Personal finance

Uncle Sam is sitting on $1.5 billion in tax refunds from 2016, and taxpayers have two days to grab their cash or lose it. July 15 isn’t just the due date for 2019’s federal income tax returns and taxes owed, it’s also the last day the IRS will accept late returns for the 2016 tax

Tomas Vargas, Jr., of Stockton, Calif., says that receiving money through the city’s universal basic income experiment has been life changing. Snap Jackson Photography A few years ago, Tomas Vargas, Jr., was having a tough time supporting his family. The Stockton, California, resident, a part-time supervisor at UPS, found his paychecks were not enough to

PeopleImages Your insurance is up for renewal. Your cell phone contract could be coming to an end after a few years. Cable rates rise as regularly as the sun. Once or twice a year, the clock resets on various contracts. And there’s one thing you can pretty much count on. “Prices go up without fail,” said

Morsa Images If your income has taken a hit during the coronavirus pandemic, you may be trying to figure out ways to bring in some cash. One option is to tap  your 401(k) plan or individual retirement account under the new rules enacted in the federal coronavirus stimulus package, or CARES Act. Experts often say  taking money

Changes to Medicare that advocates have been seeking may end up in the next federal coronavirus relief legislation,  experts say. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to unveil its version of the next stimulus package in late July as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to slow economic recovery and unemployment remains high. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,

Crisserbug | Getty Images With more Americans under financial pressure due to the coronavirus, paying for college is a growing problem. Nearly 70% of families are worried about how they will cover the cost and more than half now say their higher education plans have changed due to Covid-19. By necessity, some students will attend a community college close to

Demonstrators gather in front of the Texas State Capital during a protest in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Sergio Flores/Bloomberg via Getty Images More states may take similar steps as outbreaks expand, mostly across the American South and West. The United States reported a daily record of 63,247 new cases of Covid-19 on

A newly erected fence blocks the front of a vacant home that Moms 4 Housing activists occupied during a months-long protest that ended in a court-ordered eviction, in Oakland, California. PHILIP PACHECO Emily Benfer began her career representing homeless families in Washington, D.C. Her first case involved a family that had been evicted after complaining to

Customers are socially distanced on rides like the Wonder Woman: Lasso of Truth at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey. Kenneth Kiesnoski/CNBC From backyard cookouts to days at the beach, people across the country have had to postpone or alter many beloved summer rituals this year amid the ongoing pandemic. One of the

Employee Linda Tarkenton holds a blank U.S. Treasury check before it’s run through a printer at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia. Getty Images Another batch of one-time stimulus checks could be coming. But this time, far fewer Americans could get paid. President Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants to include

The University of California announced plans to sue the government over a policy that could bar international students from studying in the U.S. The move comes on the heels of a joint lawsuit filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology against the Trump administration. The guidelines issued Monday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Jad Kamal lost his job and health insurance in March. Source: Jad Kamal In mid-March, Jad Kamal was laid off from his job as a sommelier at Lupa, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan. That meant another loss: his health insurance.  What followed were headaches. “Sorting out Medicaid and unemployment was work,” Kamal, 36, said. “I didn’t

The exterior of New York Hardcore Tattoos on the first day of re-opening as New York City officially begins ‘Phase Three,’ of opening on July 06, 2020. Spencer Platt/Getty Images Many states are pushing jobless residents to get back to work — and are using their unemployment benefits as leverage. State officials are re-imposing rules requiring

Harvard University and MIT pushed back on Wednesday against a new rule that would require international students to take classes in-person this fall in order to stay in the country. The guidelines issued Monday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement said “students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the

With a growing number of colleges planning to offer fall classes online, many international students will not be able to stay in U.S., according to new rules issued Monday. That could mean a significant hit to school budgets — and student aid. Under the guidelines issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “students attending schools operating

Paul Hennessy | NurPhoto | Getty Images For Medicare beneficiaries who are eyeing a move to another state, be sure to consider what your coverage would look like once you get there. Whether you already were planning to relocate or the coronavirus pandemic has sparked the idea, it’s important to know the various Medicare rules

Corbis/VCG Hate talking about money with your kids? It’s a sticky subject in the best of times. These days, it’s downright scary, as the pandemic rages and the economy tanks.  Many parents are generally reluctant to talk about money with their children, says Thomas Henske, a certified financial planner and partner at Lenox Advisors in

Monica Murphy One of the small-business loan relief programs included in the historic stimulus package Congress passed in March contains a provision that many gig workers and freelancers might have overlooked. They’re eligible for a $1,000 grant that doesn’t need to be repaid. Here’s how it works: Amid the coronavirus pandemic, small-business owners who have

Natasha Alipour Faridani | DigitalVision | Getty Images The government’s release of data on businesses that have participated in the Paycheck Protection Program confirms what many in the financial advice industry already knew: Wealth management firms were among those to have taken the government loans. The data released by the Small Business Administration and Treasury

Nils Hendrik Mueller | Cultura | Getty Images The economic downturn prompted by the coronavirus has been harsh for many American workers. About 47.2% of Americans are jobless, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, many of those who are employed have had to abruptly pivot to remote work and may face pay