Personal finance

Morsa Images | E+ | Getty Images A new set of $1,400 stimulus checks may tempt some recipients who don’t really need the money to instead dabble in the stock market. Depending on your goals, a brokerage account may not be your best bet, some experts say. A third round of direct payments was authorized

In this article ESGEX IPX-GB US President Joe Biden speaks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 2021. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images President Joe Biden’s infrastructure initiative — and the measures it contains to curb climate change — may be a tailwind for investors in so-called sustainable or ESG funds, according to financial

kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images Many Americans will pocket some extra money this year and next courtesy of changes the American Rescue Plan made to a handful of tax credits. The $1.9 trillion Covid relief measure tweaked the child tax credit, earned income credit, and child and dependent care credit. The changes, especially those

Pamela Moore | iStock | Getty Images Plus Ah, the joys of the open road and carefree driving, until something happens that makes it cost even more.  There are events — i.e., accidents, arrests for driving under the influence, a lapse in coverage — that can drive up the cost of your car insurance. By

urbazon | E+ | Getty Images A big wad of debt owed to the IRS can be a soul-crushing burden, but the worst thing you can do is to ignore the issue. It will not go away. “It depends on the level of debt you have, but it can be overwhelming,” said Beverly Winstead, a

The days of working from home may numbered. While some companies, including JPMorgan Chase, Salesforce and PricewaterhouseCoopers, are dumping office space, others are ramping up their return-to-work plans.   Just this week, Google, one of the first major U.S. companies to send employees home last year because of the coronavirus, told staffers it is accelerating

US President Joe Biden speaks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 2021. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images President Joe Biden has requested that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona prepare a report on the president’s legal authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt per borrower, White House chief of staff Ron Klain said

Getty Images As vaccines ramp up and the economy reopens, many individuals and families may be eager to see this side effect of the Covid-19 pandemic continue: government stimulus checks. A recent poll from Data for Progress found 65% of Americans are in favor of payments of $2,000 per month for the duration of the

In this article ETSY Hispanolistic After a year of the coronavirus pandemic, millions of Americans are anxiously awaiting tax refunds from their 2020 returns. How they plan to use that chunk of money – which, for many, is the largest windfall they’ll see all year – is very different. Last year, the IRS sent nearly

President Joe Biden, ‪with Vice President Kamala Harris,‬ speaks after a meeting with his Covid-19 Response Team at the White House on March 29, 2021. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters President Joe Biden on Wednesday is unveiling his latest plan to boost the post-coronavirus economy — a $2 trillion infrastructure package called the American Jobs Plan.

Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images The IRS will start issuing tax refunds in May to Americans who filed their returns without claiming a new break on unemployment benefits, the federal agency said Wednesday. The American Rescue Plan waived federal tax on up to $10,200 of unemployment benefits, per person, received in 2020. Households with $150,000

Kiyoshi Hijiki | Moment | Getty Images Nearly 3 million more business owners claimed a 20% tax deduction on their income last year relative to the prior filing season, according to IRS data. Around 21.2 million returns claimed the “qualified business income” deduction during tax season last year, which reflected income for 2019. That’s an

Robert Daly | Getty Images The Biden administration is expanding an existing pause on student loan interest and collections to include more than 1.1 million borrowers who are in default, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday. The borrowers, whose defaulted loans are part of the Federal Family Education Loan program, were ineligible for the

Pascal Broze | Getty Images Social Security and other federal beneficiaries who do not normally file tax returns can expect their $1,400 stimulus payments to be issued this weekend, the IRS and Treasury Department said on Tuesday. The majority of the payments will be sent electronically and received on April 7, the government agencies said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at an event in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 26, 2021. Andi Rice/Bloomberg via Getty Images A group of Senate Democrats issued a proposal Monday to tax unrealized capital gains of wealthy estates at death. The plan comes as President Joe Biden prepares to unveil a major infrastructure plan that’s expected

Tenant rights activists hold a demonstration outside the home of New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh to protest what they claim to be inadequate legislative relief for renters during the COVID-19 pandemic and to call for the cancellation of rent, February 28, 2021 in the East Village neighborhood of New York City. Andrew Lichtenstein |

kate_sept2004 The tax season might be a little more complicated for filers in certain states. The recent move by the IRS to extend the filing season to May 17 from April 15 only applies to federal income tax returns. That deadline doesn’t always align with due dates for state income taxes. Most states have followed

In this article IRSA3-AR Geber86 | E+ | Getty Images As new $1,400 stimulus checks are sent to millions of Americans, some may still be wondering why they have not received money from the first two sets of direct payments. The U.S. government has sent out three rounds of stimulus checks — for up to

Luis Alvarez/ Getty Images. Corporate America is in need of a reboot. That’s what advocates are calling for as working parents — especially women — are looking for more flexibility and other changes to help them juggle work and family life. “This pandemic has turned the workplace upside down,” said Amber Clayton, director of the

A Social Security Administration office in San Francisco. Getty Images When the Covid-19 pandemic set in last year, one of the unintentional effects from the deep economic downturn included a potential reduction in Social Security benefits for one group of people. And now, as the U.S. economy is beginning to repair itself, signs point to