UNCOVERED: 20 - The Untold Story

Bond Yields Are Surging Again — What That Means for Savings Accounts, Loans and 401(k)s

Bond yields are surging again, and that movement reaches far beyond Wall Street. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed above 5% on September 15, reaching about 5.04%, its highest level since 2007, as investors reacted to inflation concerns, higher oil prices and worries about government borrowing.

The Free Financial Advisor · Sep 16

Treasury Opens $5 Billion New Markets Tax Credit Round to Drive Investment in Low-Income Communities

The U.S. Department of the Treasury is opening a new $5 billion round of a federal tax-credit program designed to attract private investment into economically distressed communities.

The Free Financial Advisor · Sep 16

A $500 Monthly Debt Payment Sounds Good — Until You See How Long It Takes to Pay Off $25,000

A $500 monthly debt payment sounds like a solid plan for a $25,000 balance. Then interest walks into the room, pulls up a chair and starts taking a cut of that $500 before the debt gets much smaller. The payment itself matters, but the interest rate, the balance and whether…

The Free Financial Advisor · Sep 16

Scan a QR Code to Pay? Check These 3 Things Before Entering Your Card Number

A QR code can turn a parking meter, restaurant table, or checkout counter into a payment screen in seconds. That convenience comes with one important catch: the code can send you somewhere you never intended to go, and scammers have gotten creative about making fake payment pages look perfectly ordinary.

The Free Financial Advisor · Sep 15

CD Rates Could Move After September 16—Should Savers Lock In Now?

CD rates could move after September 16, and savers have a very real decision to make before the Federal Reserve announces its next interest-rate move. The Fed meets September 15 and 16, and financial markets currently expect a quarter-point increase, a sharp change from expectations earlier this year.

The Free Financial Advisor · Sep 15

The Fed Decides September 16—The 3 Accounts That Reprice Within 48 Hours, and the 4 That Take Months

The Federal Reserve makes its next interest-rate decision on September 16, and the financial effects can start showing up much faster than many people expect. But there is a catch: not every account responds to a Fed move at the same speed, and some barely care about the decision at…

The Free Financial Advisor · Sep 15

IRS Proposes New Tax Rules for U.S. Companies With Foreign Income and Overseas Operations

U.S. companies doing business overseas could face updated rules for calculating important international tax deductions and foreign tax credits under a new proposal from the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department.

The Free Financial Advisor · Sep 14

Federal Regulators Double Bank Asset Threshold for 18-Month Examination Cycle to $6 Billion

Some community banks may now go six additional months between regularly scheduled federal on-site examinations after regulators doubled the asset threshold for institutions eligible for an extended examination cycle.

The Free Financial Advisor · Sep 14

You’re Maxing Out Your 401(k) but Have No Emergency Fund. Is That Backwards?

Putting every available dollar into a 401(k) can feel like the ultimate financial gold star. The problem starts when retirement savings look fantastic but a broken furnace, surprise car repair, or sudden income interruption would send the household scrambling for a credit card. In that situation, the question is not…

The Free Financial Advisor · Sep 14

See a Charge From a Company You Don’t Recognize? Don’t Assume It’s Just a Subscription You Forgot

A strange company name on a bank or credit card statement can trigger a familiar reaction: “Oh, that’s probably some subscription.” Maybe. But clicking past an unfamiliar charge without checking can also give an unauthorized transaction time to become a bigger headache.

The Free Financial Advisor · Sep 14