Personal finance

After a strong start to the holiday season, consumer spending is on track to reach record levels this year. But many of those purchases will soon be returned. December’s peak shopping days are closely followed by the busiest month for sending items back, which experts dub “Returnuary.” This year, returns are expected to amount to 17%

Home Alone (1990) 20th Century Fox The classic Christmas movie “Home Alone” tells the improbable tale of a family who leaves their 8-year-old son home when they leave for vacation. Yet in the years since the 1990 film was released, viewers have focused on another question — how wealthy was the fictitious McCallister family featured

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the Tribal Nations Summit at the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 9, 2024.  Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters The Biden administration has withdrawn two major plans to deliver student loan forgiveness. The proposed regulations would have allowed the U.S. Department of Education secretary to cancel

Ryanjlane | E+ | Getty Images The IRS plans to issue automatic “special payments” of up to $1,400 to 1 million taxpayers starting later this month, the agency announced last week. The payments will go to individuals who did not claim the 2021 Recovery Rebate Credit on their tax returns for that year and who

Sdi Productions | E+ | Getty Images The U.S. job market has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, from one characterized by record levels of employee turnover to one in which there is little churn. In short, the “great resignation” of 2021 and 2022 has morphed into what some labor economists call the “great