The Financial Stability Roadmap

Everything you need to know about money in a pandemic-focused economy

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What To Do If You’ve Been Unemployed for More Than a Year: 5 Ways To Get Your Career Back on Track

Despite all the headlines about how today's tight labor market has employers handing over CEO pay packages to any applicant with a pulse, it's not quite that easy — especially if you're just now climbing back onto the horse after a year or more out of the game. If you're feeling overwhelmed about where to begin after a long spell on the sidelines of the labor force, don't worry — GOBankingRates asked the experts to point you in the right direction. Read: These 10 Career Fields Are Adding the Most WFH Jobs in 2021 Find Out: 22 Tips for Landing a Job…

By Andrew Lisa

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How To Pivot Your Retirement Plan If You’re Behind on Savings

By Sam DiSalvo

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How To Recover After a Long Stretch of Bad Financial Luck

By Andrew Lisa

A woman sits at her dining room table with laptop and financial reports doing her monthly budget.

How To Create a Budget — and Stick To It — This Month

By Gabrielle Olya

Female millennials & New Ways of Investing.

Where To Invest Your Money When Inflation Is High — and What Investments To Avoid

By Vance Cariaga

Staying on Top of Your Personal Finances

Don’t Splurge Just Yet

Determine Your New ‘Normal’

When to Refinance

Stick to Your Budget

7 Areas Where You Should Continue To Be Financially Conservative While the Economy Recovers

By Andrew Lisa

Young woman preparing home budget, using laptop and calculator.

How To Determine Your New ‘Financial Normal’ After the Pandemic

By Andrew Lisa

Why It’s Still Worth Refinancing Your Mortgage Now — Except in This Situation

By John Csiszar

How To Curb Your ‘World Reopening’ Spending

By Nicole Spector

A Closer Look

Save For Your Future

Small Business Recovery

Portrait shot of mature woman teaching English to her students through video call, in front of her laptop at home , during Covid 19 lockdown.

Small-Business Ideas for a Post-Pandemic World

Now that many states and countries are open and dropping mandates, most people are back to thinking about where they'll travel, who they'll visit and which restaurants they'll eat at. Those with the entrepreneurial fire, however, are doing what they always do in good times and bad — sniffing out the hidden opportunity. Support Small Biz: Nominate Your Favorite Small Business To Be Featured in GOBankingRates' 2022 Small Business SpotlightRead: 22 Side Gigs That Can Make You Richer Than a Full-Time Job No one can predict the future, but experts with instincts and experience can make very educated guesses on…

By Andrew Lisa

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How Small-Business Struggles Hurt All Americans

People tend to think of America as a country of big corporations — and at one time, it was. Today, however, small businesses are the beating heart of life in the United States. 2021 Small Business Spotlight: Check Out Our Small Business Stories, Plus the Nominated Businesses Near You Related: Small-Business Industries Hurt Most by the Pandemic "Small businesses are the engine of economic growth in America," said economist Peter C. Earle, Research Fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research. "In the 1950s, people used to say 'as goes General Motors, so goes the United States.' Today, and certainly for…

By Andrew Lisa

How This Southern Coffee Shop Is Branching Out After Major Pandemic Hardships

We here at GOBankingRates want to help get our nation's small businesses back on their feet after the COVID-19 pandemic. To do that, we're highlighting readers' favorite small businesses around the country, and shining a spotlight on what makes them special to their customers and their towns. 2021 Small Business Spotlight: Check Out Our Small Business Stories, Plus the Nominated Businesses Near You In this edition of our Small Business Spotlight series, we're featuring Ravenwood Coffee & Creations in Clarksville, Tennessee, a family-run business that offers locally roasted coffee and hand-blended herbal teas, sells local art and other creations from…

By Gabrielle Olya

5 Amazing Small Businesses That Lasted Through the Pandemic

By Casey Bond

A Pandemic Job Loss Inspired This Tennessee Coffee Shop Owner — and Now Business Is Booming

By Gabrielle Olya

A Midwest Handmade Bow Company Brings Extra Sparkle to Customers Who Helped It Through the Pandemic

By Gabrielle Olya

This Alabama Baker Is Bringing a Slice of Heaven Down to Earth

By Gabrielle Olya

Saving for the Future

Emergency Fund: How To Start and Build Yours

An emergency fund is money set aside to pay for an emergency situation or unexpected expense that isn't included in your everyday budget. Not having this type of fund in place could easily decimate your budget for months to come, especially if you suddenly have to pay hundreds of dollars for a medical expense or car repair. And if the prospect of having to come up with extra money to cover unexpected expenses alarms you, you're not alone: 37% of American families would struggle to cover an emergency expense of $400, according to the Federal Reserve. To help avoid a…

By Cynthia Measom

27 Best Strategies To Get the Most Out of Your 401(k)

Financial resolutions are common, including saving more for retirement. For many people, a 401(k) is their main retirement savings vehicle, so it's important to make sure to get the most out of it. Find Out: 50 Ways You're Throwing Money Away See: Costco and 23 Companies With Surprisingly Great 401(k) Plans For those who want to make saving for retirement a priority in 2021 and beyond, see how you can increase your 401(k). Last updated: Oct. 20, 2021

By Roger Wohlner

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10 Easy Ways To Save $400 Every Month

By Cynthia Measom

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8 Best Oil Stocks of 2022

By David Granahan

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What Do the Top 10 States Suffering Most From Inflation Have in Common?

By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy

silhouette form of bear on financial stock market graph represent stock market crash or down trend investment.

7 Things Every Person with a Retirement Plan Needs to Know About a Bear Market

By Vance Cariaga

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7 Industries That Are Recession-Proof

By Cameron Huddleston

Are you retirement ready?

Getting Back to Work

10 US Cities With Plenty of Jobs and Cheap Housing

With many American families struggling with high rent, credit card debt and student loans, as well as a global pandemic, it might be difficult to find an affordable place to lay down roots. Finding a place to live with good-paying jobs and affordable housing is certainly a delicate balance. Many U.S. cities have one or the other, with American families assuming that a city with decent wages will come with high housing costs. But luckily, there are plenty of cities that offer the best of both worlds. Find Out: 50 Cities Where It's Cheaper To Buy a Home Than Rent Read…

By Jordan Rosenfeld

These 7 Side Hustle Apps Will Make You Extra Cash

If you're looking to earn some extra cash without having to compromise your schedule, there are several side hustle apps you may want to consider. With these money-making apps, you can get started quickly with little to no initial costs. Whether you're looking for gig economy jobs or just want an app that can earn you extra cash, there's something out there for you. While these apps may not make you rich, it's worth taking a look at some of the easy ways of earning money just by using your phone. 7 Best Side Hustle Apps to Make Money Here…

By Lydia Kibet

How Much You Really Take Home From a $100K Salary in Every State

Making a six-figure salary is something many of us aspire to do. However, even if your salary is $100,000, you will take home a lot less home after taxes. Read: 10 Ways To Bounce Back From a Heavy Spending Month on Your Credit Card Budgeting Advice: 25 Secrets Every Rich Person Knows In addition to federal income taxes and FICA deductions, you might have to pay state and local taxes, depending on where you live. Each state has its own tax brackets and rates, so how much gets taken out of your paycheck varies by state. Where does your state rank? Last…

By Jami Farkas

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Top Mistakes Remote Job Seekers Make on Their Resumes

It turns out that a whole lot of people who got a taste of remote work during the pandemic have no intention of going back to the office without a fight. A recent study from FlexJobs found that a full 65% of employees now want to work from home full time while the other third prefer a hybrid schedule. Nearly three out of five were ready to quit immediately if working from home was no longer an option post-pandemic. Read: Companies That Let You Work From Anywhere See: When These Big Companies Are Planning To Return To the Office In…

By Andrew Lisa

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27 Most Lucrative Side Gigs for People Over 50

If you think the side hustle was born to serve the millennial generation, that might be true. Everywhere you turn these days, it seems like millennials — ages 23 to 38 — have at least one additional way that they make money other than their main job. See: 8 Items Around Your Home That May Be Worth More Than You ThinkRead: 25 Things To Sell When You're Ready To Retire But other age groups besides millennials are interested in side jobs as ways to make extra money, too. Baby boomers — or adults ages 55 to 73 — are also getting their hustle on, whether…

By Cynthia Measom

The Biggest Salary Negotiation Mistakes You’re Making

With the COVID-19 pandemic still going strong, it’s a very tough time to be looking for a new job. But don’t let the struggle inhibit you from doing what you can to get good pay and benefits. Even in a shaky economy, hiring managers expect candidates to negotiate terms. Good To Know: 20 Jobs Where You Can Make $60,000 Out of College “(E)ven with a much larger group of applicants, finding the right candidate for the role is more important than ever,” said Cynthia Spraggs, CEO of Virtira and author of "How To Work From Home And Actually Get SH*T…

By Nicole Spector

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