MoneyWatch

Investing your money can be difficult or it can be easy. It depends on what you’re investing in — and when you’re doing the investing. You’ll want to invest in stocks and bonds, for example, at different times than you would alternative assets like gold and silver. But while the stock market has surged recently, gold and silver have increased …

Saving for retirement is one of the most important money moves you can make. After all, it can be tough to live off of Social Security payments alone. For example, the average Social Security retirement benefit for January 2024 is estimated to be $1,907, according to the Social Security Administration, which may not be enough to cover all your expenses …

Borrowers hoping for some quick relief were left disappointed this week after the Federal Reserve elected to keep interest rates paused. While the benchmark interest rate range will stay the same between 5.25% and 5.50% —a 23-year high— there were indications that rate cuts could come later this year and into 2025. Against this backdrop, borrowers should remain judicious about …

Former President Donald Trump could soon receive a windfall valued as much as $3.5 billion, with shareholders of a publicly traded funding partner on Friday approving a merger with his Trump Media & Technology Group. The approval occurred Friday morning, according to a livestream of the shareholder vote. Shares of Digital World Acquisition Corp., a so-called “blank check” company that …

Dollar Tree announced that it is closing 600 of its Family Dollar store locations in 2024. On top of that, the discount retailer also plans to close an additional 370 Family Dollar stores, plus 30 Dollar Tree locations over the next few years, at the end of their leases. In total, the planned closures represent about 15% of its Family …

Customers who have racked up travel miles with United Airlines can now share those points with up to four other passengers under a new program the airlines announced Thursday. Anyone 18 or older with a MileagePlus membership can link their online account and combine their miles with those accumulated by family or friends from previous flights, United said. As with …

Reddit made its debut on Wall Street Thursday in an eagerly anticipated initial public offering aimed at infusing the social media company with hundreds of millions in capital. Shares of Reddit soared as much as 54% in their first day of trading on Thursday afternoon, reaching $52.29. That’s far above the $34 IPO range projected by the company. Investors have …

Hyundai and Kia are recalling a combined 147,110 vehicles — including the electric vehicles Ioniq and the EV6 —because a part inside the cars may stop charging their batteries, federal auto safety regulators said. The recalled Hyundai and Kia vehicles have what the automakers call an “integrated charging control unit” — which is responsible for charging the car’s 12-volt backup …

The Biden administration on Thursday said it is forgiving almost $6 billion in student debt for 77,700 borrowers, with those recipients scheduled to receive an email from President Joe Biden alerting them about their debt cancellation. The people who qualify for the latest round of student loan forgiveness are public service employees, such as teachers, nurses, social workers and firefighters, …

Chocolate Easter bunnies and eggs will likely come at a higher cost for consumers this year as the price of cocoa climbs to record highs. Cocoa futures have surged this year, roughly doubling since the start of 2024. Rising temperatures and weather conditions have stressed and damaged crops in West Africa, which produces more than 70% of the global cocoa …