Personal finance

Stephen Maturen | Getty Images Recent stock market highs and lows have investors already bracing themselves for one more looming uncertainty: the presidential election.     If you’re like most investors, you’re already anticipating that the outcome of this year’s race for the White House will have an impact on your money. The vast majority of

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., holds her weekly press briefing on Capitol Hill on Aug. 13, 2020. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images The U.S. House of Representatives won’t be rolling out the payroll tax deferral to its employees. Sept. 1 was the first day of President Donald Trump’s order deferring the 6.2% employees pay

Drew Angerer | Getty Images News | Getty Images Most unemployed workers will get up to $1,800 in extra jobless benefits through the Lost Wages Assistance program created last month by the Trump administration. The program pays a $300-a-week federal subsidy on top of the unemployment benefits workers currently receive. It follows the lapse of

Events and entertainment workers protest unemployment on Aug. 19 in Las Vegas. BRIDGET BENNETT/AFP via Getty Images) It’s a hard time to try to plan your finances. Unemployment benefits and another round of stimulus checks are up in the air. Evictions are banned, but only temporarily.  Much of the uncertainty is due to the fact

Getty Images Penalties are about to get way steeper for taxpayers who still haven’t filed a 2019 income tax return and owe the IRS a balance. July 15 was the deadline to submit your return and pay any taxes owed, as the Treasury Department pushed back the due date in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

Eric Smith and his sons, Kyree, 6, (left) and Corey, 8, (right). Source: Eric Smith When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last month that most evictions nationwide were banned until the end of December, it came as little relief to Eric Smith. All the single father can think about now is what will

KLH49 | E+ | Getty Images States paying the $300 unemployment boost The 19 states represent about a third of the 49 states that applied to the federal government for the aid. Those states are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island,

Getty Images There’s nothing like some volatility in the stock market to test an investor’s ability to make rational decisions. Whether share prices are heading up or down, it’s common for individuals to make mistakes that are driven by emotion, experts say.  “Investors tend to extrapolate,” said Dave Goodsell, executive director of the Natixis Center

The U.S. Capitol Building is reflected against an ambulance along the East Front on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 16, 2020. Tom Brenner | Reuters While negotiations over the next coronavirus stimulus bill have carried on for months, there has been one certainty: Democrats, Republicans and President Donald Trump have all backed sending out

nelsonarts | E+ | Getty Images While private companies decide how to proceed with the payroll tax holiday, one major employer has decided that it’s in: the federal government. President Donald Trump’s payroll tax deferral, which he issued via executive order, took effect on Sept. 1. It’s a temporary suspension of the 6.2% tax employees

Dean Mitchell | E+ | Getty Images Choosing where to live in retirement is a financial decision, as well as an emotional one. People may want to live in a different climate, trade in the work of a house for the ease of a condo. Fewer taxes and a lower cost of living is often

As the pandemic rages on, many people have one less thing to worry about: Getting evicted. No-Mad | iStock | Getty Images What does the ban do? It bans evictions due to non-payment of rent in most residential properties between Sept. 4 and Dec. 31.  Who’s eligible? You’ll need to attest on a declaration form that

People wait in their cars as they line up to collect unemployment forms in Hialeah, Florida. CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images The official unemployment rate fell to 8.4% in August as businesses continued emerging from broad shutdowns imposed early in the coronavirus pandemic, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. That’s the lowest rate since

Ariel Skelley | DigitalVision | Getty Images Saving for retirement could look very different during the pandemic. Especially vulnerable are independent business owners and the self-employed, who in the best of times are on the hook for not only funding their own future retirement but daily income, as well. Even before the pandemic, just 13% of those

Traders work during the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on March 5, 2020. Johannes Eisele | AFP | Getty Images It may feel that much of our lives are on pause during the pandemic. But not the stock market. Especially over the last few days.  On Thursday, the S&P 500 tech sector

This back-to-school season is like no other for many reasons. And that makes preparing for it especially challenging. As of a recent tally, a little more than half of U.S. elementary and high school students will attend school only virtually this fall, although changes are announced daily. As a result, families have delayed many traditional back-to-school purchases.

Angus Mordant | Bloomberg | Getty Images If you’re hoping to take advantage of special Labor Day car sales, a trade-in could make the purchase a bit less costly than usual. With inventory at dealerships still tight, used cars are fetching a premium. For instance, the average list price for a 2017 model climbed to

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc Millions of Americans who are eagerly waiting for a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks may be relieved to know those payments are still a priority for Washington lawmakers. But Republicans and Democrats in Congress must first end their stalemate and approve the next coronavirus relief bill before Americans can get

People pass by The New York Stock Exchange on Aug. 3, 2020. Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images You may be tempted to revisit your retirement investing strategy now that stocks are falling, but history shows those who get the best return on their money stay the course. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more

John Lund/Marc Romanelli | Getty Images For many workers, a traditional retirement is not part of their plans. Among baby boomers still in the workforce, 59% expect to keep working into retirement, a new study from Voya Financial shows. For Generation X, that share is 60% and for millennials, 49%. Overall, 54% of all workers