Six bills experts say you shouldn't put on autopay

BNPL's biggest risks include the ability to stack multiple loans simultaneously

Buy now, pay later loans come with some risks, such as the hefty late fees that can add up over time in the case of missed payments. However, personal finance experts say that tactics like reading the fine print can help consumers use these financial tools more safely.

The do's and don'ts of using AI to manage your finances

Experts suggest avoiding asking AI for investment advice, but say it's useful for basic budgeting help. Read this article to learn more.

Should you pay off your student loans early?

While paying off student loans can feel like a big achievement, some experts argue that it’s not a good idea to pay off student debt early if you have to sacrifice retirement or emergency savings to do so.

Managing too many credit cards can be costly if they have annual fees

However, canceling cards must be strategic if it becomes necessary, as it can negatively impact your credit score. Before canceling, experts suggest asking if it's possible to downgrade to a no-annual-fee version in order to keep the account open, thus preventing potential hits to your credit score.

Simple home improvements like proper insulation can reduce winter energy bills

To save money in the colder months, some experts recommend washing your clothes in cold water, using your dishwasher instead of washing dishes by hand, and more. This article lists even more winter money-saving tips.

Some argue that advance payday apps aren't markedly different from payday loans

Some apps, like EarnIn, allow users to get money from their paycheck in advance. These apps access users' banking information, allowing the company to immediately take back any borrowed money and track users' financial situations to evaluate their risk. Unlike traditional payday lenders, these apps often waive the right to sue users who don't pay back the initial principal and don't charge interest, but rather ask users for a tip. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

Read about the situations where a high-yield savings account doesn't make sense

While financial experts often recommend high-yield savings accounts, one expert argues that prioritizing adding more money to one doesn't make sense for someone who has a lot of high-interest debt or isn't taking advantage of their company's 401(k) match.

Gas stations top the list of riskiest places to use a debit card

Unlike credit cards, debit cards withdraw funds directly from your checking account, and federal laws provide fewer consumer protections against debit fraud. Gas station "skimmers" and long periods of separation from the card at restaurants are some of the more vulnerable spots for use.

Four popular budgeting strategies

While budgeting is an individualized process, there are a few tried-and-true budgeting methods people interested in saving money or paying down debt tend to use. These methods include the envelope method—where people budget for things like rent, savings, and food by putting cash in various physical envelopes—the 50/20/30 method, and others. Read about four popular budgeting strategies in this article.

Experts argue some frugal habits—like driving farther for cheaper gas—aren't worth it

Other frugal habits experts suggest might not be worth the squeeze include driving to multiple stores in one trip to hunt for deals, as well as buying everything in bulk.

Customers wrote just one check a year in 2024, on average

Major retailers like Target have stopped accepting checks in recent years as real-time payment systems are increasingly being implemented across the US. This shift is considered an improvement in safety—as checks are vulnerable to fraud—but can lead to some exclusion for those without access to digital devices.

Many 'cheap' retirement destinations contain hidden costs

Considering factors outside of housing and state income tax is crucial when thinking of an inexpensive place to retire. High energy bills, grocery tax, and insurance premiums are just a few things to look out for when picking where to live.

How to owe nothing on your federal tax return

Do you know you can avoid owing the IRS money come tax season by making changes to your W-4? For context, a W-4 is the form you fill out when you first start a new job. It tells your new company how much money to withhold from each paycheck for taxes. Find out how to avoid writing a check to the IRS each April in this article.

Warren Buffett's advice for middle-class investors includes "pay yourself first"

Warren Buffett might not be part of the middle class himself (he's one of the richest people in the world), but he still knows a thing or two about everyday personal finance tips. This article chronicles his six best pieces of advice for the middle class.

Pros and cons of pay transparency

While the benefits of pay transparency may seem plentiful to some, there are a few less obvious downsides. For instance, some argue companies that implement pay transparency could end up hiring fewer people or pitting employees against each other. For a full list of perceived pros and cons of pay transparency, click here.

There are monthly dividend ETFs that pay you to hold them

Traditional dividend stocks and funds pay out quarterly, or four times a year. A select group of stocks and funds pay out monthly, putting cash in investors’ hands 12 times a year. These monthly dividend funds are popular because their regular payouts can help keep budgets on track.

Health savings accounts are designed to alleviate upfront costs for high-deductible health plans

High-deductible insurance plans often have low monthly premiums, but require policyholders to meet a set spending threshold on medical expenses each year before the insurance kicks in. Health savings accounts give high-deductible plan holders a tax-free savings account to balance the high upfront costs that come with an HDHP.

Even high earners are living paycheck to paycheck

While roughly 14% of American households make $200K or more per year, many of them still don't feel rich. For instance, more than 60% of people with salaries over $300K per year still struggle with credit card debt.

9 states still offer prepaid tuition plans

Prepaid tuition plans, a type of 529 plan that locks in tuition rates when opened, are only offered in nine states for new enrollment. In addition to the nine states’ plans, there’s also a national plan for a network of 300 private colleges.

Brush up on your bankruptcy vocab

The technical term for what happens when a court removes a debtor’s obligation to repay money owed is “discharge.” An “automatic stay” is what goes into place once a filing occurs to prevent a debtor from facing lawsuits, evictions, and other negative consequences until the process wraps up.

Why car insurance rates are skyrocketing

The average annual premium for auto insurance coverage in the US rose 26% in 2024, and rates are only expected to increase. The rate hikes aren’t simply a result of more people getting into crashes. This video explores how a lack of trained auto mechanics, a tighter supply of used vehicles, record healthcare bills, and litigation are contributing to higher monthly insurance bills.

Despite electric usage concerns, EV charging accounts for less than 1% of grid load

Other popular myths about EVs include battery failure concerns—failure rates are less than 1% on newer models—and that there are no places to charge cars, though both at-home outlets and more than 77,000 stations on the road are available.

US consumers collectively owe more than $1T to credit card companies—almost as much as they owe in auto loans.

Federal spending falls into 2 categories: mandatory and discretionary

Federal spending is split between mandatory programs, funded automatically by law, and discretionary programs, funded through annual appropriations. This video breaks down which major programs fall into each category and why the distinction matters.

Software subscriptions, licenses, and climate control systems add to 3D printing costs

Although the sharing of designs and reduced manual labor suggested the fabrication of prosthetics would be facilitated by 3D printing, particularly in developing regions, software and hardware requirements have posed hurdles to achieving this goal. While some insurance companies have refused to cover 3D-printed limbs, they are covered by Medicare.

Every printed bill has its own unique serial number

In the US, each bill also has its own plate number, series year, Treasury seal, and more. Each design helps track money and combat counterfeiting.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

To reduce wrinkles in clothing, research recommends gentle wash cycles with more water and tumble drying with smaller loads and longer times.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

Dozens of S&P 500 stocks, including Coca-Cola and Walmart—known as the dividend aristocrats—have increased dividends every year for 25 years

Some renewable energy sources may weaken the resiliency of electric grids by removing outage buffers provided by coal- and natural gas-fired plants, which provide the system with more time to find a new power source if a plant goes down.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

When you complete a CAPTCHA on a website to prove you are human, you may be unknowingly training algorithms for self-driving cars, whose systems require training data to help identify crosswalks, bicycles, and other outdoor objects.

Despite being favored by 87% of Americans, Congress does not have term limits.

Use this tool to calculate the dollar value of your parental mental load, from meal planning to coordinating after-school care, then see resources that help generate solutions.

Mark Twain spent decades feuding with the US Postal Service, convinced its costs and regulations were bureaucratic overreach.

A century of Billboard issues documenting the evolution of popular music.

Hedge funds, the private investment firms that trade a wide swath of financial assets, make money by imposing steep fees on investors and from the fund's investment performance.

Hurricanes, which rely on air consistently spinning in the same direction, cannot cross the equator because air curves in opposite directions north and south of it.

Apeirophobia is an overwhelming fear of living forever, perhaps stemming from the brain's inability to conceptualize an infinite life.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'

Power lines are dotted with large, brightly colored balls to improve the visibility of these thin wires to helicopters and small planes and help prevent potential crashes.

See this overview of the firework rules across all 50 states, ranging from a complete ban on non-professional fireworks in Massachusetts to states with more lax rules like Indiana.

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

Meet the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence—most of whom didn't put pen to paper until August 2, 1776—and see their original signatures.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

Massive 3D printers have been used to build homes by stacking layers of 'concrete toothpaste,' a fire-resistant material that effectively insulates against outside noise.

Brian Wilson wrote the Beach Boys' 'Don't Worry Baby' for the Ronettes, but the legendary girl group rejected it.