of U.S. earners should pay no federal income tax, arguing that eliminating those taxes could ease financial strain and encourage entrepreneurship. The bottom half of U.S. taxpayers currently pays about 3% of federal income taxes, a share Bezos said should fall to “zero.” Bezos, … Read more
When Annie Benjamin invested $99,000 in an annuity 10 years ago, she trusted the insurance company to provide her with retirement income. She also relied on the company’s regulator to ensure the insurer could meet its obligations. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Benjamin’s trust in … Read more
The state Supreme Court blocks a voter referendum on the new 9.9% levy. Source link
Tech billionaires like Elon Musk are backing universal basic income as more companies lay off workers due to artificial intelligence, but some lawmakers are skeptical. Daniella Diaz, politics reporter for NOTUS, and Nicholas Wu, congressional reporter for Semafor, join “The Takeout” to discuss this and other top stories out of Capitol Hill. Source link
Certain debt relief strategies may protect your Social Security or retirement benefits, but the context matters. Francesco Carta/Getty Images It makes sense to assume that once you’ve retired, the financial battles that came with your working years are behind you. And, in some ways, that’s true. You’re no longer focused on earning a paycheck and … Read more
The U.S. middle class is shrinking, but not because more Americans are poorer. Instead, more households are climbing into the echelons of the upper middle class due to income gains in recent decades, according to research from the nonpartisan American Enterprise Institute. About 31% of U.S. households earn enough to be considered upper middle class, … Read more
Protected income offers important safeguards, but it doesn’t necessarily make you untouchable to creditors. Twomeows/Getty Images Americans are carrying record levels of debt right now, which has caused an uptick in payment delinquencies, compounding interest charges and other issues for borrowers. Credit card rates also remain elevated at over 21%, on average, making it tough … Read more
The rules around disability income and bank levies are more complicated than many people realize. Dragon Claws/Getty Images Rising credit card balances and climbing delinquency rates have had a big impact on the collections environment recently. With average credit card rates still hovering above 21% and household debt sitting at record levels, more borrowers are … Read more
Roughly half of Americans fall short of the annual income needed to cover their basic needs, according to new research. A U.S. family with children needs about $145,000 in income to be considered economically secure, according to a March 16 report from the Urban Institute. About 49% of Americans live below that financial threshold, the nonpartisan … Read more