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Americans on average spent $3,458 on entertainment in 2022, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Before you decide to cut back on discretionary spending, experts point out why hobbies shouldn’t be the first category to go.

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People often start the year by revisiting their budgets with a resolution to save money and cut back on discretionary spending. Yet, experts say hobbies shouldn’t be the first category to go.
Americans on average spent $3,458 on entertainment in 2022, according to the most recent Consumer Expenditures report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This broad category covers a range of expenses that people consider hobbies, as well as concert tickets and pets.

Costs can vary widely depending on the hobby involved. For instance, after the initial purchase of supplies, gardening runs an average of $70 per person per year, according to Bigger Garden, while Stitch Golf puts the annual costs of golfing at about $2,000 to $2,500.

Spending on activities that bring you joy should not be left in the rearview mirror, experts say. If done wisely, cash spent on your hobbies is money well spent.
“I tell my clients all the time how important self-care is,” said Rebecca Weiler, a licensed mental health counselor in New York City. “It helps people to live longer, it helps people enjoy life more, it gives people something to look forward to.”

How much should you spend on a hobby?

A lot of times, startup costs for hobbies and interests are very expensive, said Weiler. Yet, there are often beginner-friendly alternatives you should take note of before you make bigger purchases.
Research the new sport or creative outlet you’re interested in and find out the basic tools you may need.

Take pickleball, for example: The total cost to play the sport will depend on the type of paddle you choose, athletic shoes and attire, balls, court rental and tournament fees. You can find entry-level paddles between $15 and $50, while higher-end models go upward of $100.
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There may be free or low-cost options you could explore, such as free trials, a reduced introductory fee or even a payment plan. You can also borrow gear from friends while you try out the new hobby or consider rental options. Some libraries also offer access to hobby-related items such as gardening tools, sports equipment and musical instruments.
Start small. “Audit a class versus signing up for a class,” said Weiler. See if the activity is truly something you enjoy before you are financially committed to it.

Don’t finance a new hobby on debt

If you do enjoy the hobby, find a way to make it financially sustainable. “Create an effective, realistic budget that will allow you to start a hobby that makes you happy,” said J.R. George, senior vice president at Trustco Bank.
However, if the hobby requires you to take out debt, tread with caution. While credit cards and loans can be tools to help you reach certain milestones, it may not be in your best interest to take on debt to pay for a new hobby or creative outlet.

“It almost becomes a forced hobby. You feel like you are absolutely forced to do it,” said George.
For example, George has seen some banking clients fall into this pitfall when they take up boating.
You trap yourself in a mindset of “I have this boat, I have to use it,” or “Now I have to do the hobby because I’ve incurred an expense for it,” he added.

Does money spent on hobbies buy happiness?

Another reason to preserve your hobby budget: Such spending may buy happiness.
Several studies have found that people are happier when they spend money on experiences rather than material goods, while researchers at the University of Cambridge found that individuals who spent more on products that match their personality reported higher levels of satisfaction.
“Somebody working really hard at their job who knows they have something to look forward to outside of that will be a better employee,” said Wailer.Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: More

The Covid-19 pandemic resulted in an increase in people looking for love on dating platforms such as Match Group’s Tinder app.
Beata Zawrzel | NurPhoto | Getty Images

Company: Match Group (MTCH)

Business: Match Group provides dating products worldwide. Their portfolio of brands includes Tinder, Match, The League, Azar, Meetic, OkCupid, Hinge, Pairs, Plenty Of Fish and Hakuna, as well as various other brands. Their services are available in over 40 languages to users all over the world.
Stock Market Value: $10.02B ($36.88 per share)

Stock chart icon

Match Group’s performance in the past year

Activist: Elliott Management

Percentage Ownership:  ~9.5%
Average Cost: n/a
Activist Commentary: Elliott is a very successful and astute activist investor. The firm’s team includes analysts from leading tech private equity firms, engineers, operating partners – former technology CEOs and COOs. When evaluating an investment, the firm also hires specialty and general management consultants, expert cost analysts and industry specialists. The firm often watches companies for many years before investing and has an extensive stable of impressive board candidates. Elliott has historically focused on strategic activism in the technology sector and has been very successful with that strategy. However, over the past several years its activism group has grown and evolved, and the firm has been doing a lot more longer-term activism and creating value from a board level at a much larger breadth of companies.

What’s happening

Behind the scenes

Match Group is by far the global leader in online dating apps with over 45 brands, the most notable of which are Tinder and Hinge. Tinder is the most downloaded dating app in the world and accounts for over half of the company’s revenue at approximately $1.9 billion and has over 50% earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization margins, but lackluster growth. Hinge accounts for $400 million of the company’s revenue but has been growing at over 100% per year. This is a market-leading company with an amazing financial profile – growing top line, high EBITDA margins and asset light generating revenue through a subscription model. However, their stock price performance compared to both peers and the broader market has been abysmal, with the stock down over 60% since the company’s separation from IAC in July 2020.

The opportunity here is to get growth back up – it has gone from a 35% compound annual growth rate to high single digits – and to get margins well above 40% from their current level at 36%. The main problem here is oversight, primarily in the form of management turnover. Match Group, the holding company, has had four CEOs in six years. Tinder, the largest business, has had six CEOs in eight years. With the median tenure of a Tinder CEO at one year, it makes it nearly impossible to implement a long-term strategic plan. Moreover, the company has also done some bad strategic deals, including its June 2021 acquisition of Hyperconnect at the top of the market in a deal valued at $1.73 billion, which has already incurred $270 million of impairment charges. So investors have many doubts about the company, including the following: Is this the right leadership team? Is Match a growth or value company? Is Tinder a melting ice cube?
The first thing that needs to be done is getting the right CEO at Tinder to set a decisive long-term vision for the company. Shortly after Elliott’s position was announced, the company named Faye Iosotaluno, who has been Tinder’s chief operating officer since August 2022, as CEO of Tinder, ending a nearly two-year vacancy where the Match CEO also acted as the Tinder CEO. Once the right leader is at the helm of Tinder, a margin restoration should require no more than basic blocking and tackling, particularly since the company has very stable and competent CFO in Gary Swidler who has been there for 8 1/2 years. Next, the company can regain its strong growth with more investing in certain demographics or monetization opportunities around pricing and bundling. This is a lot like the situation Elliott saw at Pinterest – declining user base (like Tinder) and monetization opportunities to pursue. Elliott announced its Pinterest investment in July 2022, went on the board in December 2022 and has had a 113% return there versus 16% for the Russell 2000.
We would expect Elliott would likewise want a seat on the board here. Based on the firm’s experience and history, the board and shareholders should welcome them. In 2023, activists have had some success in 96% of their campaigns, in part because they are not overreaching and instead come in with reasonable asks. That is the case here. If Elliott asks for a board seat, we would expect the company to rather quickly accede. We would be shocked if this went to a proxy fight. However, if it did, it would almost be a foregone conclusion that Elliott receives board representation, given the firm’s track record, the company’s performance, the staggered board and the universal ballot.
Elliott reportedly has an approximate $1 billion position in Match, equating to approximately 9.5%, which likely includes a material amount of cash settled derivatives that the firm does not include as beneficial ownership under 13D rules.
Ken Squire is the founder and president of 13D Monitor, an institutional research service on shareholder activism, and the founder and portfolio manager of the 13D Activist Fund, a mutual fund that invests in a portfolio of activist 13D investments.  More

The fourth-quarter estimated tax deadline is Jan. 16, and you could have a surprise bill or owe a penalty if you don’t send a payment.
You may owe estimated taxes with income from self-employment, small businesses, investments, gig economy work and more.
You can avoid an IRS penalty by paying the lesser of 90% of taxes for 2023 or 100% of your 2022 levies if your adjusted gross income is less than $150,000.

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The fourth-quarter estimated tax deadline is Jan. 16, and you could have a surprise bill or owe a penalty if you don’t send a payment, according to the IRS.
While many employers withhold levies from every paycheck, other income — such as freelancing, small business or investment earnings — requires a separate payment to the IRS.

Generally, you must make quarterly estimated payments for this income if you expect 2023 tax liability of $1,000 or more.
In December, the IRS reminded such taxpayers to make a fourth-quarter tax payment on or before Jan. 16 “to avoid a possible penalty or tax bill when filing in 2024.”
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“By making those payments, you avoid having to pay the IRS even more on April 15,” said certified public accountant Tom Wheelwright, CEO of WealthAbility.
If you miss the estimated tax payment deadline, you may trigger a late penalty of 0.5% of your unpaid balance per month or partial month, up to 25%, plus interest, which is currently 8%.

What to know about the ‘safe harbor’ rules

Filers can avoid an underpayment penalty by following the “safe harbor” guidelines, according to Mark Steber, chief tax information officer at Jackson Hewitt.
You meet the requirements by paying at least 90% of the current year’s tax liability or 100% of last year’s taxes, whichever is smaller.

But if your 2022 adjusted gross income was $150,000 or more, you need to pay the lesser of 90% of the current year’s tax liability or 110% of last year’s taxes to meet the safe harbor requirement for 2023. You can find adjusted gross income on line 11 of Form 1040 from your 2022 tax return.
“A really good tax projection [for 2023] is something that you need to think about right now,” Steber added. 

How to make quarterly estimated tax payments

With limited time until the deadline, “the fastest and easiest” option for remitting funds to the IRS is via electronic payments, according to the agency. Here are your options:

If you pay by sending a check in the mail, Wheelwright recommends sending it via certified mail with a return receipt because you may “have to prove that you made it on time.”

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Companies including Google, Amazon and Citigroup have opened the new year with job cuts.
If you’re newly out of work, experts say it would be wise to make certain moves now to shore up your finances and kick-start your job search.

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The start of 2024 has not been kind to workers in industries that opened the year with layoffs.
Google has cut several hundred jobs in its central engineering, hardware and assistant teams. Amazon is shedding hundreds of positions across its Prime Video, MGM Studios, Twitch livestreaming and Audible divisions.

Tech is not the only sector to make headlines for job cuts. Citigroup is cutting 10% of its workforce amid a corporate overhaul.
Recent U.S. Department of Labor data shows layoffs have been hovering near historic lows — and experts say getting laid off no longer has the same stigma it once did.
“Being let go from a job is not as taboo as it once was years ago,” said Scott Dobroski, career trends expert at Indeed.

“There’s a variety of changes going on in the world of work. There have been a number of layoffs across the nation,” he said.
The following steps can help you shore up your finances and kick-start your job search.

1. Calculate severance pay, unused time off

You may receive a severance package from your employer or get paid for unused time off. Keep in mind that such time may be prorated based on the time of year, rather than your full annual allotment.
Find out when you might get your last paycheck and how the pay schedule works to better gauge the size of that deposit, advised Ted Jenkin, a certified financial planner and CEO of oXYGen Financial, a financial advisory and wealth management firm based in Atlanta. Jenkin is also a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council.
If you’re able to find a new job quickly, you may be able to bank the severance pay, he noted.
Also be sure to file for unemployment benefits right away, because getting approved can take weeks.

2. Consult with experts on your exit

3. Book important medical appointments

Now is a great time to get in any doctor’s appointments you need to make if you still have your employer-provided plan and flexible spending account, and before COBRA kicks in.
That should include dental and vision care, if possible, Jenkin said.

4. Take stock of any 401(k) loans you’ve taken

If you have taken a loan from your 401(k), check with your retirement plan provider to see what will happen to that balance after a job loss, Jenkin said.
Some plans may require the loan be paid back within 90 days, while others may allow you to roll the loan to a new 401(k), for example.
“If that loan is not paid back, it can become taxable income,” Jenkin said.

5. Use tools to boost your job search

The amount of work it takes to find a new job can be greatly reduced if you use technological tools, according to Dobroski.
Let your social media connections know you are looking for work. Also be sure to update profiles on job search sites with your skills, experience and what you want in a new role.
Using those tools may help you discover roles you may not have otherwise considered, said Dobroski, who has seen bank tellers transition to sales executives after finding the role was also a fit for their skill set.
“We’ve seen some people get jobs quicker and earn salaries of upward of $30,000, $35,000 or more because they’re finding a job that way,” Dobroski said.

6. Commit to at least one daily job-hunting task

Searching for a job can admittedly be an exhausting and frustrating process.
To keep yourself on track, a good rule of thumb is to commit to doing one thing every day, Dobroski said.
That may include updating your resume, applying for a specific job, creating a new profile on a job search website or talking to a mentor.

7.  Perfect your resume and other materials

As you revise your resume, be sure to include any new achievements or skills that could put you at the top of an employer’s list of job candidates.
Be sure to highlight transferable skills, Salemi said, such as the ability to lead with empathy, handle deadline-driven work and operate under a company’s budget. Looking at past performance reviews can help jog your memory, she suggested.
As news of layoffs continues to make headlines, keep in mind that new opportunities are still abundant.
“With the unemployment numbers at 3.7%, clearly there are still a lot of jobs that are out there,” Jenkin said.Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: More

The bitcoin funds that launched Thursday are using a share redemption process that turns the underlying crypto into cash.
While the rules around share redemption do not directly affect the smaller trades that retail investors do in brokerage accounts, they come into play for the execution of larger trades made by institutions.

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pushed for bitcoin exchange-traded funds to have a key difference from major stock funds, and that decision’s effect on how the funds trade will only become clear over time.
The bitcoin funds that launched Thursday are using a share redemption process that turns the underlying crypto into cash. Most ETFs primarily use an in-kind redemption process, where the underlying asset does not have to be actually sold.

While the rules around share redemption do not directly affect the smaller trades that retail investors do in brokerage accounts, they come into play for the execution of larger trades made by institutions.
There is some concern that using the cash-only redemption model could make the plumbing of the ETFs less efficient.
“It could be that certain funds are capable of getting better execution prices than others. The other thing is that those trading costs, whether it be transaction costs or the market impact type costs that aren’t necessarily quantifiable, those costs are now borne by investors,” said Bryan Armour, director of passive strategies research for North America at Morningstar.
In-kind redemptions are typically used by major equity funds and, as crypto asset manager Grayscale pointed out in a presentation to the SEC, commodities funds. Using cash-only redemption could result in ETFs that have weaker liquidity and wider bid-ask spreads, Grayscale argued.
But Steven McClurg, chief investment officer at Valkyrie, said the situation may be more analogous to fixed income ETFs, where cash redemption is more common because the authorized market participants working with the funds may be more comfortable with that process.

“In this situation, there’s a lot of APs that don’t have the ability to transact in bitcoin. If it was an in-kind model, then it would throw a lot of advantage toward the APs that do have that ability. … We want as many market makers and authorized participants in these products as possible, because that makes for better markets,” McClurg said.
From a regulatory perspective, the decision to only allow cash redemptions simplifies the chain of custody for bitcoin and removes broker-dealers from the process, said Jeremy Senderowicz, an attorney and shareholder at Vedder Price, a firm that specializes in ETFs.
SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a statement Wednesday that broker-dealers are still expected to follow best interest regulations with regard to crypto products, a potential sign that the SEC is wary of those firms becoming directly involved with these funds.
The good news for investors is that the cash-redemption process should not change the tax treatment of the funds, even though cash redemptions are more generally associated with mutual funds than ETFs. Many investors and financial advisors choose to use ETFs because the funds give them more control over when to create tax events.
“These things are taxed as grantor trusts. Consensus is that when an AP is redeemed for cash, the tax consequences only accrue to that AP. So it is not like cash redemptions on mutual funds and regular 40-Act ETFs where, to the extent that it’s a cash transaction, taxable income stemming from fund transactions is passed through to all the shareholders,” Senderowicz said.Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: More

The Biden administration is forgiving student debt for some borrowers earlier than expected.
If you can answer “yes” to these three questions, you likely qualify.

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One of the major benefits of the Biden administration’s new student loan repayment plan is that it cancels the debt for certain borrowers — those who took out $12,000 or less — after a decade in repayment. Under the old plans, loan forgiveness didn’t come until 20 years or 25 years of payments.
On Friday, the administration announced some additional good news for these borrowers: It will move to cancel the debt for those eligible as soon as February, nearly six months ahead of schedule.

The U.S. Department of Education also said it will try to get as many qualifying borrowers to sign up for its Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan, starting Friday, “particularly those who may be able eligible for immediate forgiveness.”
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“This action will particularly help community college borrowers, low-income borrowers, and those struggling to repay their loans,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “And, it’s part of our ongoing efforts to act as quickly as possible to give more borrowers breathing room so they can get out from under the burden of student loan debt, move on with their lives and pursue their dreams.”
So who exactly qualifies for this relief? Here’s what we know.

How forgiveness under the SAVE plan works

When the Biden administration created its new SAVE plan, which it billed to student loan borrowers as “the most affordable repayment plan ever created,” it offered more favorable terms to certain people.

While the usual timeline for loan forgiveness would be 20 years or 25 years, those who took out $12,000 or less in their undergraduate or graduate postsecondary studies would get any remaining debt erased after just a decade.
As of early January, 6.9 million borrowers were enrolled in the new SAVE plan, according to the Education Dept. People were first able to sign up for the plan last August.

Due to the timeline of regulator changes, however, some of the provisions of the new program weren’t expected to go into effect until this summer. Those include the reduction of monthly payments for undergraduate borrowers from 10% of discretionary income to 5%, and the shortened timeline to forgiveness for those with small balances.
The latter benefit is what the Biden administration is implementing earlier, promising eligible borrowers the relief as soon as next month.

Which borrowers may benefit from early forgiveness

If you can answer “yes” to these three questions, you likely qualify:

Are you enrolled in the SAVE plan?
Did you borrow $12,000 or less in student loans?
Have you been in repayment for a decade or longer?

If you’re not currently signed up for the SAVE plan, experts recommend you do so as soon as possible to expedite your forgiveness. Months during the pandemic-era payment pause count on the 10-year timeline, whether or not you were paying down your student debt.Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: More

The Biden administration announced on Friday it would soon begin forgiving the student loans of borrowers who have been in repayment for a decade or more and originally took out $12,000 or less.
To qualify for the relief, borrowers will also need to be enrolled in administration’s new Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan.
Borrowers could see the relief as early as next month.

US President Joe Biden speaks at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, on January 5, 2024.
Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images

The Biden administration announced on Friday it would soon begin forgiving the student loans of borrowers who have been in repayment for a decade or more and originally took out $12,000 or less.
To qualify for the relief, which could come as early as next month, borrowers will also need to be enrolled in the administration’s new Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan.

“Borrowers enrolled in SAVE who are eligible for early forgiveness will have their debts cancelled immediately starting next month, with no action on their part,” the U.S. Department of Education said.
The Department also said it was kicking off an outreach and email campaign to get as many eligible borrowers as possible to sign up for its SAVE plan, so that they may benefit from this relief too. As of early January, 6.9 million borrowers were enrolled in what the administration has billed to student loan borrowers as “the most affordable repayment plan ever created.”
“Today’s announcement will help struggling borrowers who have been making loan payments for years, including many who never graduated from college,” said Under Secretary James Kvaal said in a statement. “Giving borrowers with smaller loans a faster path to being debt free will help many borrowers avoid financial distress and have peace of mind.”
Under the SAVE plan, the usual timeline for student loan borrowers to get forgiveness is 20 years or 25 years. The 10-year period applies to those who took out $12,000 or less in undergraduate or graduate postsecondary studies. More

A Vanguard spokeswoman told CNBC that the asset management giant has no plans to create a bitcoin ETF of its own, or to even offer funds from other issuers on its trading platform.
Vanguard is one of two dominant players in the U.S. ETF market.
Its chief rival BlackRock has entered the bitcoin space, with the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) launching Thursday.

Pavlo Gonchar | Lightrocket | Getty Images

More than a dozen financial firms are involved in new bitcoin exchange-traded funds that began trading Thursday, but one of the biggest fund issuers and money managers in the world still won’t touch cryptocurrency.
A Vanguard spokeswoman told CNBC that the asset management giant has no plans to create a bitcoin ETF of its own, or to even offer funds from other issuers on its trading platform.

“While we continuously evaluate our brokerage offer and evaluate new product entries to the market, spot Bitcoin ETFs will not be available for purchase on the Vanguard platform. We also have no plans to offer Vanguard Bitcoin ETFs or other crypto-related products,” the statement said.
“Our perspective is that these products do not align with our offer focused on asset classes such as equities, bonds, and cash, which Vanguard views as the building blocks of a well-balanced, long-term investment portfolio,” the statement continued.
Vanguard is one of two dominant players in the U.S. ETF market. Its chief rival BlackRock has entered the bitcoin space, with the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) launching Thursday.
Vanguard, headquartered just outside Philadelphia, has earned a reputation for being a low cost, and more conservative investment manager. Under its founder, Jack Bogle, Vanguard helped to drive down costs for investors starting in the 1970s by introducing passive stock index funds that tracked broader markets and, on average, outperformed highly paid active managers. It also constantly lowered its fees.
Bogle died in 2019 and Vanguard now oversees more than $8 trillion in assets but still operates using many of its founder’s more cautious beliefs.Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: More