The week's best financial advice
Three top pieces of financial advice — from growing your health savings to not overpaying for wireless service
Here are three of the week's top pieces of financial advice, gathered from around the web:
Growing your health savings
If your employer offers only limited options for investing your health savings account dollars, "you aren't trapped," said Kimberly Lankford at Kiplinger. HSAs are a great way to pay for medical expenses if you have high-deductible insurance, since the money goes in sheltered from income taxes, grows tax deferred, and then can be withdrawn tax free. But not all employers offer plans that allow you to invest your savings. The good news is that you can contribute to any HSA, even one that isn't offered through your employer. The downside is that if you don't contribute through payroll deductions, you might have to pay a portion of Social Security and Medicare tax on contributions. A good compromise is to take advantage of your employer's HSA and then transfer the funds once or twice a year to an HSA with better investing options.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
How the Fed stiffed savers
"The past 10 years have been very good for investors, but not so much for savers," said Jeff Cox at CNBC. Since 2006, the S&P 500 has surged more than 60 percent — and more than 200 percent if you calculate from 2009. That growth has been partly fueled by the Federal Reserve's ultra-low interest rates, which encourage people to pull their money out of savings and invest it in stocks. How much have savers lost as a result? Nearly $8 billion over the past decade, according to personal finance site NerdWallet, which studied both the effect of lower interest rates on savings-account earnings and the resulting drop in what people socked away. With the Fed now expected to raise rates only twice this year, down from an initial estimate of four, "it probably will be years before savers see significant rewards."
Overpaying for wireless service
"You're probably paying too much for your mobile phone service," said Olga Kharif and Scott Moritz at Bloomberg. Between 50 and 70 percent of Americans overpay for their mobile plans, according to Consumer Reports. Analysts there say consumers "should be paying no more than $50 per phone line." However, wireless consumers "tend to be loyal to a fault." A survey of 90,000 mobile phone subscribers found that only 6 percent switched providers in the last year. Half of those who did saved $20 or more per month. Some carriers even offer special prices to subscribers threatening to leave. But it's up to consumers to stay on top of the offers.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why more and more adults are reaching for soft toys
Under The Radar Does the popularity of the Squishmallow show Gen Z are 'scared to grow up'?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
The pros and cons of noncompete agreements
The Explainer The FTC wants to ban companies from binding their employees with noncompete agreements. Who would this benefit, and who would it hurt?
By Peter Weber Published
-
What experts are saying about the economy's surprise contraction
The Explainer The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
The death of cities was greatly exaggerated
The Explainer Why the pandemic predictions about urban flight were wrong
By David Faris Published
-
The housing crisis is here
The Explainer As the pandemic takes its toll, renters face eviction even as buyers are bidding higher
By The Week Staff Published
-
How to be an ally to marginalized coworkers
The Explainer Show up for your colleagues by showing that you see them and their struggles
By Tonya Russell Published
-
What the stock market knows
The Explainer Publicly traded companies are going to wallop small businesses
By Noah Millman Published
-
Can the government save small businesses?
The Explainer Many are fighting for a fair share of the coronavirus rescue package
By The Week Staff Published
-
How the oil crash could turn into a much bigger economic shock
The Explainer This could be a huge problem for the entire economy
By Jeff Spross Published