Category: personal finance

Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold and Other Commodities (Dec. 28)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for February delivery fell 57 cents to $78.96 a barrel Wednesday. Brent crude for February delivery fell $1.07 to $83.26 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for January delivery was unchanged at $2.36 a gallon. January heating oil rose 3 cents to $3.38 a gallon. January natural gas fell 57 cents to $4.71…


How the New Omnibus Spending Bill Changes Retirement Policy

The $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill that the Senate and the House recently passed will add billions of dollars to many government programs. Besides providing more funding for the government through September of next year, it will also help more people be able to retire with more savings than before. Lawmakers realized, according to Finance.Yahoo,…


Divorced? You May Still Be Eligible for Spousal Benefits

By Sandra Block From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance The wage gap between men and women has narrowed in recent years, but many women still earn less than their spouses, particularly if they took time out to care for their family. This discrepancy can be particularly difficult for divorced women who earned less than their former husbands…


Electric Vehicle Tax Credit: Who Will Qualify in 2023?

Americans looking to purchase an electric vehicle (EV) could qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 in 2023 as part of the Biden administration’s push to ensure that half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 are electric or plug-in electric hybrids. The tax credits were created as part of President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, signed…


Social Security Update for 2023

It has been my custom for most of the past 25 years to write a year-end column that summarizes the Social Security changes and updates scheduled to take place the following year. I already discussed some of these changes in a column back in October when the updates were first announced. But it doesn’t hurt…


5 Ways to Build Your Credit Score in 2023

You’ve got big financial plans for 2023. Maybe they include buying a home or car, or getting a new travel rewards credit card to help pay for your next trip. There’s a key piece of these plans you may not have considered: building your credit score. A better credit score can expand your access to…


More Money May Not Be the Answer

Affluence is not measured by your annual income. Affluence is determined by how many of your resources you manage not to spend — the amount of income you keep. The idea that you should live below your means is obvious, isn’t it? It’s not like this is the first time you’ve ever heard of the…


Investing Inheritance: Creating a Cycle of Wealth

Securing your financial security is a colossal task. People are prioritizing the safety of their funds as inflation rises and federal interest rates seem to fluctuate daily. It’s a to-do that doesn’t only affect yourself—it also influences future generations. Creating a cycle of wealth that seeps into your whole family can start—or continue—with your financial…


Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold and Other Commodities (Dec. 27)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for February delivery fell 3 cents to $79.53 a barrel Tuesday. Brent crude for February delivery rose $2.94 to $83.92 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for January delivery fell 2 cents to $2.36 a gallon. January heating oil rose 9 cents to $3.35 a gallon. January natural gas rose 20 cents to…


Holiday Sales Up 7.6 Percent in 2022—but Outpaced by Inflation at 8.5 Percent

Holiday retail sales were up in 2022 during the most critical sales season of the year. Sales rose 7.6 percent during the the key period running from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24, according to Mastercard’s SpendingPulse, which measures in-store and online retail sales across all payment types. The survey excludes the automotive industry and is not…