Author: Press Room

My girlfriend and I have been dating for approaching two years now and are starting to think about future plans — including buying a bigger place together for a forthcoming family. We currently live in the one-bedroom condo I bought in 2017. I’m 38 and feel confident about my financial situation. I make $130,000 a year, have $200,000 in my 401(k), no credit-card debt, and have roughly $55,000 in savings on top of my condo.  My girlfriend, who is about to turn 35, is in a very different place. She earns $80,000 a year, has no retirement account, owns no property,…

The numbers: A survey of consumer sentiment fell to a four-month low of 62 in March on growing worries about a recession. The final reading in March was down from an original 63.4, the University of Michigan said. The index registered 67 in February. Consumer sentiment helps gauge how Americans feel about their own finances as well as the broader economy. Key details: A gauge that measures what consumers think about the current state of the economy dropped to 66.3 in March from 70.7in the prior month. More notably, a measure that asks about expectations for the next six months…

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Harvey Weinstein departs New York Criminal Court following another day of jury deliberations in his sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., February 21, 2020. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) -A former model has filed a lawsuit claiming a one-time executive at movie studio Miramax raped her after luring her to a hotel with the promise of a meeting with the company’s then-Chief Executive Harvey Weinstein. The lawsuit was filed in New York state court on Thursday by Sara Ziff, who says the alleged assault by Fabrizio…

By Laura Sanicola (Reuters) – Oil prices settled largely unchanged on Wednesday, despite greater-than-expected draws in and fuel stockpiles, as the market weighed worsening economic prospects against expectations of U.S. crude inventory declines and plans by OPEC+ producers to reduce output. futures settled up 5 cents, or 0.1%, at $84.99 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate crude ended 10 cents, or 0.1%, lower at $80.61 a barrel. U.S. crude inventories fell 3.7 million barrels last week, about 1.5 million barrels more than forecast, government data showed. Gasoline and distillate stocks also fell more than expected, drawing down by 4.1 million…

By Geoffrey Smith Investing.com — The dollar was testing a two-month low against its major partners early on Tuesday, still under pressure after weak data from the manufacturing sector on Monday that encouraged hopes of an early ‘pivot’ from the Federal Reserve. By 03:00 ET (07:00 GMT), the , which tracks the greenback against a basket of six developed economy currencies, was down less than 0.1% from Monday’s close at 101.755. Expectations of a growth slowdown had already strengthened on Monday due to the sharp rise in oil prices after OPEC made a surprise 1.1 million barrel cut to its…

By Giuseppe Fonte ROME (Reuters) – Italy is likely to confirm its budget deficit targets for this year and next, people familiar with the matter said, as the Treasury aims for tighter fiscal policy to limit the impact of rising euro zone interest rates. In its Economic and Financial Document (DEF) to be unveiled next week, the Treasury aims for a 2023 fiscal gap at 4.5% of gross domestic product, unchanged from the target set last November, the people told Reuters. The government is also expected to keep its 3.7% deficit goal for 2024. Last year, Italy reported a budget…

Topline Just one day after job openings plummeted to a nearly two-year low, payroll processor ADP reported that private employers added fewer jobs than expected last month as they also started to scale back on wage increases—adding to concerns the economy could face a worse-than-feared recession as the Federal Reserve works to temper stubbornly high inflation. Key Facts Private employment increased by 145,000 jobs from February to March as industries such as finance, professional services and manufacturing lost tens of thousands of jobs apiece—far fewer than the 261,000 new jobs economists had projected, according to the ADP’s National Employment Report…

Just because a company pioneers a great idea, it does not make its stock a good investment. This comes to mind in considering Redwood City, Calif.-based Zuora — a 1,549-employee enterprise software company founded in 2007 that helps companies to launch and manage their subscription-based services. Sadly for investors, Zuora stock has lost 55% of its value since going public in April 2018 — now sporting a market capitalization of $1.2 billion. Could a turnaround be in the offing? Its stock has risen 11% since March 1 when it reported better than expected results for its fourth quarter. Here are…

I’ve heard no less than two anguished stories from two people I know in the past week who are steaming over not getting tax refunds. Ensuring that your federal tax return gets to the IRS and you receive a refund — if you’re owed one — is a matter of following a simple process. Here are five easy steps the IRS recommends: * Get Your Docs in One Place. Taxpayers should gather all documents, such as Forms W-2 and 1099, and any documents to support tax deductions or credits like education credits or mortgage interest payments. * File electronically. You…

By Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Next Avenue Social Security’s Earnings Test tops my list for our government’s most senseless and personally financially destructive policy. The Earnings Test is a massive tax that isn’t. It’s a tax that’s levied and then secretly returned making no money on balance for the government (as measured on an actuarial present value basis). Its sole purpose is to con Social Security beneficiaries below age 67 into thinking that earning money beyond a di minimis amount will come at a huge loss in current net income as well as lifetime benefits. Here’s how Social Security describes the…