by Riley Adams, CPAContributorWhen you know you have money coming to you, being patient can be difficult. As you visualize all the opportunities for how to use this pending receipt, you start to wonder how you can get it sooner.When you file your taxes, there’s a tool for getting your refund sooner: It’s called a tax refund advance. It’s effectively a loan against your anticipated refund.Many companies offer them because
Federal student loan borrowers are getting an extension — again — this time until September 2022. For those keeping score, this is the sixth student debt reprieve since the start of the pandemic. The freeze on interest rates and payments for federally held student loans — aka administrative forbearance — has been extended by the Department of Education through Aug. 31, 2022. Millions of Americans were staring at the resumption
Best Overall Installment LoanMarcus by Goldman SachsStarting at 6.99%APRBest for Large LoansSoFiStarting at 5.74% APRBest for Low APRLightStreamStarting at 2.99%APRBest for No FeesPenFed Credit UnionStarting at 4.99%APRby Timothy MooreContributor If you’re in the market for a personal loan — also called an installment loan — in 2022, expect to pay a higher interest rate than you would for a mortgage or auto loan. At the beginning of 2022, personal loan
by Rachel Christian, CEPF®Senior WriterLooking for a nearly risk-free way to save for the future? A savings bond might be right for you.With amounts ranging from $25 to $10,000, U.S. savings bonds fit almost any budget. Most importantly: You’ll never lose value on your initial investment.Plus these bonds are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government — which has never defaulted on bonds.The catch? Savings bonds
by The Penny Hoarder Staff Does the thought of doing your taxes on top of caring for your kids make your head spin?Take a deep breath: We found nine tax breaks for parents.Whether your children are swaddled newborns or seeking college degrees or whether you’re single, married with kids or adopted this year, you’re eligible to get some money back on tax day. Here are the top tax credits and
by The Penny Hoarder Staff Tax Day 2022 is closing in, and the burden for gig workers is a little heavier because you’re considered independent contractors — not employees — of the popular app-based companies you work for. After two years of filing extensions because of the pandemic, we’ve returned to a more familiar April deadline. The deadline to file your federal taxes is April 18. While seasoned freelancers and
Real Answers for Life’s Money Challengesby Robin Hartill, CFP®Senior EditorMy wife and I are both 39 and have worked hard since graduating college. For the past 17 years, neither of us have been out of a job or for that matter ever really taken a vacation for more than a couple days. We’ve always planned to retire early, but in the past couple of years with COVID and our sons’ (11
by Mike BrassfieldSenior WriterLet’s say you’re suddenly in need of more money.Maybe you need to move across the country, but you’re strapped for cash. Or it’s finally time to upgrade your outdated kitchen or bathroom. Perhaps you need to pay off medical bills or even finance a large purchase, such as an adoption. Or it might be a smart move to consolidate your high-interest credit card debt.If you have an
by Mike BrassfieldSenior WriterIf you’ve got credit card debt, you know how painful it is. It’s the most expensive kind of debt you can have, and your credit card companies are just getting rich and fat while they gouge you with high interest rates.Wouldn’t it be great to turn the tables on them? Well, now a lot of people are. More and more Americans are simply paying off their credit
by Kari FaberStaff WriterSavings interest rates can seem like a joke these days. You can be earning less than pennies on the dollar — and banks still make you think you’re getting a great deal!But the only ones getting a great deal are the banks themselves.That’s why the best way to make sure you’re earning the most you can in a savings account is to shop around. If you can
