Stacker-Personal Finance & Investing

  Saving money can feel like a far-off financial goal. With so many pressing needs and expenses, savings goals can end up on the backburner. However, a strategy known as microsaving could help you stay the course and ensure your savings habit sticks. Ally Financial explains how microsaving works and tips to get started.  What

  Gas prices are taking a bigger bite out of household budgets than they were a year ago. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the national average retail price for regular gasoline was $4.157 per gallon for the week of Sept. 7, 2026, compared with $3.192 per gallon for the comparable week in

  The TD 2026 Love & Money Survey shows that financial pressure is affecting far more than household budgets. Americans say money is influencing how they communicate with partners, when they pursue major life milestones, how often they rely on family support and how confident they feel about their financial future. Despite these pressures, TD

  Americans overpay an estimated $54 billion a year on their car loans, according to an analysis from Caribou. Most drivers don’t shop around for auto loan rates the way they would for a mortgage, and that often means they pay more than they need to. Refinancing an auto loan gives drivers a chance to

  As of July 1, 2026, federal student loan plans like Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) are being replaced by two new options: the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) and the Tiered Standard Plan. Picking between RAP or Tiered Standard isn’t just a loan decision. Whatever you commit to

  If you’ve never switched natural gas suppliers before, the idea can feel bigger than it actually is. Will your gas get shut off for a day? Will a crew need to dig up your yard? Will you end up with two bills and a headache? None of that happens. Choosing a new natural gas

  Credit cards were once reserved for emergencies or big purchases. For a growing share of Americans, they’ve become the default way to pay for groceries. A 2026 survey of 2,000 U.S. adults with at least $10,000 in unsecured debt, conducted by Atomik Research for Accredited Debt Relief, found that 66% have used a credit

  Dropping a child off for freshman year at college and officially becoming empty nesters is the kind of milestone that sneaks up on parents even when you’ve had a lifetime of warning. Looking ahead to the milestones still to come as children move further into adulthood, one that most parents don’t give much thought

  Since crypto first dominated the headlines in 2021, owning bitcoin and other tokens has become associated with living in a handful of geographic hot spots. New York is now a hub for crypto startups, Silicon Valley is home to blockchain engineers, Texas attracted miners and Miami has transformed into the center for major crypto

  Streaming, storage, fitness, dating apps, even the heated seats in some cars — nearly everything has a subscription cost now. A worthy goal may be to cancel just one subscription this month. Better yet, redirecting that subscription money into a retirement account (like an individual retirement account) is a small way to get more

  Carrying a credit card balance can be stressful. Even if you’re making regular monthly payments, you may feel like you’re barely making a dent. If that sounds like you, Ally Financial shares some useful methods and a simple calculator to help you strategize paying off your debt more quickly. How to use a credit

  When the U.S. and Iran stepped back from the brink in June 2026, the markets calmed almost overnight. Retail investors did not. MarketWise surveyed 1,006 U.S. retail investors to see how they were processing the whiplash, and the mood that came back was less relief than suspicion. Most weren’t buying the rebound, at least

  Moving can mean a fresh start, but for many Americans, it comes with a financial hangover. A July 2026 survey from Intuit Credit Karma of 1,029 American adults found that more than a third of American adults (35%) who’ve moved in the past five years took on debt to do so. The figure climbs

  A new report provides a snapshot of average American debt, based on a July 2026 study of more than 107.3 million Intuit Credit Karma members with a combined overall debt of more than $10.6 trillion. The report is not a comprehensive view of debt across the entire U.S. population. Overall debt is defined as

  Whether you’re building an emergency fund, saving for a home, paying down debt, or investing for retirement, Federal Reserve interest rate decisions can affect all of these life moments, though not always in the same way. For example, a higher rate might work in your favor if you’re earning interest on your savings, but

  Parents always brace themselves for the list of required school supplies, new shoes, clothing, electronics and boxes of tissues that come knocking on their door. Finder examined how back-to-school spending is predicted to hit a new record high this year. Back-to-school spending estimates for 2026 are in Parents with kids in elementary through high

  Debt is a way to cover an expense and pay for it over time. Sometimes it can be exciting to go into debt (think new car or a home). It’s not so fun to struggle with credit card bills that never seem to end. In a perfect world, debt is a tool that helps