Katherine Peach

4 days ago | money.com | Martha C. White |Katherine Peach

Retail sales surged last month as Americans binge-bought everything from lawnmowers to lacrosse sticks ahead of widespread tariffs. The Commerce Department released data on Wednesday that showed a big jump in the amount of money Americans spent in March. Overall retail sales rose 1.4% from a month earlier. Economists had expected a 1.2% increase, which would have been high for a month-to-month reading. The actual data blew past that estimation.

5 days ago | money.com | Julia Glum |Katherine Peach

Spring cleaning is a centuries-old tradition aimed at trashing the old and ushering in the new. With vibes high (and melatonin levels low), it's an opportunity to wipe away the vestiges of winter and welcome warmer weather with open arms. But while you're Cloroxing the bathroom, washing the linens and decluttering the junk drawer, you can't neglect your money. Here are five easy ways to spring-clean your finances so you're well-positioned for the rest of 2025.

6 days ago | money.com | Pete Grieve |Katherine Peach

The amount of money Americans think is necessary to retire decreased over the past year as inflation cooled, easing fears about retirement costs spiraling out of control. The shift was observed in an annual Northwestern Mutual survey that asks about respondents' "magic number" for retirement. On average, people believe they'll need $1.26 million, a significant decrease from last year, when the estimate was $1.46 million.

1 week ago | money.com | Adam Hardy |Katherine Peach

For many workers, saving for retirement is a chore, given how complex managing workplace plans can be. However, new research shows that automating key administrative aspects of the process could have life-changing benefits for millions of Americans. By streamlining 401(k)s, the share of account holders who can afford to retire jumps from 62.8% to 67.6%, a recent analysis from the nonprofit Employee Benefits Research Institute, or EBRI, finds.

1 week ago | money.com | Julia Glum |Katherine Peach

If you've been procrastinating on filing your taxes — and who hasn't? — you may want to get moving. The deadline is Tuesday. As of March 28, just 89.6 million of the 140 million expected individual income tax returns had been filed to the IRS. (Remember: These tax returns are for the 2024 year, even though we're in the 2025 tax filing season.) That means it's crunch time for a huge swath of Americans. Don't waste precious seconds searching the web for answers to your tax questions.