By KIKI SIDERIS, Associated Press

More online platforms are giving secondhand shopping a digital upgrade, rolling out features like livestream shopping and AI-powered search to make thrifting faster and more exciting.

Although choosing secondhand over new is often the more sustainable option, experts say it’s not a license to overconsume. They warn that resale has its limits, since buying more than you need still fuels waste, and shopping online can add emissions from servers and shipping, thrifted or not.

Here’s how industry experts and fashion-forward shoppers shop secondhand sustainably — and how to find quality pieces that last while looking cool, too.

The rise of online secondhand fashion

At eBay’s secondhand runway shows in New York and London, models wore pre-loved designer pieces that guests could shop live. Secondhand items like those make up 40% of the company’s sales, said Alexis Hoopes, eBay’s vice president of fashion.

“One of our big priorities is making secondhand just as good as shopping in the primary market,” she said.

ThredUp and The RealReal have reported record sales this year, signaling that the online resale market is growing quickly. Live-auction apps like Whatnot are giving shoppers more platforms to bid on used clothing.

Shoppers navigating growing online options with an eye toward sustainability can still end up buying more than they need.

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“People who buy secondhand clothing were found to buy more clothing than people who don’t,” said Meital Peleg Mizrachi, a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University who researches textile waste. “Not only that, they tend to get rid of those clothes faster than other consumers. So they’re ending up creating more textile waste because they’re buying more and using that clothing for a shorter period of time.”

Less than 20% of clothing donations to charities are resold in their stores, according to the Council for Textile Recycling. The rest is downcycled, exported — often to countries in the Global South — or ultimately discarded in landfills.

Online resale also generates emissions from shipping and packaging, and running massive e-commerce platforms consumes energy, all factors that need to be considered, said Alana James, a fashion professor at Northumbria University. But all of that pales in comparison to the environmental impact of producing a new garment, she said.

Experts say truly sustainable fashion requires breaking away from the fast-fashion mindset — the constant pressure to “buy now” and the manufactured sense of scarcity that fuels overconsumption.

“Haul” culture — the social media trend of showing off massive shopping sprees — shows overconsumption in a new way, said Katrina Caspelich, communications director for Remake, an advocacy group for human rights and climate justice in fashion.

“Responsible secondhand shopping means choosing pieces you’ll truly wear, investing in quality and resisting the pull of endless trend cycles,” she said.

Spotting the best quality pieces

It can be difficult to determine quality when shopping online, but asking the seller about the garment’s composition can help, said Wisdom Kaye, a menswear content creator.

Natural fabrics are a good place to start, said Caspelich.

“Look for silk, cotton, bamboo — things that breathe and last — versus synthetics like polyester or nylon,” she said.

Shoppers should look for items that are lined and make note of the quality of the stitching, said Julian Carter, a menswear content creator.

Other secondhand buyers want to buy heftier clothing made before the mid-1990s, when more U.S. products were made without outsourced labor or a lot of cost-cutting, said Wesley Breed, a fashion history content creator.

From the year to the color, shoppers sifting through hundreds of thousands of search results online should be very specific about what they want, said Aimee Kelly, a fashion content creator.

“It helps you find the cooler pieces,” she said. “And have patience — look around, you’re gonna find it.”

Making your pieces last

Finding the right item is only the first step — caring for it ensures it stays in circulation.

Stuff bags to maintain their shape, keep clothing in garment bags, and use muslin bags and lavender sprays to keep out moths that eat natural fabrics like silk, wool and fur, said Liana Satenstein, host of eBay’s Endless Runway secondhand fashion show.

People can also wear clothes more between washes, spot-clean and air-dry clothes, and learn to sew.

“You’d be shocked how many people just toss a cardigan because a button fell off,” Caspelich said.

Keeping fashion in the loop

Secondhand sustainability isn’t just about keeping clothes out of landfills.

People who try to sell or give away their clothes should be mindful of where they’re going, said Mizrachi, the Yale researcher.

“Try to give them to smaller community stores or shelters — places that you know are happy to get those clothes,” Mizrachi said.

Zara, H&M and other brands have launched recycling programs.

eBay recently partnered with British retailer Marks & Spencer for a take-back program that lets shoppers return items in-store to be resold on eBay.

But the most sustainable choice is simply buying less, Mizrachi said. The only way to make fashion companies change how they do business is to make overconsumption unprofitable — which means buyers need to change their habits, she said.

“We can’t purchase our way out of the climate crisis,” Mizrachi said.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — After years of always being the perpetual bridesmaid, Lisa Catalano laid down her soft-pink bouquet, hung up her strappy blue satin maid of honor dress and drafted a text to her friends:

“I’m officially announcing my retirement from being a bridesmaid,” she wrote. “The next wedding I’m going to be in will be with my own groom, TBD.”

Two years earlier, her fiancé had died of a terminal illness. After failed attempts at dating apps, set-ups and matchmaking databases, Catalano, now 42, transformed her quest with gusto.

Creating a personal dating campaign, she rented space on a dozen digital billboards along Highway 101 between Santa Clara and South San Francisco, adorning each with her smiling face, cascading brunette curls and a simple message: “MarryLisa.com.”  She’s running the same images on the tops of taxis in San Francisco as well.

With the boost from a local TV station and the New York Post, which shared her story last week, the traffic to her “Marry Lisa” website has soared. By Tuesday, nearly 2,000 men — some from as far as India and the Middle East — had applied to be Mr. Right.

“I keep joking with my friends and family, because this has felt to me like the beginning of a romcom, except so far, it’s been all com and no rom,” she said. “I hope that that changes soon.”

Catalano’s story is equal parts “Bridget Jones’s Diary” and “The Bachelorette,” but her journey also reveals yet again the struggles to find love in the post-COVID age of remote work, isolating social media and the frenetic pace of Silicon Valley.

Bay Area dating coach Marie Thouin sympathizes with Catalano’s struggles to find the one, as women, especially, search for traditional relationships in a region that often questions conventions, and where eligible men who want a wife and children are often putting it off until after their careers are established.

Catalano, she said, is “fearless.”

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“She’s breaking a lot of the shame that a lot of women have about wanting partnership. A lot of people don’t want to seem too desperate and so they’re downplaying their desire for a relationship. And she is boldly doing the opposite,” Thouin said. “She’s saying, ‘Hey, this is so important to me that I’m willing to put myself out there on a billboard. I’m willing to create a website for this. I’m willing to go the distance to show the world I want this.’”

Catalano’s studio apartment, decorated with a patchwork quilt, a sheepskin rug and light blue love seat, has become her makeshift command center. On Tuesday morning, her phone kept pinging with every new dating application submitted to her website. People Magazine interviewed her that day, and she’s heading to a TV interview in Oakland Thursday. She’s fielded calls from producers for “Jimmy Kimmel Live! “and CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.”

She’s had so much interest from so many that she’s barely had a chance to study the applications or go on a single date.

“I’m reviewing the applications myself. I’m not using AI or any tools like that,” she said. “I’m doing it the old-fashioned way, but this is not an old-fashioned approach at all.”

Catalano is remarkably revealing on her MarryLisa.com website. Height, weight, bra size? All spelled out in black and white. Does she kiss on a first date? Sex and intimacy? Her flaws and imperfections? She talks about all that in a string of videos.

A Santa Clara University alumna who worked in tech and the cosmetics industry and is now freelancing, she enjoys wine “and the occasional cocktail.” She’s a Giants fan, owns a convertible and loves cats. “Has never had any cosmetic procedures,” she wrote, is “high energy, healthy active.”

Lisa Catalano in her apartment on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in San Mateo, Calif. Catalano decided to market herself by buying space on digital billboards to advertise her website https://www.marrylisa.com/. So far she has received over 1,900 marriage applications. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

Her prospective suitor must be college-educated, drug-free, aligned with her left-leaning politics and be ready for marriage and children within three years.

Catalano is buying a new printer so she can sort the prospective suitors into piles and will likely enlist some friends to help.

Longtime friend Jamie Bainum says she met her boyfriend on Tinder two years ago and hoped the dating apps would work for Catalano. The billboard campaign instead, she said, is “so smart.”

“She’s very outgoing to do it, because it’s definitely serious putting yourself out there for the whole world to see,” said Bainum, 42, of Florida. “But she’s a very good person. She doesn’t have anything to hide, so you’re not going to find any bad things about her. She’s very honest. She’s very fun. She’s just a really good person who deserves a really good guy.”

Along with those who may be the good ones, however, Catalano has received numerous bad ones.

“I’m getting phony applications that are just saying the most horrific things about me,” she said. “I’m putting myself out there and my love life out there. It’s a very vulnerable thing and so I expected some criticism, but this? I’m just trying to roll with it.”

Lisa Catalano applies lipstick in her apartment on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in San Mateo, Calif. Catalano decided to market herself by buying space on digital billboards to advertise her website https://www.marrylisa.com/. So far she has received over 1,900 marriage applications. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

She has increased her personal security, she said, and plans to conduct her “due diligence” before she agrees to a date. But for every negative applicant, there are more positive ones encouraging her search.

Catalano declined to say how much her campaign is costing her so far. (She’ll calculate that later, she said, ) And for all her openness, she didn’t want to talk too much about her late fiancé out of respect, except to say that their relationship was “easy-going” and they had “great communication.”

“I think he would be cheering me on and laughing at this whole thing,” she said. “He would want me to be happy.”

Whether her future husband is somewhere in her growing database remains to be seen. But for those interested in her progress, she’s planning on documenting her journey on her “marrylisaofficial” page on TikTok.

“I do plan on shooting a little content for social media like getting ready for the date, what I’m wearing, that sort of thing, and giving a quick little brief recap of the dates,” she said.

But she’ll keep the men’s names and faces private.

“As unconventional as all of this is, I want to try as hard as possible to make the actual dates themselves feel normal,” she said.

When the publicity dies down, she said, she’s anxious to delve into the applications.

After all, she said, “I’m not doing this for fame. I’m doing this for love.”

Lisa Catalano in her apartment on Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in San Mateo, Calif. Catalano decided to market herself by buying space on digital billboards to advertise her website https://www.marrylisa.com/. So far she has received over 1,900 marriage applications. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)

By Brian Baker, CFA, Bankrate.com

When their working days eventually come to an end, many retirees will think about the best place to spend their golden years. Not all states treat retirement income — such as pension payouts or distributions from 401(k) plans and IRAs — the same way, which makes state and local taxes a key consideration for anyone expecting to be on a fixed income during this time.

Here’s what you need to know about how different states tax retirement income, including the states where you won’t pay taxes at all.

States with no income tax

Retirement distributions from 401(k) plans or IRAs are considered income for tax purposes.

Fortunately, there are several places with no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming

New Hampshire previously taxed interest and dividend payments, but that tax has been repealed starting with the 2025 tax year.

Washington does have a capital gains tax, though there are exemptions and deductions that may eliminate or lower the amount that is owed.

States with an income tax that don’t tax retirement income

In addition to the nine states above that don’t have an income tax at all, four states do not tax retirement income: Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi and Pennsylvania.

Illinois: Illinois charges a flat state income tax of 4.95%, but all retirement income is exempt from paying the tax. This includes pension payments, as well as distributions from retirement plans such as 401(k)s and IRAs. Social Security payments are also exempt.

Iowa: As of 2023, Iowa residents over the age of 55 are no longer taxed on their retirement income thanks to a 2022 law. Iowa now has a flat rate of 3.8% on taxable income after a new law was passed in May 2024.

Mississippi: Mississippi state income tax rates are 0% on the first $10,000 of taxable income and 4.4% on income above that level for the 2025 tax year, but retirement income is not taxed as long as you’ve met the plan requirements. This means that early distributions from retirement plans may not qualify as retirement income and could be subject to tax and a penalty. The tax rate is set to be reduced gradually to 3% by 2030, with further decreases until the tax is eliminated entirely. The rate will fall to 4% in 2026.

Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania charges personal income tax at a flat rate of 3.07%. Retirement income is not taxed in Pennsylvania as long as plan requirements are met. Withdrawals from retirement plans such as IRAs prior to reaching the necessary age (59 1/2) may result in taxes.

States that don’t tax Social Security

Forty-one states plus the District of Columbia do not tax Social Security income for retirees.

Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska are three of the most recent states to eliminate taxes on Social Security and others are in the process of phasing out the tax.

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Here are the 41 states that don’t tax Social Security income: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The nine states that tax Social Security benefits include: Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia. The amount you’re taxed in some of these states is based on your adjusted gross income (AGI) and filing status. West Virginia is phasing out its tax on Social Security benefits and will eliminate it entirely in 2026.

Other retirement income tax issues

While the states listed above don’t tax retirement income at all, there are other states that provide some exemptions. Several states don’t tax military retirement pay, while other states treat pension income differently than distributions from retirement plans such as 401(k)s or IRAs.

Be sure to understand the tax implications of living in a state before deciding where to retire. Taxes on retirement income are one element of the equation, but you’ll also want to consider things like sales and property taxes to get a complete picture. You may ultimately decide that paying more in taxes is worth it to you if a state offers other benefits that make up for the higher cost.

Bottom line

If you’re looking to avoid paying state taxes on your retirement income, you’ll have 13 states to choose from, while many others offer exemptions of some sort. Make sure to understand the tax situation in a state before deciding to relocate there. While lowering your tax bill may help you enjoy a more comfortable retirement, it’s not the only factor worth considering.

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By James Royal, Ph.D., Bankrate.com

Congress has shaken up retirement plans once again, and the changes benefit a wide swath of Americans saving for their golden years through IRAs or employer plans such as 401(k)s.

The SECURE Act 2.0 became law in the last days of 2022, and the new rules provide assistance for retirement savers, small businesses and many others. In fact, the changes are so wide that many of them didn’t officially begin until 2024 or later. The law is a sweeping follow-up to 2019’s SECURE Act, which itself shook up retirement funding and planning.

It’s worth noting that while the new law permits the following features, in many cases employers have to set up their retirement plans such as 401(k)s to actually enable those features. So you’ll want to check with your employer to see if they offer the new features and when.

Here are ten of the most important changes in the SECURE Act 2.0 and what you need to know.

1. The age for required minimum distributions rises

The SECURE Act 2.0 changes the age for when savers must begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement plans, not once but twice. The age to start taking RMDs has now become 73, as of 2023, up from age 72. Then starting on Jan. 1, 2033, the age for beginning to take RMDs jumps to 75. The law applies to 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans and IRAs, among others.

“Probably the biggest change in the SECURE Act 2.0 is the change to RMDs,” says Brian McGraw, CFP and senior wealth adviser with Hightower Wealth Advisors in St. Louis. “It’s the one that retirees and soon-to-be retirees want to get right.”

Due to the changes in the law, no one needed to start taking their RMDs in 2023. But if you had already started taking your RMD, you were not off the hook for taking it in 2023.

“People who are already taking RMDs still have to take them, but those who haven’t started don’t need to start for another year,” says McGraw.

How retirement savers are impacted: The extra time could let you compound your money inside a tax-advantaged account for even longer, meaning you could have more money when it comes time to withdraw it.

2. No more RMDs on employer-sponsored Roth accounts

Starting in 2024, employer-sponsored Roth accounts such as the Roth 401(k), no longer have required minimum distributions. This change aligns the withdrawal rules for employer-sponsored plans with those for the Roth IRA, which has no RMD. Previously, many advisers suggested that clients roll over Roth 401(k) accounts to a Roth IRA to avoid RMDs.

How retirement savers are impacted: This change simplified the withdrawal rules for the Roth 401(k) and helpfully aligned them with those of the Roth IRA.

3. Lower penalties for missing RMDs

If you don’t meet your RMD, you’ll be hit with a penalty. Previously, that penalty was a whopping 50% of the amount that you didn’t withdraw. The new law reduces that penalty to 25%. If you miss an RMD from an IRA, you may be able to reduce that penalty to 10% if you correct the deficiency in a timely manner and refile your taxes.

How retirement savers are impacted: The lower penalty means more money can stay in your pocket, though it’s easy enough to avoid this penalty in the first place.

4. Automatic enrollment and escalation in retirement plans

Starting in 2025, newly created 401(k) and 403(b) plans will be required to automatically enroll eligible employees with a minimum contribution of at least 3%. Plans must include an auto-escalation feature that raises the savings rate by 1% annually, up to a maximum of 10% or 15%, depending on the plan. However, the employee may opt out of the plan.

“Perhaps the biggest hurdle employers face in helping their employees invest for retirement is simply getting people enrolled in retirement plans,” says Edward Gottfried, Betterment at Work’s director of product.

How retirement savers are impacted: “Auto-enrollment and auto-escalation don’t just increase retirement savings but also contribute to better financial outcomes for employees: Employees who start out auto-enrolled more frequently contribute more than the amount they were auto-enrolled at then decrease that amount,” says Gottfried.

5. Larger catch-up contributions

“One of the bigger things for savers is the larger catch-up contributions,” says McGraw. “If you’re between [age] 60 and 63, you’ll be able to contribute up to $10,000 as a catch-up contribution.”

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Generally, the law allows workers aged 50 and over to make catch-up contributions of $7,500 each year to 401(k) plans, and that will continue. However, those in the special age group will be able to contribute up to the $11,250 level in 2025. The new provision began on Jan. 1, 2025.

In addition, the maximum catch-up contribution will be indexed to inflation, allowing workers to save more as inflation increases overall prices.

How retirement savers are impacted: Older workers will be able to save more in their employer-sponsored retirement plans.

6. Catch-up contributions for higher earners must go into a Roth

Starting in 2026, if you earned wages of $145,000 or more in the prior calendar year, any catch-up contributions at age 50 or older to an employer-sponsored plan must be made to a Roth account. If you earned less than this amount, you won’t be forced to contribute to the Roth version but can decide to deposit it into the Roth version or a traditional (pre-tax) version of the account, for example, a traditional 401(k). That income threshold will be adjusted for inflation in the future.

How retirement savers are impacted: While it’s useful to save a lot of money, the government wants to limit how much you can save in tax-deductible retirement accounts. The benefit is that more money will be stashed in an after-tax Roth account, meaning it’s tax-free at retirement time.

7. Employer matching can be treated as a Roth contribution

Previously, any employer matching contributions had to be treated as a pre-tax contribution, meaning they went into a traditional 401(k) account or the equivalent. The new law changes that, allowing matching contributions also to go into a Roth version of the account, if desired. However, unlike the prior pre-tax matching funds, matching amounts that go into a Roth account are taxable.

How retirement savers are impacted: Workers have an even greater ability to sock away funds in Roth accounts, which lets you skip the taxes when it comes time to withdraw the funds at retirement.

8. Student loan payments qualify for matching contributions

The new law allows student loan payments to act like a salary deferral that can be matched by an employer’s matching contributions. In effect, borrowers can pay off their student loans while still receiving the employer’s matching contributions for retirement.

“In a recent survey of American employees, we found that 67% of savers said their student loan debt has impacted their ability to save for retirement,” says Gottfried. “By allowing employers to offer a 401(k) match on dollars their employees use to repay their loans, we’re going to see a massive increase in the number of savers and a fantastic step forward in those savers’ preparations for retirement.”

However, remember that employer-sponsored retirement plans such as 401(k)s have an annual employee contribution limit ($23,500 for 2025), capping the total potential benefit.

“This provision seems like a win-win,” says McGraw.

How retirement savers are impacted: Those with student loans can still enjoy the “free” matching funds that are enjoyed by all those contributing to an employer’s retirement plan.

9. 529 plans can be rolled over into Roth IRAs

One of the biggest downsides of saving in a 529 education savings plan has been what to do with the funds if they’re unused. The SECURE Act 2.0 allows that money to be rolled over into a Roth IRA. But there’s some fine print: The money can be rolled over into a Roth IRA for the beneficiary after the account has been open for at least 15 years, and is limited to the maximum annual Roth contribution. In addition, there’s a $35,000 lifetime limit on the rollover amount.

How retirement savers are impacted: This change can provide a lot of benefit for those holding 529 plans with unused money.

10. SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs now have Roth options

Small employers may use SEP IRAs or SIMPLE IRAs to help their employees fund retirement. Those plans got even better: The new law allows employers to offer Roth versions of those plans, giving employees the ability to grow and withdraw their wealth tax-free in a Roth account.

The new feature for SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs were available starting in 2023, though plan providers will require some time to update their systems to allow for it.

How retirement savers are impacted: This is good news for the employees of small businesses who use these plans, allowing them the power of a Roth account.

Bottom line

This list of changes is just a starting point for what’s contained in the law. Some features of the new law will not come into effect until next year or even later. But even without the fine print, retirement savers can still take advantage of the changes.

©2025 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.