Personal Finance News

As shoppers spread out their holiday purchases amid ongoing concerns about Covid, more consumers are tapping so-called buy now, pay later services. As many as 56% of shoppers have made a purchase with “buy now, pay later” services they couldn’t pay off, according to one recent survey. CNBC reports:

Americans are spending a little less this holiday season — but still more than they can afford.

Total spending on Black Friday, both in stores and online, fell slightly from a year ago — the first decline on record — in part because holiday shoppers started their shopping earlier in face of supply chain setbacks and shipping delays.

All in, consumers plan to spend $997.73 on average for themselves and their families this year, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual survey, down from the pre-pandemic high of $1,047.83 hit in 2019.

And for the first time, about 45%, of shoppers plan to use “buy now, pay later,” or BNPL, services for their holiday shopping to spread out their expenses, according to a recent report by Cardify, which polled more than 2,000 adults.

Millions of Americans are leaving their jobs these days — and they don’t always have another one lined up. Whether it’s due to burnout, a desire for more flexibility or better pay, or the pursuit of an entirely different career, saying “I quit” can have long-term financial implications. CNN Business writes:

Here’s what you need to know if you are considering quitting without another job offer: 

Do a quick gut check 

It’s a good time to be a job seeker, but make sure you are leaving for the right reasons. “The grass is very often not necessarily greener,” said Tami Simon, a corporate consulting leader at employee benefits firm Segal. “Take the time to really think about what your own motivations are, and the real reason why you are thinking about leaving your job as opposed to just following a trend.” If you are looking to leave because you’re seeking more flexibility, money, responsibility or you want to learn new skills, now’s the time to ask your current employer.

Timing is everything

Remember all that paperwork that you got when you started the job? It likely includes information about any potential financial impacts of quitting. Simon suggests reviewing your original offer letter, compensation arrangements and the employee manual before you announce your departure. “What are you contractually bound to?” Sometimes benefits are awarded based on how long you’ve been with the employer, and offers could also include non-compete clauses or clawbacks of signing bonuses or other incentives if you resign before a certain period of time.

American households are carrying record amounts of debt as home and auto prices surge, Covid infections continue to fall and people get out their credit cards again. CNN Business reports:

Between July and September, US household debt climbed to a new record of $15.24 trillion, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said Tuesday.It was an increase of 1.9%, or $286 billion, from the second quarter of the year.

“As pandemic relief efforts wind down, we are beginning to see the reversal of some of the credit card balance trends seen during the pandemic,” such as lower spending in favor of paying down debt balances, said Donghoon Lee, research officer at the New York Fed.

Now that the stimulus sugar rush has worn off, consumers are going back to their old ways of spending with their credit cards. Credit card balances rose by $17 billion, just as they had during the second quarter. But they’re still $123 bullion lower than at the end of 2019 before the pandemic hit.

Mortgages, which are the largest component of household debt, rose by $230 billion last quarter and totaled $10.67 trillion.Auto loans and student loan balances also increased, rising by $28 billion and $14 billion, respectively.Even though credit card debt has yet to get back to its pre-pandemic level, total debt is already $1.1 trillion higher than at the end of 2019.

Record growth in home prices has made owning a home less affordable than at any point since the financial crisis. The median American household would need 32.1% of its income to cover mortgage payments on a median-priced home, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. That is the most since November 2008, when the same outlays would eat up 34.2% of income. The Wall Street Journal reports:

Supercharged home prices in markets across the country are canceling out the impact of modestly higher incomes and historically low interest rates, two factors that typically make owning a home more affordable. Prices rose at a record pace for the fourth consecutive month in July, driven by a shortage of houses for sale. Higher prices require buyers to take out larger loans, essentially signing them up to make larger mortgage payments each month for years.

The Atlanta Fed calculates affordability using a three-month average of median home prices from CoreLogic Inc. and median household incomes based on census data. In July, the latest month in the Atlanta Fed’s calculations, median home prices were $342,350, up 23% from the year before. Median incomes were $67,031, up 3%.

Declining affordability will have the biggest impact on buyers shopping for their first homes, who will have to sign up for larger monthly payments, buy less desirable homes or step back from the market altogether, economists said.

The wealthiest 1% of Americans controlled about $41.52 trillion in the first quarter, according to Federal Reserve data released Monday. Yet the bottom 50% of Americans only controlled about $2.62 trillion collectively, which is roughly 16 times less than those in the top 1%. CNBC reports:

Wealth across all U.S. households increased during the first quarter. Overall, the net worth of households and nonprofits rose to $136.9 trillion during the first quarter, a 3.8% increase from the end of 2020, according to separate data published by the Federal Reserve on June 10, 2021. But those gains weren’t distributed equally.

The recent gains in household wealth, in particular, can be largely attributed to stock holdings, which were up about $3.2 trillion, according to the Fed. The rise in home values also played a role, with real estate holdings increasing by $1 trillion.

But some critics contend that the Fed’s low interest rate policieshave boosted the stock market, giving an edge to those who own stocks and investments. The wealthiest 10% of Americans, for example, own about 89% of stocks and mutual funds held in the U.S. as of the first quarter of 2021, according to Fed data. The bottom 50% of U.S. households hold around 0.5%.

Some 931 million tons of it went to waste in 2019, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Individual households were responsible for more than half of that, with the rest coming from retailers and the food service industry. New estimates show that about 17% of food available to consumers worldwide that year ended up being wasted. The matter is even more urgent when considered alongside another UN analysis that tracks the problem further up the supply chain, and shows 14% of food production is lost before it reaches stores. Waste is happening at every point, from the field to the dinner table.

Food waste and loss are responsible for as much as 10% of global emissions, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. If it were a country, this discard would rank third in the ranking of the world’s sources of greenhouse gases, after China and the U.S. Among the most effective climate solutions, non-profit Project Drawdown ranks cutting food waste ahead of moving to electric cars and switching to plant-based diets. Thursday’s UNEP report suggests the amount of food wasted by consumers could be about double the previous estimate. The analysis conducted by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization in 2011 relied on data from fewer countries.

Now that the pandemic is starting to come to an end and you are left with the question of how to get your finance back on track? You are not alone! Looking for easy ways to cut down your debt? Put some easy strategies and habits in place to improve your finance picture.

Before you start repaying debt, take a moment to identify the kind of debt you have — whether it’s credit card debt, student loan debt, mortgage debt or something else — and determine how much debt you have. Understanding the type and amounts of your loans can help you come up with a personalized plan for debt payoff.

Here are 10 ways to pay off debt:

• Create a budget. Pay off the most expensive debt first.
• Pay more than the minimum balance.
• Take advantage of balance transfers.
• Halt your credit card spending.
• Put work bonuses toward debt.
• Delete credit card information from online stores.
• Sell unwanted gifts and household items.
• Refinance high interest rate loans.
• Reward yourself when you reach milestones.

This is the easiest one for homeowners. Refinance your current mortgage and lower your monthly payments. It is like giving yourself a raise! If you could use an additional $200-$500 per month, this may be an option for you!