The financial news that actually matters
Workers who direct part of each paycheck into a Roth 401(k) pay income tax on those dollars right away, but the tradeoff can be significant: every penny of investment growth in that account can come out tax-free in retirement, provided the withdrawal meets federal rules. Traditional 401(k) deferrals work the opposite way, shielding current income…
People affected by the First Financial Security data breach stand to receive up to $500 in cash compensation along with two years of free credit monitoring under settlement terms. The Federal Trade Commission has weighed in on how consumers should evaluate these dual-benefit offers, drawing on its experience with the Equifax breach settlement to guide…
Taxpayers who hold qualified long-term-care insurance policies can count a portion of their premiums as deductible medical expenses, but the amount they can claim each year depends on how old they are. Federal law sets age-based caps that rise in five tiers, giving older policyholders a larger eligible amount. With the 2025 tax year filing…
Federal student-loan borrowers who take out new loans starting this month face a longer road to debt relief than any previous income-driven repayment option offered. The Repayment Assistance Plan, or RAP, requires 360 monthly payments spread over at least 30 years before any remaining balance is forgiven. That timeline is five to ten years longer…
Buyers who locked in mortgage rates during April and May closed fewer deals than Wall Street expected, dragging existing-home sales in June to their weakest seasonally adjusted pace so far this year. The result fell short of the roughly 4.21 million annualized rate that analysts surveyed by FactSet had projected, extending a sales slump that…
Pet owners who purchased Cosequin joint supplements for their dogs can submit claims without providing proof of purchase, but the window to do so is closing. The settlement stems from allegations that the product’s marketing overstated its ability to treat canine joint problems. Clinical research comparing nutraceutical supplements with standard veterinary pain medications has raised…
Mingran Wang, a 52-year-old Fremont, California, resident who presented himself as the founder and investment manager of Greenroots Capital, pleaded guilty to securities fraud for executing more than 3,000 illegal spoofing trades between 2021 and 2024. Federal prosecutors say Wang placed fake orders in thinly traded stocks to move prices in his favor, then canceled…
Streaming viewers in California who have grown tired of scrambling for the remote when ads blast at higher volume than the show they are watching just got a direct answer from state lawmakers. Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 576 on Oct. 6, 2025, making California the first state to extend federal broadcast ad-volume rules to…
Workers who set aside pretax dollars in a health flexible spending account face a familiar year-end risk: any money they did not spend can disappear. The IRS has now confirmed that for tax years beginning in 2026, the salary-reduction cap for health FSAs rises to $3,400, a $100 bump from 2025. Plans that allow a…
Couples and co-owners who hold a joint bank account at an FDIC-insured institution can receive up to $500,000 in federal deposit insurance, effectively doubling the $250,000 ceiling that applies to a single-owner account. That per-owner math gives households a straightforward way to expand their safety net without opening accounts at multiple banks. With interest rates…