ArcaMax

The retail holiday season is well under way, and in the weeks ahead, we are going to learn whether or not consumers feel as glum about the economy as they said they did, prior to the election. (An October Gallup poll found that just over half of Americans said that they are worse off today than they were four years ago.)

Early estimates are for...Read more

Taking a cue from the nation’s retailers, let’s start the holiday season before Thanksgiving. Of course, unlike them, I am trying to help you save or make money, not spend it!

Here are year-end money moves to consider:

Use the IRS's Withholding Estimator to ensure that you have set aside enough money to pay your tax bill in April. If not, ...Read more

The election is behind us and the immediate investor reaction to Trump 2.0 was overwhelmingly positive. On the day after the election, the S&P 500 was up 2.5 percent, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 3.6%, the NASDAQ Composite gained 2.95%, and the Russell 2000 index of small company stocks surged 5.8%.

The quick take is that a Trump ...Read more

By the time you read this, Election Day will be over, but the economy will continue to do its thing. Although various reports have painted a picture of a solid economy on strong footing, you would not know that if you saw a recent Gallup poll, which found that more than half of Americans (52 percent) say they and their family are worse off today...Read more

It’s benefit enrollment period for health care coverage and before your eyes glaze over, consider this: Most of us likely spend more time comparing prices in the grocery store than reviewing our benefit enrollment packages for 2025.

A whopping 154 million Americans are covered through workplace plans, and according to the Kaiser Family ...Read more

It’s National Estate Planning Awareness Week, an opportunity for me to goad/guilt you into addressing this tough to embrace, but necessary task.

Before you say, “that’s just for rich people,” remember that we all have possessions — they may not have huge monetary value, but they are still meaningful. We also have opinions about ...Read more

Prices accelerated in September, though the overall inflation rate continued to drift lower. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) was up 2.4 percent from a year earlier, the smallest 12-month increase since February 2021. Some of the details of the report were more important than usual.

Although consumers complain about food costs, food at home is up...Read more

For the 45th consecutive month, the U.S. economy added jobs, but could the streak be at risk?

In September, there were 254,000 new positions created, about 100,000 more than analysts had expected, and the previous two months were revised higher. The results put the three-month job creation average at 185,000.

The unemployment rate edged lower ...Read more

My inbox has piled up, which means that it’s time for a column devoted to your questions. If you have one — or a comment about a recent article — just send an email to: askjill@jillonmoney.com.

Question: I manage my own investments but have also hired a fee only CFP to help with my overall planning and also to keep me on track. She is ...Read more

One of the perennial questions asked during a presidential election season is: “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”

The answer often gets wrapped up in emotions and behavioral biases that do not always sync up with data. For a numbers nerd like me, that’s frustrating, so let me state from the top that this column is not ...Read more

As widely expected, the Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the first time since March 2020. The half of a percentage point reduction from 23-year highs brings the federal funds rate to a range of 4.75–5.00 percent, a level that is still pretty steep for anyone seeking to borrow money or for those who are trying to pay down credit card ...Read more

When it was released a month ago, the July jobs report sparked worries that the economy was careening towards a recession, which along with the unwinding of a big bet where traders borrowed cheap money from the Japanese government and reinvested it around the world to earn higher returns (aka "the carry trade"), caused a nasty sell-off in global...Read more

It’s that time of year, when millions of kids head back to school. As you settle into your routine, here’s a gentle reminder: Now is the time for parents, grandparents, caregivers, and friends of young people to talk about money. Why now? Because just like almost every hard conversation, now is a better time than later.

The goal is to help ...Read more