With two decades of experience as a respected journalist and communications leader in the mortgage field, Deborah Kearns is passionate about helping consumers make smart homeownership and personal ...

What is self-employment tax? The federal self-employment tax is composed of Social Security and Medicare taxes, which are also known together as the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). For ...

This year, residents of 25 states can do their taxes using the IRS’s free Direct File service, as long as their taxes are relatively simple. This year, residents of 25 states can do their taxes using ...

Peter is a writer and editor for the CNET How-To team. He has been covering technology, software, finance, sports and video games since working for @Home Network and Excite in the 1990s. Peter managed ...

The prospect of earning money on your own terms can be exciting, but many freelancers underestimate their tax liabilities. Laurice Wardini, a freelance writer and the co-founder of ClothedUp, says, “I ...

Capital gains taxes are levied on the profits from selling assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate or other investments. When you sell an asset for more than you paid for it, the difference between ...

Owning a home (or any other piece of property) means assuming responsibility for a whole bundle of expenses, with property taxes ranking as one of the most opaque of the bunch. It can be daunting to ...

The tax filing status options include single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household and qualifying surviving spouse. Choosing a tax status can be harder than it looks, ...

The interest you pay on your mortgage could help you lower your taxes. With the mortgage interest deduction (MID), you can write off a portion of the interest on your home loan, lowering your taxable ...

David McMillin writes about credit cards, mortgages, banking, taxes and travel. Based in Chicago, he writes with one objective in mind: Help readers figure out how to save more and stress less. He is ...

Start planning now to avoid sticker shock this tax season. Social Security changes have been in the news so much in 2025 that it's understandable if you've lost track of them. In addition to the usual ...