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The Federal Reserve is likely to hold interest rates steady on Jan. 29 at the end of its two-day meeting.
In his first week in office, President Donald Trump said he’ll “demand that interest rates drop immediately.”
High interest rates have affected all sorts of consumer borrowing costs, from auto loans to credit cards. 

The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady at the end of its two-day meeting next week, despite President Donald Trump’s comments Thursday that he’ll “demand that interest rates drop immediately.”
So far, the central bank has moved slowly to recalibrate policy after hiking its key benchmark 5.25 percentage points between 2022 and 2023 in an effort to fight inflation, which is still running above the Fed’s 2% mandate. On the campaign trail, Trump said inflation and high interest rates are “destroying our country.”

But for consumers struggling under the weight of high prices and high borrowing costs, there is little relief in sight, for now.
“Anyone hoping for the Fed to ride in as the cavalry and rescue you from high interest rates anytime soon is going to be really disappointed,” said Matt Schulz, LendingTree’s chief credit analyst. 
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The Federal funds rate, which the U.S. central bank sets, is the rate at which banks borrow and lend to one another overnight. Although that’s not the rate consumers pay, the Fed’s moves still affect the borrowing and savings rates consumers see every day.
Once the Fed funds rate eventually comes down, consumers may see their borrowing costs decrease across various loans such as mortgages, car loans and credit cards, making it cheaper to borrow money. 

Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

Credit cards

Since most credit cards have a variable rate, there’s a direct connection to the Fed’s benchmark. But even though the central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by a full percentage point last year, credit card costs remained elevated.
Card issuers are often slower to respond to Fed rate decreases than to increases, said Greg McBride, Bankrate’s chief financial analyst.
Currently, the average credit card rate is more than 20%, according to Bankrate — near an all-time high.
In the meantime, delinquencies are higher and the share of credit card holders making only minimum payments on their bills recently jumped to a 12-year high, according to a Philadelphia Federal Reserve report.
“That means it is maybe more important than ever to get that high-interest debt under control,” Schulz said.

Mortgage rates

Mortgage rates have risen in recent months, even as the Fed cut rates.
Because 15- and 30-year mortgage rates are fixed and mostly tied to Treasury yields and the economy, they are not falling in step with Fed policy. Since most people have fixed-rate mortgages, their rate won’t change unless they refinance or sell their current home and buy another property. 
“Most mortgage debt is fixed, so existing homeowners are not impacted,” Bankrate’s McBride said. “It just adds to the affordability woes for would-be homebuyers and is keeping home sales on ice.”
The average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage is now 7.06%, according to Bankrate.

Auto loans

Auto loan rates are fixed. But these debts are one of the fastest-growing sources of consumer credit outside of mortgage lending. Payments have been getting bigger because car prices are rising, driving outstanding auto loan balances to more than $1.64 trillion.
The average rate on a five-year new car loan is now around 7.47%, according to Bankrate.
“With the Fed signaling that any rate cuts in 2025 will be gradual, affordability challenges are likely to persist for most new vehicle buyers,” said Joseph Yoon, Edmunds’ consumer insights analyst.
“Although further rate cuts in 2025 could provide some relief, the continued upward trend in new vehicle pricing makes it difficult to anticipate significant improvements in affordability for consumers in the new year,” Yoon said. 

Student loans

Federal student loan rates are also fixed, so most borrowers aren’t immediately affected by any Fed moves.
However, undergraduate students who took out direct federal student loans for the 2024-25 academic year are paying 6.53%, up from 5.50% in 2023-24. Interest rates for the upcoming school year will be based in part on the May auction of the 10-year Treasury note.
Private student loans tend to have a variable rate tied to the prime, Treasury bill or another rate index, which means those borrowers are typically paying more in interest. How much more, however, varies with the benchmark.

Savings rates

While the central bank has no direct influence on deposit rates, the yields tend to be correlated to changes in the target federal funds rate.
As a result of the Fed’s string of rate hikes in recent years, top-yielding online savings accounts have offered the best returns in more than a decade and still pay nearly 5%, according to McBride.
“The good thing about the Fed being on the sidelines is that savers are going to be able to enjoy these inflation-beating yields for some time to come,” McBride said.
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CNBC interviewed career experts about their opinions on the “open to work” feature on LinkedIn, and if it helps or hurts job seekers.
Globally, more than 220 million people currently have “open to work” turned on, either privately or publicly, according to LinkedIn.
That’s a 35% increase from last year, the company said, which also reveals trouble in the job market.

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By now, you’ve probably seen the green badges splashed all over LinkedIn, advertising that person is #opentowork.
Whether unemployed and actively seeking a new position, or quiet quitting in their current role, more people are choosing to make their job-seeking status known on the career site.

Globally, more than 220 million people currently have turned on the “open to work” feature, either privately or publicly, according to LinkedIn. That’s a 35% increase from around the same time last year, the company said, which showcases the challenging job market.

Linkedin Open To Work badge
Source: Linkedin

LinkedIn rolled out its “open to work” option in 2020. People can decide if they want to more discreetly signal their status to recruiters only, or to everyone with a public green badge on their profile.
But is it always a smart move? Some recruiters are torn.
“There’s been such a massive debate on LinkedIn about the ‘open to work’ badge, with a mix of employers and recruiters firmly entrenched on both sides,” said Tatiana Becker, founder of NIAH Recruiting.

‘Avoid the green banner’

Debra Boggs, founder and CEO of D&S Executive Career Management, has concerns about the green “open to work” badge or banner for those who make their job seeking status available to all.

“You are bringing the focus to your employment status and away from your unique value in the market and qualifications for the role,” Boggs said.
Meanwhile, Boggs said, “many recruiters and hiring managers feel that it makes a job seeker look desperate, which is not an attractive quality when looking for a stand-out leader to run a function or a business.”

For entry-level and mid-level job seekers, she suggest they use the “open to work” option that only recruiters can see.
“That way, when recruiters are looking for qualified candidates, you are still signaling to them that you are actively searching, but it’s not considered a red flag,” Boggs said.
But for everyone, she said: “Avoid the green banner” that all can see.

Old-fashioned to see the green badge ‘as a red flag’

Yet Becker sees no shame in signaling your job status to the world. “I say: Put the badge on,” she said.
In the past, being a job hopper was “looked down upon,” Becker said. But that changed when millions of people lost their employment during the Covid pandemic through no fault of their own, and later, with the waves of layoffs that followed the over-hiring boom, she said.
“It’s old fashioned and biased to see the ‘open to work’ badge as a red flag,” Becker said.
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Plus, Becker said, why turn down the help? The badge lets companies and recruiters more easily identify who is looking for a job, she said.
Indeed, using the “open to work feature” doubles someone’s chances of getting a recruiter to message them, according to LinkedIn. Those who flash the green badge under the public option can up that likelihood by 40%, the company said.
“I think there are far more desperate practices on LinkedIn,” said Tiffany Dyba, a recruitment consultant.
So where does all this leave you?
“Do what you feel is best for you,” Dyba said. “It sounds trite, but I really don’t think there is a right or wrong to the ‘open to work.'” More

Scammers will make up listings that aren’t available for rent or simply do not exist in order to fraudulently take your money, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
If you plan to rent a new place this year, here are some red flags to watch for, experts say.

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It’s exciting to find a new place to rent in your neighborhood or in a new city. That is, of course, unless you get duped.
In so-called rental listing scams, scammers will make up listings that aren’t available for rent or simply do not exist in order to fraudulently take your money, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Scammers will often ask for payments like an application fee, a security deposit, the first month’s rent or a mix of such charges.

“Once the payment is sent, the [so-called] landlord or listing person … disappears,” said John Breyault, vice president of public policy, telecommunications and fraud at the National Consumers League, a consumer advocacy group.

Potential tenants lose cash to rental scams

It’s not uncommon for individuals to fall victim to fraudulent rental listings, experts say.
About 9,521 real estate fraud complaints were filed in 2023, resulting in more than $145 million in losses, according to the latest Internet Crime Report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Those figures are down from 11,727 victims and more than $396 million in losses in 2022. 
The agency defined real estate fraud as a loss of funds from a real estate investment or fraud involving a rental or timeshare property.
While it’s convenient to look for a new rental online, experts urge future renters to be cautious, as you may lose hundreds to thousands of dollars if not careful.

For example: Let’s say you fall for a scam that asked for a security deposit — which is often the equivalent to a month’s rent — the first month’s rent upfront, or both. Nationwide, the median monthly rent was $1,373 in December, according to Apartment List.
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A separate report by Rently, a leasing automation platform, found that 62% of respondents who experienced a rental scam lost more than $500, with 48% losing more than $1,000. A smaller share, 8%, were duped out of more than $5,000, according to the report.
The survey polled 500 U.S. adults in November who have rented an apartment, condo or house over the past five years and have either experienced or are aware of rental scams and fraud.
If you need a new place to rent this year, here are some things to watch for to determine if a rental listing is a scam and what to do, according to experts.

4 red flags to watch out for

While it’s a common tactic for different kinds of scams, rental listing scammers will try and create a sense of urgency to get you to pay the money immediately, Breyault said.
To work around this issue, experts urge renters to carve out ample time for their search. Doing so can help reduce that sense of urgency.
Rental scams can also fester in housing markets with high competition and low supply, or after natural disasters take place.
“Fraud tends to follow the news and tends to follow natural disasters in many ways,” Breyault said. “Particularly if there is suddenly an increase in the number of people who are in need of housing.”
1. Unsolicited messages about a rental
Personal information like cell phone numbers and emails are readily available on the dark web given the amount of data breaches in recent years, said Tracy Kitten Goldberg, director of fraud and cybersecurity at Javelin Strategy and Research.
If you receive an unsolicited message about an apartment that is available for rent, for example, “that would be a red flag,” she said.
“Especially if you have not contacted anyone,” whether you get a text or an cold call, she added.

Experts say if you’re contacted via text message or a phone call for a rental listing, look at the phone number’s area code. If it’s outside your area, be careful.
If you get an email, take a look at the sender’s address. Does the address contain multiple characters like a mix of letters, numbers and varied punctuation marks or symbols? Or is it coming from a personal account like a Gmail or Yahoo, but poses as a company email? If the answer to either is “yes,” delete it right away, Kitten Goldberg said.
2. Unusual forms of payment required
If the so-called landlord or listing agent requests you to pay an application fee or the first month’s rent through a wire transfer, a gift card or through cryptocurrency, that is “a huge red flag,” Breyault said.
Also be wary if they request a payment through payment apps like Apple Pay, CashApp, PayPal and Zelle, per the Federal Trade Commission.
“What all of those payment methods have in common is that the money goes from you to the recipient nearly instantaneously,” Breyault said. The transactions are often irreversible, even if you determine that it was a fraudulent payment.
Federal laws regarding compensation under fraudulent losses often don’t apply to such transactions, he said. Therefore, if you’re met with these payment options from the so-called listing agent or landlord, stop the application process in its tracks.
3. Refusing to meet or show the property in person
“You should always meet these people face-to-face before you fill out any kind of paperwork,” Kitten Goldberg said, as well as tour the property.
If a landlord or listing agent makes up excuses about why they can’t meet you in person or why you can’t see the rental property in person, that alone should be a red flag, Breyault said.

If you’re out of town or moving to a new city and do not have the ability to vet the apartment yourself, request a virtual tour of the space, experts say. If possible, ask a friend or relative to visit the property for you. 
“That’s really the litmus test to find out if an apartment is for real or not,” Breyault said.
4. Unusually low asking price
If a rental listing is “priced unusually low” compared to similar properties in an area, be careful, Breyault said.
“The reason scammers put listings like that up is because they know that it will attract a lot of eyeballs and potential victims,” he said.
Make sure to compare the listing price to others in your city or area of interest, and be wary of offer that may be too good to be true, Breyault said.
“Do bargains exist? Absolutely, but so do a lot of scams,” Breyault said. More

Starting in 2025, certain heirs with inherited individual retirement accounts must take required withdrawals every year or face an IRS penalty.
The rule covers most non-spouse beneficiaries if the original IRA owner reached the required minimum distribution, or RMD, age before death.
But some heirs may consider withdrawal timing to avoid the “10-year tax squeeze,” according to certified financial planner Edward Jastrem at Heritage Financial Services.

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Inheriting an individual retirement account is a windfall for many investors.
However, a lesser-known change for 2025 could trigger a costly surprise penalty, financial experts say.

Starting in 2025, certain heirs with inherited IRAs must take yearly required withdrawals while emptying accounts over 10 years, known as the “10-year rule.”   
“The big change [for 2025] is the IRS is enforcing penalties for missed required distributions,” said certified financial planner Judson Meinhart, director of financial planning at Modera Wealth Management in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
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There’s a 25% penalty for missing a required minimum distribution, or RMD, from an inherited IRA. But it’s possible to reduce the fee if your RMD is “timely corrected” within two years, according to the IRS.  
Here are the key things to know about the inherited IRA change. 

Which heirs could face a penalty

Before the Secure Act of 2019, heirs could withdraw funds from inherited IRAs over their lifetime, which helped reduce yearly income taxes.
Since 2020, certain inherited accounts have been subject to the “10-year rule,” meaning heirs must deplete inherited IRAs by the 10th year after the original account owner’s death.  
After years of waived penalties for missed RMDs from inherited IRAs, the IRS in July finalized guidance. Starting in 2025, certain beneficiaries must take yearly withdrawals during the 10-year window or they’ll face a penalty for missed RMDs.

The rule applies to heirs who are not a spouse, minor child, disabled, chronically ill or certain trusts — and the yearly withdrawals apply if the original IRA owner had reached their RMD age before death.
One group who could be impacted are adult children who inherited IRAs from their parents, according to CFP Edward Jastrem, chief planning officer at Heritage Financial Services in Westwood, Massachusetts.
But the rules have become a “spiderweb mess of decision-making,” he said.

Avoid the ’10-year tax squeeze’

For 2025, there’s a enforced penalty for missed RMDs. But heirs also need to manage withdrawals to avoid the “10-year tax squeeze,” said Jastrem.
Over the past few years, some heirs have skipped yearly withdrawals from inherited IRAs, which could mean larger required withdrawals before the 10-year window closes, he said.
For example, boosting adjusted gross income can impact things like Medicare Part B and Part D premiums, eligibility for the premium tax credit for Marketplace health insurance and more. 
Of course, timing inherited IRA withdrawals depends on your complete tax situation, including multi-year projections of your adjusted gross income, Meinhart said. More

In 2025, retirement savers have a new opportunity to set aside money through their 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts.
Here’s what experts say you should consider.

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When it comes to retirement savings, surveys often point to a big magic number you will need to have set aside to live well.
Yet retirement experts say to focus on another number — your personal savings rate — to make sure you achieve your retirement savings goals.

“Early in the year is an ideal time to reassess your retirement contributions and overall savings strategy because you can take advantage of any employer matches, adjust your monthly budget accordingly and stay ahead of potential market shifts,” said Douglas Boneparth, a certified financial planner and president and founder of Bone Fide Wealth, a wealth management firm based in New York City.
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What’s more, increasing your retirement savings now gives your money more time to compound — earning interest on both your contributions and previously earned interest. That can “significantly impact your nest egg over the long term,” said Boneparth, who is also a member of the CNBC FA Council.

Boost your 401(k) deferral rate

If you have a 401(k) plan through your employer, now is a great time to look at your contribution rate, according to Mike Shamrell, vice president of thought leadership at Fidelity.
Most importantly, see how your savings rate corresponds to what your employer offers in terms of a company match, he said.

“It’s the closest thing a lot of people get to free money,” Shamrell said.
Oftentimes, companies have a match formula. If you’re not clear on how much you need to contribute to get the full match, contact your human resources department or 401(k) provider, Shamrell said.

Fidelity recommends saving at least 15% of your pre-tax income annually, including your contributions and money from your employer.
If you’re not quite there — or you want to save even more — even just a 1% increase in your deferral rate can make a big difference to your retirement savings over time, Shamrell said.
“It may not have the significant impact on your take-home pay that you that you may be envisioning,” Shamrell said.

Fund your IRA for 2025 — and 2024

Retirement savers also have a window of opportunity to fund individual retirement accounts for both this year and last year.
To count for 2024, contributions can be made up to April 15. (You must designate the deposit for tax year 2024.) For that year, individuals can contribute $7,000, or $8,000 if they are age 50 and over.
The same contribution limits apply for 2025, though savers have additional time — up to April 15, 2026 — to make those contributions.
Savers may be able to deduct those IRA contributions, depending on their income.

Revisit your investment allocations

In 2024, the average 401(k) balance grew about 11%, thanks to soaring stock markets, according to Shamrell.
Heading into the rest of 2025, now is a great time to revisit your personal asset allocations.
“Make sure your allocation didn’t drift too far into equities and that you don’t have more exposure to equities than you might realize,” Shamrell said.

If you’re worried about picking the wrong investment, you can instead opt for target date, asset allocation or balanced funds, which help decide how your funds are allotted for you, according to Marguerita Cheng, a certified financial planner and CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Also be sure to consider to your risk capacity — the amount of risk you can afford — as well as risk tolerance — the amount of risk you’re willing to take, said Cheng, who is also a member of the CNBC FA Council.
Identifying those personal limits ahead of time can help you stay the course during market turbulence, she said. Investors who bail during the market’s worst days may miss the best days, which often closely follow, research finds.
If you’ve had any major recent life events — gotten married, bought a house or had a baby, for example — you may also want to check that your allocations still correspond to your long-term plans, Shamrell said. More

Roughly 204 new billionaires were minted last year alone, according to Oxfam’s latest annual inequality report.
After Oxfam’s report was released, some of the world’s wealthiest people called on elected representatives to introduce higher taxes on the very richest in society.

The rich are getting richer.
The combined wealth of the world’s most wealthy rose to $15 trillion from $13 trillion in just 12 months, according to Oxfam’s latest annual inequality report — notching the second largest annual increase in billionaire wealth since the global charity began tracking this data.

Last year alone, roughly 204 new billionaires were minted, bringing the total number of billionaires to 2,769, up from 2,565 in 2023, the global charity found.
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“Not only has the rate of billionaire wealth accumulation accelerated — by three times — but so too has their power,” Oxfam International’s Executive Director Amitabh Behar said in a statement Sunday. 
“We’ve reached a new era now, we are in the era of the billionaire,” said Jenny Ricks, general secretary of the human rights group Fight Inequality Alliance. “The challenge now is turning this around and making this the era of the 99%.”

Despite the fact that America ranks first as the richest nation in the world in terms of gross domestic product, 36.8 million Americans live in poverty, accounting for 11.1% of the total population, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

“We need government serving people’s real needs and rights,” Ricks said, with increased funding for education and healthcare, among other social services.

‘Tax us, the super rich’

After Oxfam’s report was released, some of the world’s wealthiest people called on elected representatives of the world’s leading economies to introduce higher taxes on the very richest in society.
In an open letter to political leaders attending the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, more than 370 billionaires and millionaires said that they wanted to “tackle the corrosive impact of extreme wealth.”
To that end, “start with the simplest solution: tax us, the super rich,” the letter said.

36% of billionaire wealth is inherited

Oxfam found that 36% of billionaire wealth is now inherited. Much of that wealth will also get handed down. A separate report by UBS found that baby boomer billionaires’ heirs stand to inherit an estimated $6.3 trillion over the next 15 years.
“As the great wealth transition gains momentum … we expect the proportion of multigenerational billionaires to increase,” the report said.

According to Oxfam’s analysis, half of the world’s billionaires live in countries with no inheritance tax for direct descendants.
In the U.S., there is a federal estate tax up to 40%, depending on the amount of the estate over the current exclusion limit.
In 2025, the basic exclusion amount rose to $13.99 million per person, up from $13.61 million in 2024.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has vowed to fully extend the trillions in tax breaks he enacted via the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017, which also doubled the estate and gift tax exemption.
After 2025, the higher estate and gift tax exemption will sunset without action from Congress. If the provision expires, the exclusion will revert to 2017 levels, adjusted for inflation.
Some Democrats have pushed back on TCJA extensions, noting that they disproportionately benefit the wealthy, rather than middle-class families.
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TikTok came back online for users after Trump issued an executive order to pause the ban.
While the long-term fate of the app remains uncertain, “financial influencers” are directing followers to other platforms.
Here’s what consumers need to know.

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TikTok’s fate is still uncertain.
While the Supreme Court last week upheld the law that effectively bans TikTok from the U.S., one of Trump’s first actions as president was an executive order to pause the ban for 75 days, starting Jan. 20.

The app’s future may shift how young adults learn about personal finance. Gen Zers, or those born between 1997 and 2012, often rely on TikTok’s financial community, or #FinTok, as a source of information about money.
A 2024 report by the CFA Institute found that the generation is more likely than older generations to engage with “finfluencer” — or financial influencer — content on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, in part because they have less access to professional financial advisors and a preference for obtaining information online.
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Americans last year turned to TikTok for financial advice on topics including budgeting (25%), investing (24%), credit cards and credit scores (33%), according to a recent report by Chime, a financial technology company.
The site polled 2,000 U.S. adults from November 1 to 16. It also analyzed user engagement patterns on TikTok compared with data from platforms like Google Trends and Exploding Topics, which track popularity and growth of trends over time.

Leading up to the law’s initial Jan. 19 deadline for TikTok, finfluencers had been directing their followers to other platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Individuals also downloaded social media apps like RedNote as TikTok substitutes.
But whatever ends up happening with TikTok, finfluencers are here to stay. Here’s how to vet their advice.

The value of financial advice on TikTok

About 65% of respondents in Chime’s survey said they feel more financially secure since using TikTok. Another 68% say #FinTok has improved their financial situation at home.
“For 2025, TikTok users are gravitating toward digestible personal finance tips that incorporate budgeting apps, micro-investing and community-based saving challenges,” said certified financial planner Douglas Boneparth, president and founder of Bone Fide Wealth, a wealth management firm based in New York City that focuses on millennials, young professionals and entrepreneurs.
Some viral TikTok trends are worth applying to your finances in 2025, like “loud budgeting,” experts say. The trend encourages consumers to take control of their finances and be vocal about making money-conscious decisions rather than overspending.
Essentially, “loud budgeting is just financial boundaries,” financial therapist Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, author of “The Financial Anxiety Solution” and founder of Mind Money Balance.
A short-term, no-spend challenge can also be an opportunity to do a “gut check on where you’re spending and where you’re saving,” Bryan-Podvin said.

“These trends are worth adopting if you verify the underlying strategies [… and] modify them to align with your personal financial goals and risk tolerance,” said Boneparth, who is a member of the CNBC Financial Advisor Council.
But a lot of incorrect or risky advice appears on social media, too. About 27% of social media users believed misleading financial advice or misinformation on social media, according to Edelman Financial Engines. About 42% of surveyed adults in their 30s have fallen prey to bad financial advice in social platforms, and 2 in 10 have been affected more than once, the report found.
Edelman polled 3,008 adults of ages 30 and up from June 12 to July 2024. The total sample included 1,500 respondents between ages 45 and 70 with household assets between $500 and $3 million.

Vet financial content and find other sources

It’s important for social media users to be cautious about the content that influencers share, experts say. 
“There’s really no barrier to entry for [an] influencer to participate on a platform,” said CFP Brian Walsh, head of financial planning advice at SoFi, a personal finance and financial planning technology company.
While social media helps people easily access information and get unique insights, it can be concerning when it comes to information you’d apply to your personal finances, he said.
“There’s nothing stopping someone with a ton of followers from promoting something that’s completely wrong,” Walsh said.

Individuals who are affected by risky or incorrect advice they took from a social media creator can file a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, according to Amy Miller, an accredited financial counselor and manager of America Saves, a campaign managed by the Consumer Federation of America.
Otherwise, here are three key steps to consider: 

1. Look for other sources of other information

In most instances, you might not find experienced financial advisors on TikTok like on other social platforms, according to Winnie Sun, co-founder and managing director of Irvine, California-based Sun Group Wealth Partners.
Much of it has to do with compliance rules. In order for financial planners to maintain their licensing, they must adhere to certain guidelines on what information they’re allowed to share. It’s easier to track and review content posted on some platforms — TikTok isn’t one of them.
“I’m not allowed to share information on TikTok,” said Sun, who is also a CNBC FA Council member.
You can typically find licensed financial professionals actively sharing content on platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube and X, she said.
It’s also “absolutely crucial” to develop a basic level of financial literacy before turning to social media for advice, said SoFi’s Walsh.
Look for online courses, join financial forums and subscribe to legitimate publications to gain financial literacy, experts say. Organizations like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also provide free educational resources.

2. Do a background check on the content creator

Search for designations and look up the creator’s background, Walsh said: “The CFP [certified financial planner designation] is really the baseline when it comes to financial planning.”
You can enter the content creator’s name on BrokerCheck to see if they have any credentials. If they are accredited, find out if they have any disclosures, a red flag which means they’ve gotten into trouble in the past.

3. Verify the advice

If the content creator is not actively in the financial industry or lacks accreditation altogether, be careful about what they say. Be cautious if they are promising quick results and if they speak in absolutes, SoFi’s Walsh said — it can take a long time to save for an emergency, pay off credit card debt or learn how to invest.
“So promising get rich quick or overnight sensations […] that’s a big red flag for me,” Walsh said.
Also be careful if a creator talks about how one product or solution can answer all of your problems, he explained.
Outside of the basics like spending less than you make and saving money, there are “very few absolutes,” Walsh said.
Cross-reference an influencer’s claims with sources like government regulators and content from reputable financial professionals and publications, Boneparth said. If you need personalized advice, consider reaching out to a certified financial planner, a tax professional or a licensed investment advisor, he said. More

There’s less than a week until tax season kicks off on Jan. 27 — and investors may have more options to file returns for free than previous years.
Typically, investors may receive Form 1099-B for capital gains and losses, Form 1099-DIV for dividends and capital gains distributions, along with Form 1099-INT for interest income.
Some free tax filing options may include Direct File, IRS Free File and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance.

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There’s less than a week until tax season kicks off on Jan. 27 — and investors may have more options to file returns for free than in previous years.
Typically, investors need certain tax forms to file returns, including Form 1099-B for capital gains and losses and Form 1099-DIV for dividends and capital gains distributions. Form 1099-INT covers interest income from savings accounts, certificates of deposit, Series I bonds, Treasury bills and more.

Plus, retirees may receive Form 1099-R for withdrawals from 401(k) plans, individual retirement accounts, pensions and other distributions.
More from Personal Finance:IRS announces the start of the 2025 tax seasonThis free tax filing option is ‘fast and simple,’ IRS says. Here’s who can use it30 million people could qualify to use IRS free Direct File program
Here are three free tax filing options to consider this season, depending on your situation.

1. IRS Direct File

This season, IRS Direct File, the agency’s free filing program, has expanded to 25 states. It covers more than 30 million taxpayers across eligible states, according to U.S. Department of the Treasury estimates.
“We’re excited about the improvements to Direct File and the millions more taxpayers who will be eligible to use the service this year,” former IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a press release in October.

During the pilot in 2024, the program covered simple returns, including filings with interest of $1,500 or less. But for the 2025 filing season, the program supports interest above $1,500 and Alaska residents who receive the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend.  
The program doesn’t currently cover other investment income, including capital gains and dividends.
Starting in March, Direct File will also support distributions from most company retirement plans, such as 401(k) plans, pensions and more. But you can’t use the service if you withdrew funds from an IRA. 

2. IRS Free File 

Another option, IRS Free File, is a public-private partnership between the agency and the Free File Alliance, a nonprofit coalition of tax software companies.
This season, you can use IRS Free File if your adjusted gross income, or AGI, was $84,000 or less in 2024.
Eight software partners will accept the most commonly used tax forms and schedules, explained Tim Hugo, executive director of the Free File Alliance. Those include Schedule B for interest and ordinary dividends and Schedule D for capital gains and losses. These Schedules cover investing forms, such as 1099-INT over $1,500 and certain items from Forms 1099-B and 1099-DIV.
“It really is a great tool that can serve millions of Americans that just nobody knows about,” Hugo said.

3. Volunteer Income Tax Assistance

If your want more guidance, you may also qualify for free tax prep from Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, a program managed by the IRS. 
For the 2025 season, you’ll qualify for VITA with an adjusted gross income of $67,000 or less.The program’s scope includes coverage for investors, including Forms 1099-INT, 1099-B and 1099-DIV, with certain limitations. VITA also covers Form 1099-R for retirement income with some exclusions. The program won’t cover cryptocurrency transactions for 2024 filings.    More