Today's Personal Finance Pulse
New student loan repayment options debut on July 1
Starting July 1, borrowers will be offered two new repayment plans and must choose the option that best fits their financial situation. The change aims to give borrowers more flexibility in managing loan payments.
Made Money Mistakes? Here’s How To Forgive Your Financial Past
The piece guides readers through forgiving past financial mistakes by reframing mindset and taking concrete actions. It outlines a six‑step process—naming the error, separating identity, stopping regret loops, acting immediately, practicing self‑compassion, and celebrating resilience. By converting guilt into growth, the article shows how emotional release fuels disciplined saving, debt reduction, and investing. Ultimately, it encourages a new money story that prioritizes forward momentum over past shame.
Investing Blog Roundup: Maximizing Spending in Retirement
Morningstar analyst Amy Arnott released research comparing retirement‑spending strategies, highlighting which approaches maximize total lifetime consumption. The study contrasts three objectives: maximizing overall spending, boosting early‑retirement outlays, and ensuring predictable cash flow. Findings suggest flexible withdrawal rules outperform static safe‑withdrawal...
15 Best Websites To Sell Old Stuff
The article lists the 15 top websites for selling used items, from broad marketplaces like eBay and Facebook Marketplace to niche platforms such as The RealReal and Ruby Lane. Each site is evaluated on its strengths—global reach, local convenience, specialty...
Trump Administration CFPB Pullback Cost Americans $19 Billion, Report Says
A Senate‑staff report estimates that the Trump administration’s scaling back of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau cost U.S. consumers roughly $19 billion in lost relief. The agency’s enforcement slowdown, abandoned overdraft‑fee caps and a blocked credit‑card‑late‑fee rule account for the bulk...
02.16.26 Your Relationship With Money / Self-Employed Retirement Planning
In this episode Clark Howard explores how our money mindset shapes financial outcomes, warning against both debt-driven overspending and overly frugal regret. He outlines a balanced approach that blends disciplined saving with purposeful enjoyment, and answers listener questions about practical...
35 Ways To Get $1000 Fast In 2026
The article lists 35 practical methods to earn $1,000 quickly in 2026, ranging from selling unused goods to offering freelance digital services and renting assets. It emphasizes low‑entry barriers, leveraging online platforms, and combining multiple streams for faster results. The...
Keep It Simpler
A retiree shifted assets to an independent RIA seeking broader alternative investments, accumulating numerous illiquid limited partnerships that generate K‑1 tax forms. Over time, several of these alternatives underperformed, exposing the investor to locked‑up capital and heightened tax complexity. The...
Start Investing Now, Reach $1M By Retirement
If you’re 25 and don’t end up a millionaire, you might need a wake-up call, because I just showed you how. Invest $100 a month from age 25 to 65 at the average S&P 500 return over the last 40 years,...
How To Make Money During School
Students can earn supplemental income by selecting flexible, low‑commitment gigs that fit around class schedules. Options range from tutoring peers and freelance online tasks to reselling items, babysitting, and micro‑surveys. Each opportunity leverages existing skills or assets, turning spare time...
Tax Missteps Happen — Even When Two Financial Pros Are Married
The New York Times piece reveals that married financial planners still stumble over tax filings, citing a Roth‑conversion penalty and a missed $7,500 dependent‑care credit cap increase. The errors, each under $1,000, stem from logistical oversights rather than ignorance. The article highlights...
Retirement Tax Planning Is About Managing Tradeoffs, Not Following Rules
Retirement tax planning is less about rigid rules and more about managing timing trade‑offs over a lifetime. The article stresses that focusing on minimizing taxes in a single year can increase total tax burden due to higher effective marginal rates,...
Early Estimates Point to Lower Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment for 2027
Social Security delivered a 2.8% cost‑of‑living adjustment (COLA) for 2026, boosting benefits by roughly $56 per month. Early government inflation data suggest the 2027 COLA could be markedly lower, with estimates ranging from 1.2% to 3.1%. Analysts warn that a...
1944: Ask Farnooosh: Birthday Money Truths, Market Warnings and Relationship Finance
In episode 1944, Farnoosh answers listener questions about birthday money etiquette, market warning signs, and relationship finance. She debunks myths about gifting cash, highlights red flags in the current market such as over‑valuation and rising rates, and offers strategies for...
The State Of Student Loans And What Families Need To Know
In this 46‑minute episode, host Chris Redd discusses the current landscape of student loans, focusing on the SAVE repayment plan’s uncertain timeline, the upcoming Navient settlement payouts, and the bottleneck in Public Service Loan Forgiveness. He explains how front‑loading of...
Frugal Living Tips For Beginners
The article outlines practical frugal‑living habits for beginners, emphasizing mindset, budgeting, and purposeful spending. It walks readers through steps such as creating a strong money mindset, giving every dollar a job, and planning purchases before buying. The guide also highlights...
The New FIRE? Why Time Freedom Beats Early Retirement
In this episode, hosts Mindy Jensen and Scott Trench interview millionaire Brian Herriot, author of *Time Freedom*, to reframe financial independence from early retirement to immediate time control. Brian explains how he grew his portfolio from $1 million to $3 million, shifted...
Medical Emergencies Can Lead to Debt and Bankruptcy — Even for Insured Americans
A new Health Affairs study of nearly 13,000 trauma patients shows that even insured Americans face sharp rises in medical debt and bankruptcy after serious injuries. Within 18 months, the share of patients with debt in collections grew 5.2 percentage...
Student Loan Complaints Hit Record High, CFPB Finds — but the Watchdog Agency Omits Details
Federal student‑loan borrowers filed a record 18,400 complaints to the CFPB for the year ending June 2025, a 36% increase over the prior year. The agency’s 21‑page report, released in January, omitted the detailed breakdown of complaint types, servicers involved, and...
Workforce Pell Grant: Eligibility, Programs, Timeline
The episode explains the new Workforce Pell Grant, which extends Pell eligibility to short‑term (8‑15 week) workforce training programs that meet strict outcome, credential, and labor‑market standards. It highlights that applicants must still complete the FAFSA and demonstrate financial need,...
35 Frugal Living Ideas For 2026
Frugal living in 2026 emphasizes intentional spending rather than strict deprivation, offering 35 practical habits to balance savings with quality of life. The guide highlights realistic budgeting, price comparison, durability focus, meal planning, and cash‑envelope techniques as core strategies. It...
Land Investing for Beginners: The Freedom Multiplier You’re Not Using (Coaching)
In this episode, Mark Podolsky, Scott Bossman, Jon Burnett, and guest Landon Harris explore land investing as a "freedom multiplier" and argue that coaching is the missing link that turns curiosity into consistent results. Drawing on insights from the Dirt...
100 Frugal Wisdom Quotes
The article compiles 100 timeless frugal‑wisdom quotes from figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Warren Buffett, and modern personal‑finance influencers. It highlights how simple habits—saving first, budgeting, and avoiding unnecessary expenses—can transform money into a tool for freedom rather than stress....
Parent PLUS Student Loan Alternatives in 2026: Private Vs. Federal
The episode explains the upcoming 2026 reforms to Parent PLUS loans, which will impose a $20,000 annual and $65,000 lifetime borrowing cap and eliminate income‑driven repayment options for new loans. It contrasts these changes with the limited borrowing limits of...
02.11.26 Tax Refunds & Withholding / Clarksplainer: Trump Accounts
In this episode Clark Howard breaks down the tax season landscape, explaining why a large refund often means you over‑paid throughout the year and urging listeners to adjust their withholding to keep more money in their pockets. He offers practical...
Healthcare Before Medicare: Your Options
In this episode of The Retirement Answer Man, Roger Whitney walks listeners through the three primary health‑care options available before Medicare eligibility: COBRA continuation coverage, ACA marketplace plans, and part‑time employer group insurance, while also noting other alternatives like private...
1943: How to Navigate Income Gaps, Shared Accounts, and Spending Differences
In episode 1943, Farnoosh explores the challenges couples face when their incomes differ, covering how to set up shared and individual accounts, allocate spending responsibilities, and communicate about financial priorities. She offers practical frameworks for deciding who pays what, how...
Cash Balance Plans Part 2: EDU #2606
In this episode, hosts Jim Saulnier and Chris Stein field listener questions about cash balance pension plans, focusing on their suitability for self‑employed owners and businesses with fluctuating but potentially large future income, such as farmers. Guest expert Steve explains...
Money Box Live: Inheritance Tax
In this Money Box Live episode, presenter Felicity Hannah and experts Clare Moffat, a pension and tax specialist, and Nina Sperring, a wealth‑protection solicitor, demystify inheritance tax, explaining who must pay it, how the rates are calculated and what thresholds...
Americans Now Have Much More Money in IRAs than 401(k)s. Why That Leaves Workers More Vulnerable.
The U.S. private‑sector retirement system is witnessing a historic shift, with IRA balances now exceeding 401(k) assets by roughly $7 trillion. This migration moves workers’ savings out of the ERISA‑protected 401(k) framework into a less regulated IRA environment. IRAs lack the...
Why Buying Silver Bars Online Is a Smart Investment Choice
Buying silver bars online is presented as a practical way to add a tangible, low‑cost precious metal to a diversified portfolio. The article highlights that online bullion dealers offer broader product ranges, real‑time pricing and lower overhead, which translate into...
Selling a House in Switzerland: The Complete Guide
The guide walks sellers through every stage of a Swiss property sale, from initial pricing and mortgage planning to the final notary signing. It highlights the choice between DIY sales and hiring an agency, emphasizing the cost‑benefit of professional marketing...
A Reprieve for Veterans Applying for V.A. Mortgages
House Republicans have trimmed a proposal to raise fees on Department of Veterans Affairs home loans after pushback from veterans groups and lenders. The revised plan leaves purchase‑loan fees unchanged but nearly triples the refinance fee to 1.4% and doubles...
Switch to TurboTax & File All Forms Free by 2/28 Promotion (+ 10% Off for Previous Users)
TurboTax is offering a limited-time promotion that lets new mobile‑app users file federal and state returns for free, covering all forms included in its Deluxe and Premium tiers. The offer excludes the web platform and any TurboTax Experts products, requiring...
How to Do Your Taxes in 2026: A DIY Tax Filing Guide
The 2026 tax filing season (for the 2025 tax year) officially began on January 26, 2026, with the deadline set for April 15, 2026. Inflation adjustments raised tax brackets, standard deductions, and contribution limits, while the OBBBA legislation expanded the SALT cap to $40,000...
How to Pay Taxes with a Credit Card (and Profit) in 2026
The IRS still permits tax payments via credit or debit cards through two processors, ACI Payments (1.85%‑2.95%) and Pay1040 (1.75%‑2.89%) for 2026. By pairing a cash‑back card that earns at least the processing rate, taxpayers can offset fees and even...
Following Super Bowl Ad, Trump Accounts Launch a New Sign-Up Option
The Treasury announced a new enrollment pathway for Trump accounts following a Super Bowl 60 commercial. Parents can now submit IRS Form 4547 online via TrumpAccounts.gov or attach it to their 2025 tax return to claim a $1,000 seed deposit for...
How ETFs, Open End Mutual Funds, and Closed End Funds Actually Trade
Fundrise announced that its Innovation Fund will list on the NYSE as a closed‑end fund, shifting from an open‑end structure that trades at NAV to a fixed‑float vehicle. The article explains how ETFs, open‑end mutual funds, and closed‑end funds differ...
02.09.26 Gift Cards: Use Or Lose Them / Big Changes For Home Backup Power
In this episode Clark Howard warns listeners about the surge in restaurant closures and the risk of losing unused gift cards, urging prompt use to avoid forfeiture. He answers listener questions on topics ranging from gift‑card expiration to personal finance...
6 Weird But Successful Stock Market Indicators
The episode explores six unconventional stock‑market indicators—from the Super Bowl winner and lipstick sales to the nationality of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover models—highlighting their surprising historical success rates, such as the Super Bowl’s 71 % accuracy since 1978. It explains the...
Child Benefit and Credit Cards
The episode investigates a widespread HMRC error that suspended Child Benefit for over 60% of eligible parents after mistakenly interpreting travel data as a move abroad, affecting payments worth at least £100 a month. It reveals that 63% of suspensions...
1941: Ask Farnoosh: My Best Home Buying Advice, Investing for a "Mid-Term" Goal
In this episode Farnoosh answers listener questions about buying a home and investing for a mid‑term goal, such as a child's education or a career change. She outlines the three‑step framework for home‑buying: assess true affordability, prioritize a solid down‑payment...
Why the 4% Rule Is a Starting Point, Not a Plan
Retirement planners have long relied on the 4 percent safe‑withdrawal rule, which suggests taking 4 % of a portfolio in the first year and adjusting for inflation thereafter. The article explains that the rule’s appeal rests on historic U.S. market performance, low...
#687: First Friday: The Retirement Rules That Changed While You Weren’t Looking
In this First Friday episode, host Paula Pant reviews the economic landscape of January 2026, highlighting a 2% S&P 500 pullback, a near‑10% Bitcoin drop, and a cooling labor market with job openings falling to 7.6 million. She discusses the surprise nomination of...
It’s Time to Rethink the Standard Investment Advice. But Not Too Much.
The article warns investors that unprecedented market volatility—from a 25% drop in silver to record concentration among AI‑driven mega‑caps—calls for a reassessment of traditional portfolio guidance. It highlights stress in U.S. bond and money markets amid political attacks on the...
2025 Tax Returns: Here’s What to Know About Filing This Year
The 2025 filing season arrives with a landmark tax and spending bill that adds $129 billion in individual tax cuts, boosting average refunds by roughly $1,000. Key provisions include a permanent larger standard deduction and new credits that favor higher‑income households....
The Truth About Administrative Bloat At U.S. Colleges
The episode debunks the popular claim that U.S. colleges suffer from administrative bloat by examining federal staffing and enrollment data. It shows that student‑to‑staff ratios are far lower than viral rumors suggest—about 6.4 : 1 overall and 5.2 : 1 at four‑year institutions—and that...