Personal finance

Some Americans believe that real estate is the best long-term investment. If you’re among them, real estate investment trusts, or REITs, might be the easiest way to tap the market.  About 36% of surveyed Americans ranked real estate as the top long-term investment, more than cited stocks or mutual funds (22%), gold (18%), and savings

Consumers confronted with high housing prices sometimes point to private equity when buying homes as a contributing factor. But experts say that while the housing market has multiple issues, it’s hard to determine if real estate investor activity is truly deterring people from becoming homeowners across the U.S. Real estate investors purchased about 44,000 U.S.

“Spaving,” or spending more to save more, has become a dangerous habit for cash-strapped Americans amid elevated inflation and mounting debt. Though inflation eased in April, the consumer price index was still up 3.4% from a year prior.  Despite higher prices, Americans continue to spend. To that point, credit card debt reached $1.12 trillion in

Ippei Naoi | Moment | Getty Images Generation X is known as the sandwich generation because they sit between having a combination of financial or emotional responsibility for adult children and aging parents — in addition to managing their own current lifestyle aspirations and securing their retirement future. It’s a lot to deal with, and

Sally Anscombe | Moment | Getty Images When saving for retirement, investing sooner typically boosts growth over time. But you can lose money by maxing out your 401(k) too early in the year — unless the plan has a special feature. Most 401(k) plans offer an employer match, which uses a formula to deposit extra