Personal finance

Jovita Carranza, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, speaks as Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Treasury secretary, listens at a House Small Business Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. Erin Scott | Getty Images The federal government is about to turn off the tap on its supply of forgivable loans for small businesses. Saturday, Aug. 8 is

Residents of Imperial County, California, line up in front of a bookkeeping shop in Calexico to fill out unemployment claim forms on July 24. Mario Tama | Getty Images News | Getty Images Millions of Americans are getting a big cut in their unemployment checks after the expiration of a policy that offered an extra $600

Joshua Roberts | Reuters Capitol Hill lawmakers seem to agree on one thing: Sending a second round of stimulus checks to help Americans weather the economic storm brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic is is  worthwhile. But the conditions around who gets those checks could still be subject to change, particularly when it comes to

New Yorkers pick up free groceries at a Food Bank For New York City distribution event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on July 30. Scott Heins | Getty Images News | Getty Images Most of the relief measures delivered to Americans in the first stimulus package have dried up.  The weekly $600 federal unemployment checks

Getty Images If you’re like many Americans, the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted a financial reality check: You haven’t saved enough. A recent Bankrate survey found that 55% of Americans have regrets over their emergency savings, or lack thereof. Experts agree that having an emergency fund can help you whether you face a job loss or

cdwheatley | E+ | Getty Images Millions of Americans have altered their travel plans amid the pandemic, with some switching to road trips this summer and others postponing long-haul air and sea travel till next year or beyond. But one demographic — the affluent vacationer — appears to be more optimistic, making plans and holding

Getty Images When a person passes away, it’s not unusual for them to leave behind some unpaid debt. So what happens to those remaining balances? It depends.  Upon death, a person’s assets — no matter how meager or massive — become their “estate.” This includes everything they own: financial accounts, real estate and possessions. And,

Hundreds of unemployed Kentucky residents wait in long lines outside the Kentucky Career Center for help with their unemployment claims. John Sommers II Individuals receiving unemployment benefits this year could face a tax surprise in 2021: owing Uncle Sam or receiving smaller refunds. Some 1.43 million people filed for unemployment last week, according to the

Couple buying a new house. PeopleImages | Getty Images A Roth individual retirement account is often cited as a way to save for your golden years. It could  also help you buy a house. In a nutshell, up to $10,000 in earnings can be withdrawn from such an account — free of both taxes and

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) arrives as Senate Republicans hold their weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 16, 2020. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters The $600 boost in weekly unemployment checks ends Friday. With negotiations between Democrats and Republicans at an impasse, millions relying on that aid are in the dark

Protesters gather at a July 22 rally in Boston in support of legislation to block evictions in Massachusetts for up to a year. Boston Globe | Boston Globe | Getty Images If you’re facing eviction during the pandemic, you’re definitely not alone.  Up to 40 million Americans may lose their homes in this downturn, four times the

For millions of students with disabilities and special needs in U.S. public and private schools, the shift to remote learning has created an even greater host of challenges — and, in some cases, additional financial pressures for their families.  Special needs students require varied educational and support services. In this coronavirus pandemic, many families are

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, at a town hall meeting in Aston, Pa., in 2012 when Romney, as governor of Utah, was campaigning for U.S. president. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong A second set of stimulus checks could be on the way, but the ink on the deal hasn’t dried yet. On

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech during a tour of the Double Eagle Energy Oil Rig in Midland, Texas, July 29, 2020. Carlos Barria | Reuters Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are in agreement on sending a second batch of $1,200 stimulus checks to millions of Americans. And now President Donald Trump

Introduction Creating a financially secure life can feel like a daunting task that requires the skills of expert mapmaker and GPS programmer. You need to figure out where you are today and where you want to get to. As if that’s not a big enough lift, you’re then in charge of finding the best route

People walk past the U.S. Federal Reserve building in Washington D.C., the United States, May 21, 2020. U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday said the COVID-19-induced economic downturn has inflicted acute pain across the country, noting that the burden is not evenly spread. Ting Shen | Xinhua via Getty Images Some borrowers benefit

Residents of Imperial County in California wait in a bookkeeping shop in Calexico after filling out unemployment forms on July 24. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images Senate Republicans unveiled their plan to replace an extra $600-a-week boost in unemployment benefits on Monday. That subsidy — which the federal government has been paying on top of typical

fstop123 | E+ | Getty Images This summer, more than a dozen states are offering shoppers a back-to-school sales tax break. Whether it’ll be enough to draw legions of parents to mom-and-pop shops amid a pandemic is looking iffy. Depending on the state where you’re shopping, you can knock off anywhere from 4% (Alabama) to

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images Republicans have introduced their proposal for the next coronavirus relief package, a $1 trillion plan called the HEALS Act.  Notably absent from their agenda: relief for people with student debt. The plan calls for streamlining the number of repayment options, but wouldn’t extend the

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., leaves the Senate Republican Policy luncheon in Hart Building on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images A second round of $1,200 stimulus checks could be coming, thanks to Senate Republicans’ new stimulus proposal. The terms of the new payments were outlined in