Most people expect tax season to be painful. But for many Americans, it’s more expensive than it needs to be. Every year, households quietly forfeit up to billions of dollars in federal tax credits because they don’t know these programs exist or assume they don’t qualify. And that’s a costly mistake: unlike deductions, which only reduce taxable income, credits lower your bill dollar for dollar. Must Read At a time when household budgets are stretched thin, Americans can ill-afford to leave money on th ...

ToplineThe first government shutdown since 2019 began after midnight on Wednesday, in a move that will disrupt federal services and cause government workers to be furloughed, after Congress failed to reach a last-minute funding agreement as the Democrats and Republicans appeared nowhere close to a dealPresident Donald Trump speaks to the press before boarding Marine One as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 26, 2025, en route to attend the Ryder Cup. (Photo by ...