Personal finance

You may qualify for paid leave Justin Paget Qualified workers, including those telecommuting, can get two weeks of paid leave at full pay courtesy of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Valid reasons include being unable to work because you are under quarantine order, have coronavirus symptoms and are seeking diagnosis, or must care for

Labor economist Teresa Ghilarducci began studying retirement in 2008, when the Great Recession was making it impossible for millions of Americans to retire. “The phenomenon of Granny working in McDonald’s really started to ramp up,” said Ghilarducci, who leads the Retirement Equity Lab at The New School in New York.  Yet, as bad as it was then,

A cyclist passes a boarded up store during the coronavirus pandemic on April 28, 2020 in New York City. John Lamparski | Getty Images New Yorkers who owe the state medical or student debt that has been referred to the state attorney general’s office for collection have been given another 30-day break from paying those balances.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s name appears on the coronavirus economic assistance checks that were sent to citizens across the country April 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News that the U.S. government has deployed millions of stimulus checks for up to $1,200 per individual has made headlines. But still many individuals

shot of 401k paper Kameleon007 Save more now  If you’re not currently saving enough to get the entire company match, you may want to start doing so, said Arielle O’Shea, investing and retirement specialist at NerdWallet.  “Take advantage of that match while you have it,” O’Shea said.  If you’re already meeting the match, there’s not much

Under ordinary circumstances, the opportunity to make changes to workplace health plans and flexible spending accounts happens only once a year. However, new guidelines from the IRS allow workers to revisit those elections now in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “I cannot think of a time when the IRS has been this flexible,” said David Speier, managing

Car line up at a drive-thru Three Square Food Bank emergency food distribution site at Boulder Station Hotel & Casino in response to an increase in demand amid the coronavirus pandemic on April 29, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Three Square is currently operating dozens of emergency distribution sites at various times and dates throughout

It may be time to get creative when it comes to making money. If you are among the millions of Americans without work amid the coronavirus pandemic, you’re facing roadblocks not seen in years. With unemployment hitting post-World War II records and shelter-in-place restrictions ongoing, competition is fierce for the jobs that are available. That’s why experts suggest

It’s hard to imagine being paid to borrow money or penalized for saving. But the economic shock from Covid-19 may call for drastic measures. Up until this point, the Federal Reserve has never brought its benchmark rate into negative territory and, according to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, the Fed is not considering going to negative interest rates now.  “The

A view of new York State Department of labor office in Flushing Queens during coronavirus pandemic on April 12, 2020. (Photo by John Nacion/NurPhoto via Getty Images) NurPhoto Democrats want to give Americans larger unemployment checks until next year. Certain workers — particularly those in lower-paying industries like accommodation and food services — stand to benefit

Maybe your job won’t come back. Your industry might be completely transformed. You might be homeschooling for longer than you imagined.  Welcome to trying to get off the ground during the age of coronavirus. Nichole Young, 34, was in the final stages in March of interviewing with a company that paused on new hires.  The

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks to the press before signing the additional 484 billion dollar relief package amid the coronavirus pandemic at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on April 23, 2020. Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images Democrats in the House of Representatives unveiled their proposal for a new stimulus package that

U.S. Representative, Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) at the ceremonial swearing in of Representative Elect Kweisi Mfume (D-MD). Michael Brochstein | Barcroft Media | Getty Images Fewer people itemizing Since the new tax law, significantly fewer people are claiming the SALT deduction. About 16 million taxpayers claimed the SALT deduction for the 2018 tax year, according to

Thomas Barwick It may seem the future is on hold, but college, home-buying, retirement and other life events are still coming. Amid a pandemic or even after, few financial plans work out exactly as you imagine they will, says Amanda Grossman, a personal finance blogger in El Paso, Texas. That’s no reason not to make

US Treasury Refund Check Thomas Winz Millions of Americans have received their federal stimulus checks in the past four weeks. The IRS has updated its data on just how much emergency relief has been sent. And it shows which states received the most money. Congress gave the green light through the Cares Act for the

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican members of Congress in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2020. Tom Brenner | Reuters President Donald Trump is reportedly considering another way to get more money to struggling Americans by letting them take an advance on their

Richard Cordray, former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and author of “Watchdog: How Protecting Consumers Can Save Our Families, Our Economy, and Our Democracy” Congress provided borrowers a lifeline when it passed the CARES Act. Whether it will deliver significant relief to consumers remains to be seen. The $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill

The number of people looking for work is at historic levels. At the same time, because of shelter-in-place restrictions due to Covid-19, the rules around job hunting have changed. For those who have been laid off, furloughed or edged out of positions amid the coronavirus pandemic, landing a new job will be challenging, yet there are

Robert Kneschke / EyeEm The coronavirus has devastated economies around the world and disrupted life in ways that were unimaginable just a few months ago. The world will never be the same. But at some point, industries will start coming back online and people will start going out again. We asked travel industry experts for

You might be wondering why the stock market is doing so well when you’re doing so badly.  Even if you’re coasting, you likely know people who are struggling.  The reality is, small-town America doesn’t go under the lens of Wall Street, says Walid Petiri, owner of Financial Management Strategies, an advisory firm in Baltimore. Certain