If it feels like prices are on a roller coaster ride during the holidays, you’re not imagining things. Strategies such as dynamic pricing and surge pricing mean that prices may change based on supply and demand, competitor pricing and a shopper’s browsing habits or location. Some price changes happen at regular intervals, while others happen in real time. Black Friday is “the perfect storm for using dynamic pricing,” says Lisa Bolton, a professor of marketing at Pennsylvania State University. How will dynamic and surge pricing impact your Black Friday shopping experience this year? Dynamic pricing vs. surge pricing: You’ll see…

There has been extensive monitoring on when the economy — the political and punditry proxy for life — will get back to that happy pre-pandemic “normal.” When prices and interest rates will recede, and people can stop sweating because many millions have been. When shelter will be far more affordable again. Sadly, it’s not going to happen. This is not the fault of President-Elect Trump, current President Biden, people on the left, people on the right. The country and world are going through systemic changes and have been for a long time. Seeds planted and forgotten long ago have germinated.…

A Health Savings Account (HSA) is one of the most powerful yet underutilized tools in personal financial planning. Many people overlook the HSA, possibly confusing it with a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). However, an HSA stands out because it: · reduces your income tax bill when saved, · grows tax-deferred while invested, · withdraws tax-free when used for qualified medical expenses, making it a unique triple tax-advantaged account. Let’s explore how an HSA can support long-term medical savings—particularly for retirement. The Short-Term Tax Advantages of Health Savings Accounts Who doesn’t appreciate a current year tax break? To take advantage of…

The Biden administration is preparing to reopen access to two critical programs in December that would provide additional pathways to eventual student loan forgiveness. Since August, millions of borrowers have been stuck in limbo as a result of a court battle over the SAVE plan. One of the Biden administration’s key initiatives to reduce the burden of student debt, SAVE is the newest income-driven repayment (or IDR) plan. The program lowers monthly payments, waives excess interest, and allows for student loan forgiveness after 10 to 25 years in repayment, depending on the type of loans and the original balance. The…

As we get deeper into the holiday season, it may feel like your expenses are piling up. Reducing your monthly bills can be one way to ease the pressure on your budget. Lowering your bills might be easier than you think. With a phone call and a little preparation, you may be able to save money on internet, phone, cable or utility bills — and maybe others. Talking to your service providers could, for example, get you a lower rate or promotional discount, or point you toward a financial assistance program. Use these expert tips to negotiate better deals with…

It’s Medicare Open Enrollment Period. As I wrote earlier, Open Enrollment this year is unusually important because of significant changes in Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans. Medicare is complicated, and most people have numerous options. The big changes this year make it especially important to seek help in evaluating the choices. I recommend using a local insurance agent or broker who specializes in Medicare and works with and evaluates multiple plans available in your area. Use more than one agent or broker if you can’t find one who covers most of the market. Or use your state’s…

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.Kids are often pretty good at being consumers. If you’re a parent with a small business, you have the opportunity to show your kids firsthand what it means to be a producer. Small Business Saturday, which takes place on Nov. 30 this year, may be a great time to do just that. Small Business Saturday was established by American Express in 2010 and…

529 plans are a great way to save for college. And over the last decade several states have started programs to several states automatically open and fund 529 college savings plans for newborn children. Unfortunately, reports are showing that millions of families who have these accounts don’t even know about them – leaving unclaimed college savings money. The benefits of these accounts can’t be overstated, even if you can only save a small amount of money each month or money a child receives for holidays or their birthday over the years. A recent report from national nonprofit Commonwealth “How Employers…

I have previously written about one of the tax schemes where folks would donate the interests in their LLCs or partnerships to a charity so that they could distribute the tax liability to the charity but retain the cash for themselves. These schemes are wired so that folks would get their interests back in the end, as opposed to a real charitable donation, so it was all just a scam. One of these schemes was described in my article Gain Elimination Plan Causes Three Promoters To Gain Convictions (May 18, 2024), and now we get to see the outcome for…

Paying off debt is no easy task, but this lofty goal is achievable with the right financial strategy. Starting your debt-free journey generally begins with simple steps such as sticking to a budget and gradually working towards increasing your income. How To Become Debt-Free Here are the five essential strategies for achieving financial freedom. 1. Create A Budget And Stick To It The first step to overcoming debt is to ensure that a portion of your income is always allocated to paying it off. The most efficient way to achieve this is to create a budget and stick to it.…