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“Money” and “magic” are rarely mentioned in the same sentence — unless you’re talking about David Copperfield’s net worth or compound interest.

While I can’t comment on the former, the latter comes up with remarkable frequency in my interviews. In fact, I just searched the phrase “compound interest” on Money’s website, and it makes an appearance in over 230 articles going back to 2012.

Experts particularly like to refer to compound interest as “magic” — legend has it even Albert Einstein was a fan, famously saying “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it. He who doesn’t, pays it.”

What is compound interest, and what makes it so great?

I got in touch with Julie Guntrip, financial wellness expert at Jenius Bank, to find out. She started with a definition: “Compound interest is when the interest earned on a balance is calculated not only on the original principal amount but also on interest already accrued,” Guntrip writes in an email.

Compound interest lets me earn interest on interest, basically, which can create a snowball that just keeps getting bigger with time.

“It may feel like magic because of this exponential growth potential,” she says. “What starts as a small increase could substantially increase over many years if left untouched, effectively making your money work for you on autopilot.”

Here’s an example. Say I put $1,000 into a deposit account that earns 5% interest annually. After a year, my balance will be $1,050.

But then the next year, I won’t earn another $50 — I’ll earn 5% of that slightly bigger balance, meaning I’ll generate $52.50 and, once it’s added to what I already have, end year 2 with $1,102.50 total. When that happens again in year 3, I’ll have $1,157.63, and so on.

If I leave it all untouched, I’ll end up with $1,628.89 after a decade. After 20 years, my sum will be $2,653.30. And once that account turns 30, the balance will be $4,321.94 — over four times my original investment.

I will have quadrupled my money, and I didn’t even have to do anything.

The numbers are more impressive if I start with a higher initial deposit. After one year, a $50,000 deposit with a 5% interest rate that compounds annually will become $52,500. After 30 years, it’ll be a whopping $216,097.12.

Guntrip says that because time is so crucial here, young people tend to benefit the most from compound interest. The longer a person is able to let their account generate compound interest, the more it expands. That’s why financial experts heavily encourage folks to start saving as soon as they’re able to, even if it’s just a small amount.

I can find compound interest in high-yield savings accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs) and money market accounts. Experian points out that I can also make the most of compound interest by reinvesting earnings from dividend stocks, exchange-traded funds, mutual funds and more.

If you want to nerd out, according to Citi, the formula for calculating compound interest is A = P (1 + r/n)⁽ⁿᵗ⁾. P is the principal, r is the interest rate (as a decimal), t is the period of time, n is how many times interest compounds, and A is what has been earned at the end of the time period.

That math goes over my head, but I don’t have to be Einstein to appreciate compound interest. Guntrip says it’s particularly relevant in retirement accounts like 401(k)s or IRAs, which workers often hold for decades. That’s literal decades of earning interest on a growing balance. The deal is even sweeter if I add to the principal amount over time.

Is “magical” making sense as a descriptor yet?

Unfortunately, compound interest isn’t always a good thing. Though it can vastly increase my savings over time, it can work against me if I’m in debt, Guntrip says.

Credit card interest, for instance, compounds daily, so my amount owed can quickly balloon. Say I have a $10,000 credit card balance with a 20% annual percentage rate, or APR. That 20% divided by 365 days in a year is 0.05479%, so after one day unpaid, my balance rises to $10,005.479. Then the next day, the interest is calculated again using that total, giving me a slightly larger $5.482 in interest (and $10,010.961 in all).

It might seem like fractions of cents are too tiny to be important, but this adds up quickly. By the end of the month, my $10,000 bill will be over $10,151.

“The ‘magic’ becomes a financial burden if payments aren’t managed carefully,” Guntrip adds.

The bottom line

The magic of compound interest lies in the way I’m able to earn interest on a growing balance that just keeps getting bigger over time. Einstein, Benjamin Franklin and Warren Buffett are right: It’s a pretty amazing phenomenon, and one I should take advantage of while I’m young.

My future self will thank me.

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The IRS may owe those who didn’t file their 2021 taxes hundreds — even thousands — of dollars, but the deadline to claim that money is fast approaching.

Over 1.1 million taxpayers have yet to submit their 2021 taxes, which were due on Tax Day in April 2022. As a result, the IRS is holding more than $1 billion worth of unclaimed refund money with an expiration date of April 15.

The IRS says that the typical unclaimed tax refund amounts to $781, and that sum excludes refundable tax credits for 2021, such as the earned income tax credit that is worth as much as $6,728 that year.

The IRS announcement Tuesday did not mention that the upcoming deadline is also the last day to claim stimulus payments from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) in 2021.

The ARP provided of up to $1,400 for singles and $2,800 for married couples, plus $1,400 for each qualifying dependent. Most people have already received the payment, though some folks who did not file taxes in 2021 may qualify for the Recovery Rebate Credit if they file by April 15.

The IRS and Department of Treasury did not respond to Money’s request for comment.

How much money the IRS may owe you

The median unclaimed tax refund amounts to $781 per person (excluding tax credits). However, the IRS won’t be sending this money out automatically. If you are owed an old refund, you will need to file back taxes to claim it before the deadline.

Those back taxes for tax year 2021 must be postmarked by April 15. Missing this deadline means that your refund will disappear; after three years of a tax refund going unclaimed, it officially “becomes property of the U.S. Treasury,” according to the IRS.

The states with the largest median tax refunds waiting to be claimed include:

• New York: $995
• Pennsylvania: $993
• Rhode Island: $946
• Massachusetts: $936
• Illinois $892

California has the lowest median refund, at $600.

Some taxpayers could lose out on a lot more refund money than that when factoring in potential stimulus money and the earned income tax credit.

How to claim your 2021 tax refund

To claim your tax refund, you will need to file back taxes for 2021. According to the IRS’s website, you can “file your past due return the same way and to the same location where you would file an on-time return.” There are online filing exceptions for IRS Free File and the agency’s new Direct File program.

Some tax software programs will allow you to file previous years’ tax returns but may require you to print out your returns and file by mail (or purchase a version of the program for the previous year you need to file). Tax professionals at brick-and-mortar tax prep companies, such as H&R Block or Jackson Hewitt, can help you, as well.

In short, filing back taxes will likely take a little more leg work than filing the current year’s taxes.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Gather your income information. Review your documents to determine what you have and what is missing for 2021. The specific documents needed will depend on the type of income received that year, such as W-2s for employee wages, 1099-MISCs or 1099-NECs for gig or contract work, and 1099-INTs and 1099-DIVs for interest or dividend income.

• Request your tax transcript for missing income information. If you can’t find all your 2021 tax information, you can obtain your tax transcript for free from the IRS. Simply create or log in to your IRS account online and request a wage and income transcript, which will include the W-2 or 1099 information you need to complete your return.

• Use the correct forms for your return. When filing your back taxes, make sure that you are using the correct year’s form. You may need 2021’s 1040, 1040-SR or 1040-NR forms. These are searchable in the IRS’s form archive.

• Mail your return to the proper IRS location. After completing your 2021 tax return, you will need to sign and mail it to the appropriate IRS location. The mailing address for your return depends on where you live. If the IRS has sent you specific filing instructions by mail, follow those.

For further assistance with your back taxes, you can call the IRS’s toll-free number, 800-TAX-FORM, or visit a local taxpayer assistance center.

Keep in mind that even if you are owed a 2021 tax refund, it might not result in a check in the mail. The IRS says that the refund may first be put toward outstanding tax bills from other years, unpaid child support payments or past-due debts owed to the federal government.

And if you owe the IRS money from 2021, you might need to pay penalties on top of the past-due amount.

More from Money:

How to File Taxes for Free This Year

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Workers Are Losing Over $4 Billion in Unspent FSA Money a Year

The number of Americans who live past 85 is expected more than double in the next 25 years, the Census Bureau projects, leading to a surge in demand for long-term care.

Long-term care involves helping an older adult manage activities of daily living, encompassing everything from grocery shopping and preparing meals to getting dressed and using the bathroom. As many as 7 in 10 older adults will require some level of help, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“If you live a long life, the chances of needing long-term care are increasingly high,” says Jesse Slome, executive director of the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. That help can range from unpaid, part-time caregiving from family members to shelling out thousands of dollars a month for a nursing home.

Understanding the likelihood of eventually needing long-term care is a critical part of planning for growing older, experts say. Yet less than half of adults say they’ve had a serious conversation with a loved one about who will take care of them if they need help with daily activities or how they would pay for care, according to a survey from KFF, a nonprofit health policy organization.

How many people actually need long-term care?

Despite plenty of media coverage about an impending long-term care crisis, most adults still underestimate their individual risk for needing extensive care when they get older.

While many older adults will be able to get by with help a few times a week, over half (52%) of adults age 65 and up will have “high-intensity” needs for at least a few months, according to a recent report from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. People with high-intensity needs require help with two or more daily activities or have a dementia diagnosis.

The risk for this more intensive care varies by education, race and gender. Some 56% of women will need more intensive, longer-term care, compared with 46% of men, researchers found.

Black and Hispanic adults are also more likely than white adults to need high-intensity care, with 57% of each group needing it compared with 50% of white older adults. Across all races, those with college degrees are less likely to need it than those with a high school diploma.

How do people pay for long-term care?

Forty-five percent of adults said they thought Medicare would pay for a nursing home if they needed it, according to KFF. That, experts say, is one of the biggest misunderstandings around this issue: Medicare does not pay for long-term care.

Most long-term caregiving, nearly two-thirds, is actually handled via unpaid help from family members, a 2021 study from the Center for Retirement Research found. Some 33% of caregiving hours provided to individuals 65 and older come from children, with another 17% from spouses.

If you do end up needing professional care, though, the price tag can be steep. In 2024, the median annual cost for an in-home health aide topped $77,000, while a private room in a nursing home cost more than $127,000, according to Genworth Financial, which sells long-term care insurance.

Medicaid is the most common source for paying these costs. Yet only lower-income retirees with no assets — or those who’ve spent down all their assets — can qualify. After Medicaid, the Center for Retirement Research reports that about 8% of long-term care was paid for out of pocket and 4% was covered through insurance. Those figures track with industry statistics; LIMRA estimates between 3% and 4% of people older than 50 have a long-term care insurance policy, and more than a quarter of adults without a standalone long-term care insurance policy cite cost as the reason why.

Long-term care insurance prices are based on age, gender and your current and recent (over the past several years) health. As with all insurance products, premiums vary based on the coverage level you select. For a $165,000 benefit level and a 2% inflation protection, the typical annual premium for a 60-year-old is about $2,000 for a single male and $3,300 for a single female, according to the long-term care insurance association. (Prices for women are consistently higher because they’re more likely to need long-term care.)

“Sometimes needing long-term care can get conflated with needing long-term care insurance,” Dick Weber, who offers fee-only insurance advising, previously told Money. Needing that care is a reality for many, but buying long-term care insurance is still a relatively uncommon decision.

If you are thinking about buying insurance coverage, Webber recommends you start researching your options in your 50s. Premiums tend to jump after age 65, and denial rates spike as you get older, too.

More from Money:

You Might Be Overestimating How Much Money You Need to Save for Retirement

Here’s Who Actually Needs Long-Term Care Insurance — and When to Buy It

How Much Money Do You Need to Retire? Answer These 4 Questions to Find Out

It’s the end of an era.

Southwest Airlines, which has not charged passengers for their first two checked bags since its founding nearly six decades ago, said on Tuesday that it will roll out a schedule of luggage fees for flights booked on May 28 and after.

The end of the beloved free-baggage policy is part of a spate of changes aimed at helping the airline “return to levels of profitability that both we and our shareholders expect,” Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said in an announcement.

The airline said it would continue to offer two free checked bags to “A-List Preferred” and business-class passengers. “A-List” passengers will get one free checked bag, and Southwest rewards cardholders will receive a credit statement reimbursing the baggage fee. One personal item and one carry-on bag will remain free.

Southwest hasn’t yet released details on how much checked bags will cost, though rival carriers usually charge between $40 and $75 per checked bag.

The company’s luggage policy reversal comes at a difficult time for the airline industry.

Earlier this week, major airlines cut their earnings estimates, citing economic uncertainty as consumers and businesses trim their travel budgets. California wildfires, recession fears stemming from President Donald Trump’s tariff war, halted travel among government workers and a series of major plane crashes and malfunctions in recent months have all contributed to the industry’s woes.

In February, Southwest said it plans to lay off 15% of its corporate workforce, or about 1,750 people. And in September, the airline announced it was getting rid of another longstanding policy: open seating. Assigned seating is expected to begin in 2026.

How much do other airlines charge?

Southwest was a lone holdout among major U.S. airlines, which have all started charging for checked bags over the past decade or so. American Airlines was the first to charge a checked-bag fee amid the Great Recession in 2008.

The practice has proliferated in the industry since then, becoming a major source of revenue for airline carriers. According to a 2022 study, baggage fees account for 3.3% of revenue of the major legacy airlines (such as American or Delta). For budget airlines such as Spirit or Frontier, those fees make up over 21% of revenue.

Here’s a look at airline baggage fees today among popular airlines for standard economy-class tickets.

American Airlines

• Free small personal item and one carry-on bag
• First checked bag is $40 (or $35 if paying online) for domestic flights. Second bag is $45.
• One free checked bag on select international flights

Delta Airlines

• Free small personal item and one carry-on bag
• First checked bag is $35 each way. Second bag is $45 each way for domestic flights.
• One free checked bag on certain international flights

JetBlue

• Free small personal item and one carry-on bag
• First checked bag is $45. Second bag is $60 for domestic flights.
• For transatlantic flights, first bag is $65, and the second bag is $105.
• Costs may increase $5-$10 per bag during peak travel times.

United Airlines

• Only one personal item is free for domestic flights.
• First checked bag typically costs $40 for domestic flights, and the second bag is $50. A $5 pre-pay discount may apply.
• First checked bag is free on select international flights.

In many cases, airlines offer their own travel credit cards that include free-baggage perks among other discounts.

More from Money:

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Hiring is consistently challenging for employers big and small. With low unemployment rates and fewer workers switching jobs, over 90% of hiring managers say they are “having difficulties” finding skilled talent, according to a survey from Robert Half focused on 2025 hiring trends.

Nailing job ads and making use of the best job posting sites is critical to attracting top talent to your job openings.

What to know about job posting sites

• Millions of job seekers are browsing job boards everyday. If you’re hiring in 2025, online job posting sites are the fastest way to find applicants and onboard talented employees.
• There are dozens of job posting sites to choose from, but only a few that are worth your time and money. We’ve picked six sites that will help you hire qualified candidates ASAP.
• In this article, we’ll guide businesses on how to post jobs for free and also dive into the pricing tiers for premium job posting features that can help companies hire for multiple positions at once. See more tips for creating successful job posts here.

How we chose our top picks

Our research included an analysis of job sites’ features and pricing as well as a review of responses to a brief questionnaire and a data report on web traffic compiled by Similarweb. Read our full methodology here.

Are you an employee looking for the best job search sites? We have that covered in this guide.

Our Top Picks for the Best Job Posting Sites

• Indeed: Best Overall
• LinkedIn: Best for Professional Hiring
• Craigslist: Best for Local Hiring
• Handshake: Best for College Recruiting
• Levels.fyi: Best for Tech Jobs
• Upwork: Best Freelance Marketplace

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Pros

• Free job posts
• Large reach

Cons

• Free job posts have reduced visibility

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HIGHLIGHTS

Cost

Most jobs are free to post. Sponsored job posts start at $5 per day or $150 per month.

Monthly visits

176.8 million

Time per visit

8 minutes

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Aside from LinkedIn (which doubles as a social media site), Indeed gets more web traffic than any other job posting site in the U.S. To put it simply, Indeed is the best way to get a job listing in front of the maximum number of job seekers, and it’s almost guaranteed to expand the pool of applications for your company to review. Tons of job seekers rely on Indeed to find work and the site’s users are highly engaged compared with other job sites. Indeed has over 170 million monthly U.S. visits and the average visit is 8 minutes, according to Similarweb, a digital intelligence platform.

The best thing about Indeed: Employers can post many jobs for free, though the company does limit the number and types of jobs that are posted for free.

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Pros

• Recruit top candidates
• One free job post
• Professional networking

Cons

• Free job posts are only active for 21 days
• Expensive paid versions

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HIGHLIGHTS

Cost

Employers get one free job post at a time. LinkedIn has “promoted” and “contract” tiers for employers. Exact prices are not available online.

Monthly visits

551.6 million

Time per visit

8 minutes

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More than a million companies use LinkedIn Talent Solutions for hiring. LinkedIn is the largest job posting site in the U.S. and an essential platform for employers of all sizes. You can only post one free job at a time on LinkedIn, but for small businesses, that may be all you need to hire your workforce. LinkedIn also has a free trial for promoting a job, which typically triples the amount of applications.

LinkedIn is a social media and networking platform in addition to a job board, and with paid versions, employers can search profiles and message users to invite them to apply to open positions. LinkedIn’s more interactive style allows for quicker and easier connections with potential employees, as well as providing a broader look at who each candidate is.

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Pros

• Cheap job posts
• Simple interface
• Local reach

Cons

• Declining users

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HIGHLIGHTS

Cost

Fees from from $10 to $75

Monthly visits

136 million

Time per visit

7 minutes

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Craigslist is the original online classifieds page of the web, and to this day it plays a major role in local hiring in cities across the U.S. Of all the sites Money analyzed, Craigslist has the third most monthly visitors despite a 45% drop in traffic compared to January 2022, according to Similarweb.

While most of Craigslist is free, there actually is a fee to post jobs. The good news: At $10 to $75 (depending on the market), posting in the jobs section isn’t too expensive — at least compared to other sites that charge hundreds of dollars for job posts.

Craigslist sometimes gets a bad reputation for containing spam, but no matter what site you use, receiving low quality applications is inevitable when posting jobs online. With Craigslist, you’ll have to learn how to filter through responses (just like any other platform), but it can be worth it to find local talent in industries like hospitality and construction.

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Pros

• Recruit college students and alumni

Cons

• Premium tiers are more expensive

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HIGHLIGHTS

Cost

Basic tier (up to two roles) is free. Pricing for the Plus tier (up to 10 roles) is based on “flexible daily or monthly rates per job.” The Talent Engagement Suite, a program for large companies, has annual billing based on program size.

Monthly visits

13.7 million

Time per visit

6 minutes

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Do you want to hire college students and alumni with .edu email addresses? Handshake is the most robust job posting site for college hiring and it allows recruiters to take advantage of the company’s direct relationships with U.S. universities — Handshake has 1,500 “educational partners.”

Posting a job or an internship opportunity on Handshake is free, and this option is suitable for hiring one or two roles, the company said. Small and medium-sized companies will likely need to use the “Plus” version, which is built for more advanced hiring needs.

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Pros

• Popular among tech professionals
• Salary benchmarking

Cons

• Fewer users than general job boards

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HIGHLIGHTS

Cost

Free to post jobs. Premium option is $700 (or $1,400 for companies with more than 10,000 employees).

Monthly visits

2.1 million

Time per visit

3 minutes

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Companies hiring tech professionals like software engineers may want to use industry-specific sites to reach job seekers with the specialized skills and qualifications they need.

Levels.fyi, a tech-specific job board and compensation “benchmarking” site founded in 2017, has grown to become the most visited career site for the industry. Compensation benchmarking is a tool that provides data about pay bands that are typical for a role and level at a given company, and it can help employers determine pay and retain employees.

The company says that posting a job is free with a basic account. When you post a job, the listing will also be indexed by Google. The “standard” pricing package for Levels.fyi costs $700 and includes three promoted posts per month.

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Pros

• Quickly hire freelancers
• Post jobs for free

Cons

• Fees to hire freelancers

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HIGHLIGHTS

Cost

Marketplace plan has a 5% “client fee” for employers, and there’s also a contract initiation fee, which ranges from $0.99 $14.99. The Business Plus version comes with a higher fee (10%), but it includes premium features like talent vetting and there is no initiation fee. Custom pricing is available for large businesses.

Monthly visits

9 million

Time per visit

8 minutes

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There are two main online sites for freelance work: Upwork and Fiverr. These sites serve slightly different types of freelance work, but between the two, we gave the nod to Upwork based on its lower fees and higher user visit numbers.

Upwork makes it easy to get tasks done and done well. It’s simple to make an account with the site. From there, you can either post a job or search the profiles of freelancers who are advertising the type of work you need done. Upwork can be used for hiring contract workers for quick short-term jobs all the way up to year-long projects.

According to a spokesperson for Upwork, the company does not report how many freelancers are on the platform, but the company says its freelancer network has skills in over 10,000 categories ranging from website and app development to creative and design niches.

Other job posting sites we considered

Employers may want to use multiple job posting sites for their hiring. Here are some others to consider:

ZipRecruiter

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Pros

• Post to multiple job boards

Cons

• Daily listing costs
• Less control over how jobs posts appear

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HIGHLIGHTS

Cost

A brief free trial is available, job posting costs depend on company needs

Monthly visits

30.3 million

Time per visit

5 minutes

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ZipRecruiter offers hiring solutions for small and medium-sized businesses as well as large companies. The company does not publish its job posting rates online, but it advertises that you can try the service for free. ZipRecruiter has broad reach with over 30 million monthly visits.

With ZipRecruiter, jobs that are posted to the platform can be distributed to over 100 other job boards as well. ZipRecruiter did not respond to Money’s questionnaire about pricing; the typical cost is $16 per job per day, according to multiple online sources.

Read Money’s full ZipRecruiter review.

Fiverr

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Pros

• Good for individual projects

Cons

• High fees for sellers

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HIGHLIGHTS

Cost

The basic version is free. “Essential” has no subscription fee but requires $1,000 of services ordered per year. “Advanced” is $129 per month.

Monthly visits

10.3 million

Time per visit

8 minutes

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Fiverr isn’t exactly a job board. It’s a freelance marketplace best-known for gig projects. For example, you could hire an artist to design your company’s logo.

You can either search the marketplace of freelancers or post a “project brief” with the option of using Fiverr’s AI assistant. When you’re posting a job, you can set a budget between $25 and $50,000. Keep in mind that sellers (aka the talent you’re hiring) on Fiverr pay a 20% fee, which may force freelancers to ask for higher prices than they would on other platforms.

Built In

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Pros

• Reach tech job seekers

Cons

• No price transparency

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HIGHLIGHTS

Cost

Pricing isn’t available online

Monthly visits

1.8 million

Time per visit

3 minutes

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Built In is another industry-specific site that you can use if you need to hire for a tech role. It’s a well-designed online job board used by programmers and coders in Silicon Valley and beyond. Built In claims that its job seekers are typically more qualified and experienced than applicants on general platforms. To post a job on Built In, you will need to contact the company for a quote.

What you need to know about posting jobs online

Online job boards are immensely popular among job seekers, and the most time-efficient way for recruiters to reach a vast pool of them. Here’s what you need to know to use them to your advantage:

How to choose a job posting site

Our guide is designed to help you choose the best job posting sites for your business. Indeed is great for general hiring and free job posts. LinkedIn is best for professional hiring, while Craigslist excels as a local classifieds option. Other job posting sites serve specific needs: Handshake is optimized for college recruiting and Levels.fyi is our top pick for tech hiring, and depending on your industry, there are likely other niche platforms worth looking into.

Optimize the job description

Once you’ve chosen a recruitment platform, the next step is to craft a compelling job post. Keep the ideal candidate in the back of your mind as you write, and be sure to clearly — and truthfully — outline the following details:

• An overview of the position and its responsibilities
• Qualifications and requirements
• The company’s mission, culture and values
• Salary information

A well-written job post can make all the difference in the success of the hiring process. Write in simple language, and avoid using jargon. Proofread it for spelling and grammar errors, too. If a post seems thoughtless and done without care, people will perceive your company as unprofessional, or even fraudulent.

More states are passing pay transparency laws, but the practice of posting a job listing with clear salary information still isn’t universal. If you want the best applicants to apply, your job post should include the expected salary or salary range for every position you list.

Use multiple job posting sites

Most companies should use more than one job posting site, says Kyle Patrick Smith, a talent acquisition expert. While you could use a paid applicant tracking system or a service like ZipRecruiter to target multiple job boards, it’s not always necessary. Even if you have a limited budget, you can still reach potential candidates on individual job boards. “Some opportunities will play very well on some of the low cost or no cost options,” Smith says, mentioning Indeed as his top choice for non-managerial roles.

While there are many different companies that can blast your job post to dozens of job boards, Smith says he prefers posting directly. “You begin to lose control over your employment message,” he says. “When you aggregate it out to those sites, you have no idea how that job posting is going to appear.” Also, many of the job posting sites that these listings get cross-posted to are lower quality and lack the web traffic of the major companies featured in this guide.

Message candidates you want to apply

Some job posts will quickly attract dozens (or even hundreds) of qualified applicants, but other roles are harder to fill, potentially because of the skills required, the location or other factors. When hiring for key roles or harder-to-fill roles, employers often build their applicant pool by reaching out to employees at other companies or job seekers who’ve indicated they are on the market.

The paid tool LinkedIn Recruiter is one of the main ways for employers to message job seekers. LinkedInRecruiter matches employers to possible candidates based on filters and enables access to AI messaging features. Indeed and ZipRecruiter also offer employers similar tools for browsing resume databases and engaging candidates.

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Best Job Posting Sites FAQs

What is the best job posting site?

There is no one-size-fits-all job posting site. The best site for your business is the one that best fits your hiring needs. This will depend on the level of the position you’re hiring for, the size of your company, and your budget.

How much does it cost to post a job online?

Some job posts sites have free basic versions, which can meet the needs of small businesses. Sites like Craigslist and others have fees under $100 per month for a job post. Companies hiring larger staff will likely need to use paid job posting services that range in price. Premium tiers and sponsored job packages can cost thousands of dollars or more.

What are the best free job posting sites?

In our analysis, Indeed stood out as the best free job posting site. LinkedIn and Handshake are other good options for free job posts. Any free service will have limitations, but many employers are able to do all their hiring without paying a dime, so don’t underestimate the power of free job posts.

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Latest news

• Major job posting sites (Indeed, Upwork, LinkedIn, etc.) have launched AI tools that are helping employers write job descriptions and identify candidates.
• Traffic changes: Job posting sites see seasonal swings in traffic, but there are some longer-term trend lines. In the past three years, LinkedIn’s traffic increased 20.3%, Indeed’s visits were basically flat (+0.1%) and Craigslist declined 45.3%, according to Similarweb.

How we chose the best job posting sites

Money assessed the best job posting sites for employers by comparing companies’ pricing, candidate pools, job board design and special features.

We compiled an initial list of over three dozen job sites. Using web analytics data provided by Similarweb to identify the most active job boards, we narrowed this down to a shortlist of 11 of the most active job sites. Two industry-specific job boards for tech recruiting were also considered. We conducted additional research on the pricing and features of these companies, reaching out to each one with the opportunity to respond to a brief questionnaire that included questions about pricing tiers and free trials/demos. Finally, six companies were selected based on their excellence in individual categories.

To be considered for this article, a job posting service must have its own online job board, even if submitted job posts are also distributed to other platforms. This requirement excluded many popular applicant tracking systems. If you’re interested in that kind of service we’ve covered them in a separate report on the best recruiting software.

Summary of our top picks for job search sites

• Indeed — Best Overall
• LinkedIn — Best for Professional Hiring
• Craigslist — Best for Local Hiring
• Handshake — Best for College Recruiting
• Levels.fyi — Best for Tech Jobs
• Upwork — Best Freelance Marketplace

Once upon a time, the Nissan Leaf stood alone as the only electric car an environmentally-minded shopper could buy. Now the market is teeming with options and adding new models from a swath of manufacturers every month.

As a result, prices are coming down while battery range is going up. Today’s best electric cars can travel more than 300 miles before needing to recharge — enough to drive from Los Angeles to Las Vegas without stopping.

Performance is also improving, with quicker acceleration and smooth, precise handling. If you’re accustomed to driving gas-engine cars, you’ll discover that EVs are much quieter, creating a more comfortable experience for passengers in the cabin.

After driving and comparing dozens of electric cars, following our step-by-step methodology, we picked seven that stood out from the pack. We picked the cars with the best combination of price, impressive battery range, strong performance and features, along with some other considerations, such as reliability and depreciation.

Below are those picks, along with their pros, cons and drive range on an electric charge.

(If you’re interested in a broader look at the new vehicle marketplace, check out our full list of the Best Cars of 2025.)

Best Electric Cars of 2025

Best Overall: Hyundai Ioniq 6
Best for Performance: Tesla Model 3
Best for Luxury: Polestar 2
Best for Affordability: Nissan LEAF
Best Value: Nissan Ariya
Best for Comfort: Volkswagen ID.4
Best for Versatility: Kia Niro

Best Overall: Hyundai Ioniq 6

• Price: $37,750
• Driving range on a full charge: 240 miles

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Pros

• Standout safety rating
• Excellent warranty

Cons

• Small trunk

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The 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 6 is the total package: best-in-class range (albeit with a pricey upgrade), engaging driving dynamics and a cabin chock full of standard features. Those features include a 12.3-inch touch screen infotainment system and some extra niceties like heated front seats.

The base (Standard SE) model has a 240-mile range. While that’s adequate for a 2025 EV, some competitors offer more. To unlock the Ioniq 6’s best range, a standout 342 miles, you’ll need to upgrade to the $42,700 SE trim. (That’s a couple thousand dollars less than the starting price of the Tesla Model 3 Long Range edition.)

The Ioniq 6 is the only pick in this category that was tested and earned the accolade of Top Safety Pick + – the highest awarded – from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Importantly for first-time EV buyers looking for peace of mind as they move to a new technology, the Ioniq 6 is backed by one of the best warranties of any model on this list.

It includes a five-year/60,000-mile limited warranty along with a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty for its battery and EV powertrain components.

The main drawback to the Ioniq 6 is that it offers less cargo space than other EVs, with a trunk only large enough to fit a charging cable.

Best for Performance: Tesla Model 3

• Price: $44,130
• Driving range on a full charge: 363 miles

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Pros

• Impressive performance
• User-friendly charging network

Cons

• Distracting infotainment screen

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The Tesla Model 3 underwent a facelift for 2024, addressing complaints about its minimalist cabin and complicated infotainment system. Now the spartan interior sports some nicer trim pieces such as thicker padding on the doors and a new cloth upholstery, although we still find the infotainment screen to be somewhat distracting.

But the interior is not the main reason you buy a Model 3. You buy it for the class-leading performance (notably in acceleration), long range and unmatched charging network. The latter boasts more remote fast-charging stations than any other brand, and offers the ability to add about 248 miles of power within 30 minutes.

The Long Range base model cruises from 0 to 60 mph in an impressive 4.2 seconds. Meanwhile, the $56,630 Performance model is even quicker, shaving a full second off the journey. However, that extra performance will cost you in range. The Performance delivers just 303 miles compared to the base model’s 363-mile range.

Starting at $44,130, the Model 3 is among the priciest of our picks. It has, however, held its value especially well. It was recently named the best premium electric car in the 2025 JD Power Residual Value Awards, which recognize vehicles that have depreciated the least in recent years.

Best for Luxury: Polestar 2

• Price: $49,900
• Driving range on a full charge: 320 miles

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Pros

• Impressive range
• Powerful performance

Cons

• Very expensive

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The Polestar 2 electric sedan has increased its entry-level range to 320 miles, putting it in the big leagues alongside Hyundai and Tesla. The base model, which also gets 69 additional horsepower for breezy acceleration, starts at $49,900. That’s the most expensive model on our list of electric cars but considered reasonable for the luxury space where Polestar wants to play.

The interior feels suitably upscale, albeit erring on the minimalist side with the Tesla Model S, with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and an 11.2-inch touch screen to control navigation and other functions. Leather upholstery with ventilated front seats will set you back $4,000, so we recommend sticking with the base model’s textile upholstery from its Volvo parent’s bank of sustainable and recycled materials.

Best for Affordability: Nissan LEAF

• Price: $28,140
• Driving range on a full charge:149 miles

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Pros

• Affordable starting price
• Practical EV for commuters

Cons

• Ho-hum range and ride quality

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The Nissan LEAF has fallen behind in the segment it pioneered. Once the world’s only electric car, it has lost its spirit of innovation, instead becoming a practical daily driver distinguished by its similarity to a regular sedan.

That leaves the remaining upside of the modern LEAF as its price: $28,140 for the base model. But you’ll need to make serious sacrifices to save at least $10,000 or so over any other of our picks.

The LEAF’s ride is less than thrilling and its range is a ho-hum 149 miles, which is at least 100 miles fewer than most of its rivals deliver. Further, having less battery capacity (reflected in that range) means the LEAF takes much longer to charge than its rivals. If you’re using a Level 1 charger, the kind many owners have in their garage, that means days of charging, rather than hours.

The upshot: choose this budget EV only if you will drive it only locally and aren’t fussy about performance.

Best Value: Nissan Ariya

• Price: $39,770
• Driving range on a full charge: 216 miles

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Pros

• Well-equipped for the money
• Moderately priced compared with some competitors

Cons

• Ho-hum driving experience, especially in the base model
• Range is only OK, especially in the base model

---

The Nissan Ariya starts at just below $40,000, solidly in the middle of the pack for an EV of its size. With a front-wheel drive, single-motor powertrain and 66-kWh battery, the standard Engage trim can travel 216 miles when fully charged. It also comes with heated front seats and synthetic leather upholstery – niceties you don’t always find in a base model.

However, there’s nothing especially exciting about driving the Ariya, especially in its base models. We recommend upgrading to the Ariya’s $44,000 Evolve+ trim. Its 91-kWh long-range battery can travel up to 289 miles on a full charge, which should provide sufficient margin to get you through an average American week of commuting.

Best for Comfort: Volkswagen ID.4

• Price: $39,735
• Driving range on a full charge: 206 miles

---

Pros

• Very quiet, comfortable cabin
• Tall ride height for easy entry and exit

Cons

• Range for the base model is below par

---

Almost exactly the same price as the Nissan Ariya and Kia Niro, the Volkswagen ID.4 boasts an airy, near-silent cabin that prioritizes comfort. Its taller ride height provides an unusual amount of headroom, which means you and your passengers can enter and exit the electric crossover with minimal hassle.

The base model delivers a smooth ride of up to 206 miles on a full charge. That’s below average for the class. Rear-wheel-drive models with the larger 82-kWh battery can travel up to 263 miles.

A 12.9-inch touch screen dominates the spacious cabin. All models also come with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, wireless device charging and four USB ports.

Best for Versatility: Kia Niro

• Price: $39,600
• Driving range on a full charge: 253 miles

---

Pros

• Great range for the money
• Also available in hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions

Cons

• Slower to charge than some other Kia EVs

---

Kia’s versatile Niro is available as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric subcompact crossover. Starting just below $40,000, its cutely-named Wind and Wave trims each come with a 64.8-kWh battery that can travel up to 253 miles when fully charged. Pitted on the price-range matrix, that makes the Niro the Goldilocks of EVs. Its long list of safety features may sweeten the deal.

Like all other Kias, the Niro EV is covered by the factory’s class-leading five-year/60,000-mile limited warranty along with a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty for its battery and EV powertrain components, which could give first-time EV buyers peace of mind.

The Trump administration appears to be moving forward with plans to shutter — or at a minimum, shrink — the Education Department.

Fully closing down the 45-year-old department, an idea that President Donald Trump supported during his campaign, would require congressional approval. But the president is pursuing plans to weaken the department via executive order, according to reports from multiple media outlets.

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said Friday during an interview on Fox News the president “intends to sign the order” and that he’s made it “crystal clear” closing the department is his intent, though she didn’t provide details on the timing.

Although it is the smallest federal agency, the Education Department manages substantial funding programs for K-12 schools and higher education. Its office of Federal Student Aid distributes about $120 billion in grants and student loans to college students each year. In managing a $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio, the office oversees repayment plans for nearly 43 million borrowers.

Can Trump actually shut down the Education Department?

Shutting down the Education Department would require nearly universal Republican support in both chambers of Congress, including a 60-vote majority in the Senate to overcome a filibuster.

What the administration is able to accomplish via executive order is less clear. According to ABC News, a draft of the order calls for McMahon to facilitate shutting down the department by taking steps “permitted by law.”

It’s unlikely that an executive order could make any major structural changes to how student aid is dispersed, though that may not stop the administration from trying, says Preston Cooper, senior fellow in higher education policy at the American Enterprise Institute.

Because the programs themselves are written into legislation, the courts would likely intervene if the administration tried to shut them down using an executive order, he says.

“I think people conflate closing the department with actually ending the programs that the department oversees,” Cooper adds. “And I think there’s a lot less appetite, including among Republicans, for actually ending some of these programs.”

Rather than disavowing college financial aid completely, the GOP is trying to shut down what it sees as an inefficient, unaccountable bureaucracy, he says.

The idea is likely to move some Education Department programs to other federal agencies. Project 2025 — a map for what conservative lobbyists would like the Trump administration to accomplish — suggests transferring the student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department, for example. On Thursday, Trump told reporters he’d consider moving oversight of federal student aid to the Small Business Administration.

Recent polling suggests that upheaval at the Education Department is not especially popular among the public. One poll from Morning Consult suggests that many Americans actually want to increase funding for the Education Department, while another — from think tank New America — found that only 26% of adults support dismantling the department.

Even if the Education Department remains open, there is still plenty that Trump and McMahon can do to limit its power, says Edward Conroy, senior policy manager in the higher education program at New America.

Already, the administration has laid off some Education Department employees and offered buyouts to others. According to an email obtained by Politico, officials told staffers the buyout offers preceded a “very significant” reduction in workforce. About 300 employees accepted the buyouts this week, Mahon told NewsNation Friday.

“When you eliminate people with that kind of experience, it’s really hard to replace,” Conroy says. “And so, while you can’t eliminate the Department of Education wholesale without an act of Congress, you can do a lot of harm to its ability to succeed.”

How would changes at the Education Department affect financial aid?

More than 17 million students fill out the FAFSA each year as the first step to accessing federal grants and loans, state scholarships and institutional aid. When a student fills out the application, it has to be processed by staff at the department, and then the information is sent to their college. The college then determines a student’s financial aid package for its specific school.

The process may sound straightforward, but experts say managing it requires technical knowledge of complex systems and backend protocols.

“There could be some bureaucratic headaches that happen if the office of Federal Student Aid is moved around,” Cooper says, noting that there may be a “learning curve” for new staffers taking over and possible delays in getting aid dispersed.

And if one agency didn’t absorb all of the financial aid functions, that would make life harder for students, Conroy says. Hypothetically, students could have to go to one place to get help completing their FAFSA, a different place to complete the master promissory note that’s required to take out student loans, and then a third place when they have to start repaying their student loans.

“The financial aid system is complicated,” he says. “We need simplification in the system, not additional complexity.”

One suggestion to downsize the department that experts noted as particularly concerning is an idea to replace the Federal Student Aid call center with artificial intelligence chatbots. That proposal ignores the nuance needed to answer students’ questions, as answers are variable depending on a student’s family circumstances and income level, says Sayda Martinez-Alvarado, a senior policy analyst for higher education at EdTrust, an advocacy group that focuses on equity for low-income and Black and Latino students.

Delays in notifying students what sort of aid they qualify for can affect where and even whether students attend college. Many already enrolled students rely on the money from Pell Grants and federal work study not only to pay tuition bills but also to afford food, transportation and rent.

For evidence of its central role in students’ lives, look no further than January’s short-lived federal funding freeze: Martinez-Alvarado says “we saw a lot of extreme panic from students” before the move was quickly blocked by courts.

As another example, Conroy and Martinez-Alvarado both point to the chaos that stemmed from the FAFSA overhaul over the past two years. Nearly four years after Congress passed a law aimed at simplifying the financial aid application, the department bungled the rollout of the new form during the 2023-24 school year. Repeated delays and technical glitches actually made the process of applying for aid harder, not easier, for some students.

“A lot of that had to do with not having enough manpower, so you can only imagine what is going to happen if capacity is cut even further,” Martinez-Alvarado says.

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Struggling to pay down your debt? You’re not alone: Despite increasing growth in income, delinquent balances continue to worsen year over year, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Part of the challenge is just getting started. When you’re making minimum payments that don’t put a dent in your overall balance — or worse, getting swallowed up by interest and late fees — it’s hard to find any motivation to actually figure out how to pay off credit card debt for good.

“The clients that come to see us — they’re feeling stuck,” says Tara Unverzagt, senior financial planner at South Bay Financial Partners.

But finding the right strategy, be it a do-it-yourself (DIY) method to prioritize expensive debt or a plan managed by a debt relief company, can make it easier to climb out of the hole. Read on to learn when different debt payoff strategies work best and find out if you should switch methods.

What are the different types of debt payoff strategy?

Debt payoff strategies can be roughly categorized in two fields: DIY and managed solutions.

With DIY solutions, you are solely responsible for developing a plan and its outcome, although credit counseling — which offers some services for free — may be able to help you with the logistics. Managed solutions have added fees and costs, but you get to skip some of the leg work.

• DIY debt payoff: Based on budgeting alongside methods like the debt snowball and the debt avalanche, which focus on paying off the smallest and highest-interest debts first, respectively.
• Debt consolidation: A middle ground that combines multiple debts into one through a consolidation loan or a balance transfer credit card. There is little oversight from third-parties, which requires you to be on top of your regularly scheduled payments.
• Debt management plans: These are structured repayment plans coordinated by a credit counseling agency.
• Debt relief: Also called debt settlement, this is the process of negotiating with creditors to reduce the total amount owed. You can pursue this on your own, though many borrowers choose to work with credit card debt relief companies.
• Bankruptcy: A legal process that eliminates or restructures debt when no other options are viable. This should only be considered as a last resort if you’re drowning in debt.

You should consider a DIY payoff strategy if…

You have manageable debt and can make consistent payments

Do-it-yourself strategies for managing debt (like the debt snowball and avalanche methods) keep you in control without taking on a new loan or the risk of damaging your credit. This is ideal if your total debt is not overwhelming and you have enough income to cover monthly payments without struggling.

Your interest rates are not excessively high

If your current debt has low enough interest rates, you can focus on aggressively paying down your balances without the need for restructuring. Instead of taking out a consolidation loan to combine multiple debts that are under 10%, you might be better off using a DIY strategy to pay them off individually, saving on any applicable fees from the loan origination process.

Debt avalanche vs debt snowball

If a DIY strategy makes sense for you, you’ll also need to choose a payment schedule to follow.

One option is the debt snowball strategy, a payoff method that focuses on building motivation by paying off debts from the smallest balance to the largest, regardless of interest rates. In contrast, a debt avalanche is meant to save you the most money in the long run by targeting debts with the highest interest rates first.

While the debt avalanche leads to paying less interest over time, it can take longer to see progress. Eliminating smaller debts first makes you experience quick wins, which can create momentum and reinforce positive financial habits.

You should consider debt consolidation if…

You struggle to keep up with multiple bills

Juggling multiple due dates and balances can be stressful. Debt consolidation, where you roll multiple balances into a single, new loan, can make it easier to manage. You can do this with a personal loan, home equity loan or even a balance transfer credit card.

Ideally you’ll get, “lower interest rates, a fixed payment schedule and simplified payments,” says Raeonna Jefferson, an associate planner with Zenith Wealth Partners.

You have a strong credit score

Debt consolidation works best when you can secure a lower interest rate than your existing debts. For example, interest rates on personal loans currently start around 8% or 9%, but the APRs go up into the 20%s — just as high as credit cards. To qualify for the lowest rates and save the most money by consolidating, you’re likely going to need a very good to excellent credit score.

Debt consolidation loans vs balance transfer credit cards

A debt consolidation loan and a balance transfer credit card can both help streamline debt repayment, but they work best in different situations.

Debt consolidation loans are best for individuals with larger debt amounts who want predictable payments and a lower interest rate than their current debts. They are especially beneficial for consolidating various types of debt, including credit cards, medical bills and personal loans.

On the other hand, a balance transfer credit card is best for smaller amounts of credit card debt and borrowers with good to excellent credit who can qualify for a 0% APR introductory period. This allows you to pay off debt interest-free for a limited time, potentially saving you more money than a loan.

You should consider a debt management plan if…

You need help building an affordable repayment plan

Debt management plans (DMPs) are designed to help you budget and figure out a realistic repayment strategy. When you enroll in a DMP through a nonprofit credit counseling agency, a credit counselor reviews your financial situation, including your income, expenses and debts.

The counselor will help you determine an affordable monthly payment amount that goes toward paying off your debts. Then, they will negotiate with your creditors to reduce interest rates and waive fees, making it easier to pay off your debt in full.

You have mostly unsecured debts

DMPs are generally designed to pay off unsecured debts, such as credit cards, personal loans and medical bills. They can’t be used to pay secured debts like a mortgage or car loan because those debts are tied to collateral that can be repossessed if you fail to make payments. If the majority of your debt is unsecured, a DMP could be an effective way to consolidate your payments and reduce interest rates.

You’re worried about your credit score

If you’re already struggling to make minimum payments or have missed a few payments, your credit score is likely taking a hit. Enrolling in a debt management plan can help you avoid further damage by ensuring consistent, on-time payments.

While enrolling in a DMP itself doesn’t directly hurt your credit score, it can temporarily impact your credit utilization ratio and the age of your credit history. This is due to a key requirement of enrolling in these plans; you must close most (if not all) of your credit card accounts, since continuing to use credit while paying off debt undermines the purpose of the program.

You should consider debt relief if…

You’re already behind on payments

When you pursue debt relief, you’re trying to get your creditors to agree to settle your unsecured debts for less than you owe. But creditors only have an incentive to do so if you’re already behind on payments — from their point of view, they’d rather collect a smaller amount than nothing at all.

If you’re already delinquent and can’t keep up, negotiating a reduced balance through debt settlement might be a better option.

You’re struggling financially

Creditors aren’t likely to agree to a reduced balance unless you can demonstrate financial hardship. While you don’t necessarily need to provide proof of job loss, divorce or other life events, being able to clearly explain why you’re struggling to keep up with payments significantly increases the chances of a successful negotiation.

Getting out of debt is a bigger priority than protecting your credit

If you’re drowning in debt and your primary focus is achieving financial stability, the short-term hit from debt relief to your credit may be worth it in the long run.

You generally need to be behind on your payments for creditors to consider negotiating your debt. Delinquent accounts, settled debts, or accounts marked as “paid for less than the full amount” will remain on your credit report for several years, which can make it harder to get approved for new credit in the near future. This approach makes the most sense if you don’t need to borrow again soon, such as taking out a mortgage or car loan

For information on some of the best debt relief programs, visit our page listing the top debt relief companies.

You should consider bankruptcy…

When creditors are suing you or garnishing your wages

Bankruptcy is typically a last resort that should only be considered after other strategies have been explored, as it can have a long-term impact on your credit. However, it can provide financial relief if your debt has escalated to the point where creditors are suing you for unpaid debt, threatening wage garnishment or sending accounts to collections.

If you have little to no assets or savings

Despite all the disadvantages of bankruptcy — a severe impact to your credit score, challenges qualifying for new credit or loans and the potential loss of property and assets — it can provide a fresh financial start.

You’ll need to research the different types of bankruptcy, too: Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a liquidation process that discharges unsecured debts and provides relief from creditors. You have to qualify for Chapter 7 via a means test based on your income. Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows you to reorganize your debts into a more manageable repayment plan and keep your property, with some debt potentially forgiven.

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President Donald Trump’s tariff broadsides plus corporate earnings that suggest a cooling economy have roiled the market in recent days. While the impulse to take your money and run is understandable, it’s also misguided.

It might be tempting to pull money out of the market when you see headlines about tumbling stock prices. But it’s important to remember that financial plans — whether developed by a pro or generated by a robo-advisor — are meant to be followed when markets go down as well as up.

“The main thing you want to do in times of weakness is nothing,” says Ross Mayfield, an investment strategist at Baird. “The worst thing you can do is check your account daily, because those paper losses can spur real action,” he adds, by prompting you to panic and make rash choices.

Continuing to contribute when stock prices are sliding gives you the chance to buy assets that could recover their value and continue to grow, says Emily Safford, vice president and wealth advisor at Girard, a Univest Wealth Division.

“A near-term pullback is OK, and even an opportunity to add a bit more,” she says.

While it can be painful to see losses, acting on them just increases the likelihood that you’ll lock them in. An analysis by J.P. Morgan Asset Management found that, over the past 20 years, seven of the market’s best days occurred within 15 days of one of the market’s worst 10 days. If you panicked and sold at a loss on those negative days, you likely would have missed out on the big gains that followed.

While 10 trading days might not sound like very much — especially over the course of 20 years — investors who missed out on those 10 big recovery days had returns that were only about half as good as investors who stuck out the lows.

If you never think about your 401(k) except when faced with a parade of scary headlines, you might even consider this volatility a good wake-up call to check in on your retirement accounts.

However, it’s probably not a good idea to peek at your 401(k) balance today. Instead, mark your calendar for a date a few weeks out so you won’t be tempted to make any of the moves experts warn against doing when the day’s performance is hair-raising. Market downturns are also a good opportunity to evaluate your financial position more broadly, Safford says.

“Focus on cash flow and near-term needs,” she says. For instance, do you have an emergency fund? Do you have high-interest debt you should be paying down in case you have a loss of income or an unexpected expense? A moment of panic can become a good opportunity for financial self-reflection.

How often should you check your retirement accounts?

Ideally, you should have a schedule for looking at your retirement savings, since peeking at your 401(k) too often — or when you’re in panic mode — might tempt you to make changes that aren’t justified by your long-term financial plans.

Setting aside time twice a year to go over your 401(k) and other retirement accounts gives you the chance to adjust what you need without going overboard, Heather Winston, director of financial planning and advice at Principal, told Money earlier. “If you’re looking with a lot of frequency, you may then take action that’s unnecessary,” she said.

Other experts say a good frequency to aim for is once every three months or so. Whatever timeline you choose, there are a few things you should focus on when you log into your 401(k), IRA or other accounts.

Checking the balance can give you a sense of how on-track you are when it comes to saving for retirement. Evaluating your contributions across all your accounts, if you have more than one, can confirm that you’re within IRS rules about pre-tax retirement account contributions. Looking at your expenses can help you determine if you’re paying too much in fees.

Looking at what stocks or funds you’re holding gives you the opportunity to make sure your allocations are still where you want them to be, Mayfield says.

“Over the last five years, stocks have obviously done extremely well, while bonds have struggled,” he says. If you haven’t been rebalancing your portfolio regularly during that time, “Your allocation may have moved dramatically towards equities,” meaning that you could be exposed to more risk than you really want to be.

“Bottom line, don’t panic with all this volatility,” says Tara Lawson, vice president and wealth strategist at US Bank Private Wealth Management. “Don’t be changing your allocation or changing how much you’re contributing to retirement because of something you saw in the news.”

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The relatively high cost of gasoline makes electric vehicles less expensive to keep fueled than their gas-powered cousins. Yet how much you’ll spend to go electric ranges widely, mostly depending on gas and electricity costs where you live.

“Figuring out how much an EV will cost can be complex, but it’s worth doing the math before making such a major purchase,” says Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at the nonprofit Consumer Reports.

That’s because you might not save as much as you expect on owning such a vehicle, especially when compared with hybrid cars that run on both electric and gas power. A number of factors that affect the cost of owning an EV are changing — and not in favor of their affordability. For one, EVs remain more expensive to buy than gas vehicles — with an average price of $55,544, they cost about 5% more than the typical tab for all new cars, according to Kelley Blue Book.

That price gap could even widen soon. Here’s more on that development, along with other things to know about the comparative cost of driving electric versus staying with gas power.

New laws could hike EV costs

If they become law, two bills introduced last week by Republican senators could increase the current cost of getting an EV by thousands of dollars.

The first bill seeks to eliminate a federal tax credit for EVs and a subsidy for the cost of installing charging stations for the vehicles. President Donald Trump campaigned on eliminating the credit, which allows instant tax rebates of $7,500 when buying a new EV and up to $4,000 on used ones.

A second bill proposes adding a $1,000 flat fee to the price of EVs. With about 1 million EVs currently sold annually in the U.S., the bill’s sponsors say the $1 billion or so the measure could raise would compensate the federal government for the additional wear and tear on interstate highways due to the greater weight of EVs (mostly attributed to their batteries, which typically weigh between 500 and 2,000 pounds).

Of course, many EV buyers aren’t solely motivated by the financial savings of owning an electric car — they care more about the environmental advantage of emitting fewer pollutants. Still, if you’re weighing an EV purchase, it pays to consider the factors that will affect the relative cost of owning such a vehicle.

Gas prices and electrical rates

For an EV to be a lot cheaper to run than an internal combustion engine (ICE) or hybrid vehicle depends on gas being relatively expensive where you live — and electricity relatively inexpensive. But that isn’t the case everywhere in the country, especially given recent trends in the comparative prices of the two energy sources.

The average cost of gasoline has been declining since it hit a peak of $4.54 a gallon in July 2022. As of this past January, it stood at $3.08, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

EVs run on electricity and are usually recharged using equipment connected to your home electrical system. In contrast to dropping gas prices, electrical rates in the U.S. have been rising, albeit modestly, and now average 16.54 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to ElectricChoice.com, a site that tracks electric rates.

By state, both gas prices and electricity rates vary as widely as 50% above and below the national average. In combination, the respective costs of the two energy sources can significantly impact just how much money you save by driving an EV.

The best financial case for EV ownership comes if you live in a state with high gas prices and low electrical rates. In Nevada, for example, gas cost an average of $3.66 a gallon in January, according to the AAA; that’s more than 15% above the national average. Nevada’s electrical rates, on the other hand, were below the national average, at 11.67 cents per kWh.

By contrast, Massachusetts has fairly low gas prices ($3.01 a gallon) and high electrical rates ($21.01 per kWh).

Money calculated the comparative cost of running a car on gas vs. electric using the numbers above and an online tool from ChargEVC, a not-for-profit trade and research organization. Driving a typical EV for a typical number of miles per year in Nevada would cost nearly $1,400 less in energy costs than going with gas — $1,721 compared with $321.

In Massachusetts, however, the savings would be far more modest — around $850, or more than $500 less than the annual cost advantage of fueling an EV in Nevada.

Electrics are pricier to insure

Another major running cost for a car — insurance — is generally higher for EVs over gas-powered cars. According to estimates by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, drivers pay an average of $44 more per month to insure an EV compared to an ICE car.

Higher repair costs for EVs may help explain the gap in premiums. The average repair bill for an EV in the third quarter of 2024 was nearly $1,000 more than for gas-powered vehicles — $5,560 compared with $4,471, according to Mitchell, a claims and repair data company.

Also, if an EV needs to be written off after an accident, those higher EV prices make such write-offs pricier for the insurance firm, which also drives up prices.

EVs remain less reliable overall

Since they have fewer moving parts than vehicles with an internal combustion engine, you might expect EVs to be more reliable than gas-powered vehicles.

But that isn’t the case, at least yet. Manufacturers are still working the bugs out of the relatively new EV technology, according to Consumer Reports. The testing organization’s 2025 reliability data reveals that EVs had 42% more problems than vehicles with internal combustion engines. (That was actually an improvement from the previous year, when EVs had 79% more problems.)

When it comes to maintenance, however, EVs have an edge. AAA estimates that, when serviced according to the automakers’ recommendations, electric vehicles cost about $950 a year to maintain. That’s $330 less than a gas-powered car.

Gas vs. electric vs. hybrid

Buyers wrestling with the choice between an EV and an ICE vehicle can also consider a hybrid car, which combines an electric motor with an internal combustion engine.

Consumer Reports estimates you’ll pay up to $3,000 more for a hybrid compared to a gas-powered equivalent vehicle, compared with a $5,000-to-$15,000 premium for an EV. Hybrids are also more reliable than EVs overall.

It’s true that hybrids are less “green” than EVs, due to their sometime use of an ICE. But they’re also more dependable in their range. If the battery on a hybrid car runs down before the end of a trip, you can switch over entirely to gas power and refuel at any gas station rather than having to find an EV charging station, which are sometimes scarce.

“An EV may make financial sense for many buyers, but some might be better off with a fuel-efficient hybrid,” says Fisher of Consumer Reports.

Whatever vehicle type you choose, it’s sensible to base your buying decision not only on the purchase price, with any credits and rebates, but its cost to own, including fuel or electrical cost. Online tools such as the U.S. Department of Energy calculator of fuel costs for EVs and regular cars can help with those calculations.