Saving
How to build a CD ladder in five steps
Split cash across certificates with staggered maturities and a piece of your money comes due every year — liquidity from the short end, yield from the long end.
Author
Fatima Al-Rashid
Independent editorial contributor covering personal finance, investing method, payments and consumer money decisions.
Articles by Fatima Al-Rashid
Investing
What is an index fund, and why beginners start there
An index fund buys the whole market — or a big slice of it — in one purchase, which makes it the simplest way to own hundreds of companies without picking any…
Investing
How to start investing with $100
Fractional shares and commission-free brokers removed the old entry fees — today $100 is a real start, and the habit matters more than the amount.
Investing
The 2026 401(k) contribution limit is $24,500 — who should use it
Workers can defer up to $24,500 into a 401(k) in 2026, a $1,000 increase, with an $8,000 catch-up on top for workers 50 and older.