Personal finance

People wait for their numbers to be called at an unemployment event in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on July 15, 2020. Photo by Nick Oxford for The Washington Post via Getty Images Some workers got an extra $300 in unemployment benefits this week. That aid will start flowing to others in coming days.  But thousands of out-of-work

Getty Images Credit card debt is even more of a problem during the pandemic than usual. Almost two-thirds of Americans with credit card debt are worried about being able to make minimum payments in the next three months if the crisis continues, according to a CreditCards.com poll. The good news is that some are already

Vehicles line up on streets around Boulder Station Hotel & Casino as they wait to get into a drive-through Three Square Food Bank emergency food distribution site on April 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada. DAVID BECKER/AFP via Getty Images Even if you find a new job, it often comes with lower wages relative to prior

Many retailers across the U.S. are shuttering storefronts like this Manhattan outlet in New York amid the ongoing Covid-19 downturn. Carlo Allegri | Reuters With negotiations between Republicans and Democrats over the shape of the next government stimulus package in deadlock, President Donald Trump took executive action earlier this month to pass a patchwork of federal aid. Which

Former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., hold a press conference after a briefing on Covid-19 in Wilmington, Delaware, on Aug. 13, 2020. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images The coronavirus pandemic could have a big impact on Social Security’s financial prospects. And that

Democratic presidential nominee and former US Vice President Joe Biden introduces his vice presidential running mate, US Senator Kamala Harris, during their first press conference together in Wilmington, Delaware, on August 12, 2020. Olivier Douliery | AFP | Getty Images Though former vice president Joe Biden has proposed raising taxes on the wealthiest households, accountants

Audrey Saracco / EyeEm Capitol Hill lawmakers have been deadlocked on a new stimulus package. But another issue — sweeping changes to the U.S. Postal Service — now has both parties clashing again. The crux of the argument: whether changes that would improve the balance sheet of the country’s mail service would deny Americans’ their

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he leaves the White House for a trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin August 17. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) A $300-a-week federal boost to unemployment benefits may end shortly after it starts. In some states, recipients may only get three weeks’ worth of payments — if they get it at

Newport Beach, California, comes in at No. 2 in Hotwire’s 2020 list of “itty bitty city” destinations for quick nearby summer getaways. Westend61/Getty Images Summer is nearly over, and the Covid-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating. Many Americans, who put their vacation plans on hold, are thinking about when they might get away. Shorter

“I really liked the job,” Alridge, 37, said. “I was able to put away a lot of money over the last two years; we were saving to buy an apartment.” Source: Matthew Aldridge When Matthew Aldrige was furloughed in March from his job as a server at La Pizza & La Pasta, an Italian restaurant

Robert Federico waited more than four months for his unemployment benefits to arrive. In the end, the payout was more than $23,000. But he endured financial hardship in the interim. Robert Federico Robert Federico’s situation was bleak — dire, even, by his telling. In March, the 52-year-old lost his job at a New York design

KLH49 | E+ | Getty Images An emergency can be practically anything. Conventional examples usually include an unexpected car expense or pet bill — not a global pandemic and months of job loss. “The pandemic exposed the widening gap between the financially secure and insecure,” said Dawn Goldbacher, vice president of business development at Prudential.

President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 3. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) President Donald Trump is “ready to send” more coronavirus stimulus money. But it remains unclear if that is enough to move stalled Congressional negotiations forward so that Americans can see more money in their pockets. On Friday, Trump

Depending on your health coverage, you could see a rebate from your insurer in the coming months. While such paybacks are issued yearly, the 2020 aggregate amount is anticipated to be $2 billion — about twice what it was last year, said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow with the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Insurer profitability has

President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 3. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) President Donald Trump signed a measure on Saturday to boost unemployment pay by up to $400 a week. That could help millions of jobless Americans pay their bills at a time when job prospects are slim and prior relief —

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Congress is at an impasse when it comes to how to help millions of Americans recover from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, a  report from Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee of Congress shows that one group — workers age 55 and older — are

Some Americans may still be recovering from the disappointment they felt after receiving stimulus checks for less than anticipated. One particular cohort that may have received reduced checks: those who were due $500 payments for children under age 17. The U.S. government rushed out $1,200 stimulus checks to Americans this spring after Congress passed the

The Small Business Administration opened the forgiveness portal for its Paycheck Protection Program loans this week, but companies may want to think twice before rushing in. The CARES Act made these PPP loans available to cash-strapped small businesses starting on April 3. Since then, more than 5 million loans have been approved, accounting for $525

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Capitol Hill has come to a standstill following heated discussions last week on what to include in the next coronavirus stimulus package. One thing they did seem to agree on was another set of $1,200 checks to Americans, similar to the payments that went out this spring. While Treasury Secretary

RichLegg | E+ | Getty Images Racial and economic inequities have long existed in America’s school systems, and it’s about to get worse, experts warn. With coronavirus cases still high around the country, half of U.S. elementary and high school students will attend school only virtually this fall, according to a study by Burbio, which