Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg via Getty Images Taxpayers will have another shot at a package of tax breaks that would have otherwise expired at the end of 2020. That’s because when lawmakers hammered out the 5,593-page Covid relief act, they resurrected a basket of deductions and credits — known as tax extenders — that were about a
Month: January 2021
Brian van der Brug | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images A handful of states have begun issuing a $300 weekly boost to unemployment benefits or signaled workers will get the payments starting this week. Others expect the aid to kick in later this month. Workers in Arizona, California, New York and Rhode Island will
Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images Maybe you’re familiar with a common quirk of health insurance coverage: Not knowing the cost of services until after the fact. A new price transparency rule that took effect Jan. 1 is an effort to change that. Basically, hospitals are now required to post online, in a consumer-friendly
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images PUA fraud Most of the theft has focused on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a temporary program created by the federal CARES Act in March. It offers unemployment benefits to workers who don’t ordinarily qualify, like the self-employed, gig workers, freelancers, contractors and part-timers. Con artists are attracted
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden speaks as he campaigns on behalf of Democratic U.S. Senate candidates from Georgia Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, ahead of their January 5 run-off elections, during a drive-in campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia, January 4, 2021. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters The outcome of the two contests for U.S. Senate seats in
Mistakes seniors make with HECM Reverse Mortgages getty FHA insured reverse mortgages, called HECMs, allow seniors to withdraw cash from their home while retaining the right to live there indefinitely. They are a potentially powerful tool for helping seniors live better lives during their retirement years. However, the benefits can also be frittered away, with
For most investors, Target-Date (TDFs) or Lifestyle Funds are a great idea. They reside in your 401(k) as a basket of mutual funds. Professional managers pick them and adjust risk based on your age. The closer you are to retirement — your “target date” — the lower the stock market risk in a TDF portfolio.
Seneca the Younger Universal Images Group via Getty Images Running out of money is an anxiety that keeps even well-prepared potential retirees in jobs that they hate and keeps many fresh retirees in a state of perpetual dread. The ‘what-ifs’ and ‘buts’ of living on savings or a fixed income keeps untold thousands from making
By Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue Editor getty You might not think there’d be much difference between the way members of Generation X (who are 40 to 55) and boomers (56 to 74) feel about money, since they’re age-adjacent. But truth is, survey after survey is showing that Gen Xers are far more financially fragile and
getty Test your hand to see how well you know the December COVID-19 stimulus package. Tis’ the season for economic relief! It looks like Congress was in the giving spirit as they delivered a much needed COVID Stimulus package just in time for the New Year. It took a few months of negotiations but there
getty Social Security is an important source of income for most U.S. retirees. On average it accounts for almost 40% of retirement income. Social Security becomes more important the longer a person is retired, often accounting for 50% or more of income for older retirees. Yet, many retirees make decisions that cost them additional lifetime
By Kerry Hannon, Next Avenue Eldera When S. Jay Olshansky, 66, a professor of public health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, virtually met math and science whiz Hyunseung Lee, 11, in May, something “sparked,” he says. “It was special. He just reminded me of myself at that age,” Olshansky adds. Olshansky, a renowned
Many Households Borrow From Friends and Family In the Current Recession getty Misery loves company or so the saying goes. In the current recession, it is more accurate to say that misery creates company. Millions of households struggle amid the onslaught of rising health care risks, growing childcare costs, and a deep recession with massive
I’ve never been big on celebrating the New Year. When I was in high school and for much of my early 20’s, I worked for a party decorating company and I spent late December tying tens of thousands of balloons. Maybe hundreds of thousands. On New Year’s Eve, as midnight approached and champagne flowed, I
BRAZIL – 2020/10/09: In this photo illustration the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) logo seen … [+] displayed on a smartphone. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced that the “Get My Payment” tool is now open. Folks looking for information about
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 04: President-elect Joe Biden speaks during a campaign rally with … [+] Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock the day before their runoff election in the parking lot of Centerparc Stadium January 04, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. Biden’s trip comes a day after the release
Economic Security Planning, Inc. Today’s column addresses questions about becoming eligible for spousal benefits after marriage, drawing spousal benefits after taking early retirement benefits and when SSA recomputes benefit amounts to account for continuing income. Larry Kotlikoff is a Professor of Economics at Boston University and the founder and president of Economic Security Planning, Inc,
WASHINGTON, DC – December 31: President Donald Trump walks to the Oval Office after returning from … [+] Florida. (Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images) The Washington Post via Getty Images One of the very oddest things about the bizarre debate over whether to increase the latest round of direct government payments
AFP via Getty Images As Yogi Berra would say, “It like déjà vu all over again”. At least that is what many ultra-high net worth individuals and families are feeling as election day looms in Georgia. Two months before in the lead up to the presidential election, many were feeling that the election outcome would have a
The higher your tax bracket, the more you save by signing up for healthcare and dependent care FSAs … [+] at work. getty Got leftover money stuck in your healthcare or dependent care FSA? The giant year-end spending package provides tax relief for workers who socked away pre-tax money into flexible spending accounts for 2020