Jon Ossoff and David Perdue, candidates for Senate from Georgia. Reuters; Getty Images If Democrats achieve a majority in the Senate, a number of relief measures targeted at renters struggling amid the pandemic – including a right to counsel for those facing eviction and a larger pot of money for back rent – will have
Personal finance
President-elect Joe Biden (C) along with Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate Jon Ossoff (L) and Rev. Raphael Warnock (R) greet supporters during a campaign rally the day before their runoff election in the parking lot of Centerparc Stadium in Atlanta. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images A $15 federal minimum wage edged closer after Tuesday’s
Marcus Lindstrom | iStock | Getty Images When a loved one receiving Social Security benefits passes away, you may wonder how the government knows to stop sending that monthly money. Or, maybe there’s a surviving spouse or dependent who relied on that income and wonders whether some sort of payment can continue. While Social Security
Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images Maybe you’re familiar with a common quirk of health insurance coverage: Not knowing the cost of services until after the fact. A new price transparency rule that took effect Jan. 1 is an effort to change that. Basically, hospitals are now required to post online, in a consumer-friendly
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images PUA fraud Most of the theft has focused on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a temporary program created by the federal CARES Act in March. It offers unemployment benefits to workers who don’t ordinarily qualify, like the self-employed, gig workers, freelancers, contractors and part-timers. Con artists are attracted
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden speaks as he campaigns on behalf of Democratic U.S. Senate candidates from Georgia Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, ahead of their January 5 run-off elections, during a drive-in campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia, January 4, 2021. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters The outcome of the two contests for U.S. Senate seats in
Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg via Getty Images Taxpayers will have another shot at a package of tax breaks that would have otherwise expired at the end of 2020. That’s because when lawmakers hammered out the 5,593-page Covid relief act, they resurrected a basket of deductions and credits — known as tax extenders — that were about a
Brian van der Brug | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images A handful of states have begun issuing a $300 weekly boost to unemployment benefits or signaled workers will get the payments starting this week. Others expect the aid to kick in later this month. Workers in Arizona, California, New York and Rhode Island will
Hill Street Studios | DigitalVision | Getty Images Estate planning isn’t only for the wealthy — yet the majority of Americans don’t have a plan in place. Plans may include a will, powers of attorney and a living will — also known as an advance directive. Less than one-third of Americans have one or more
Mary Alexander Source: Mary Alexander Mary Alexander doesn’t make New Year’s resolutions. Instead, the 40-year-old looks back at the past year to help guide her forward. “I hope to have revelations about what’s happened in the year,” said Alexander, who is mom to three kids ages 7 to 17 and lives in Red Hook, New
mphillips007 | iStock Unreleased | Getty Images The Mega Millions jackpot has surged higher. After no ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Friday, the top prize is now $432 million for the next drawing on Tuesday night. Powerball’s jackpot is at $384 million for Saturday night’s drawing. While the chance of a single ticket
The government’s stimulus response to the pandemic may accelerate the trend of companies offering student loan assistance as a benefit. Mark Chilton | iStock | Getty Images Student loan assistance, which started as a niche offering by a handful of companies, was already finding its way into the mainstream menu of workplace benefits before Covid
Around 60% of the workforce has become remote amid the coronavirus pandemic. champja The coronavirus upended the way many workers do their job — whether in person or from home — and increased the time they spend doing it. In 2020, the average workday lengthened by nearly an hour, according to a working paper published by the National
A student outside the closed Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Aug. 18, 2020. Melissa Sue Gerrits | Getty Images Despite a rocky attempt at reopening this past fall and a record number of coronavirus cases nationwide, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has announced plans to bring
Hispanolistic The latest round of $600 stimulus checks is on the way, but for people who either changed their bank account information or moved recently, the next payment may be delayed. The IRS has already started the process of issuing the checks through direct deposit, and some people have already noticed the payment pending in
Millions of Americans report not having enough money to pay for food during the pandemic. Michael Loccisano | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images The latest Covid relief package expands food benefits, giving further aid to millions of Americans who are facing financial difficulty because of the coronavirus pandemic. The $900 billion stimulus bill signed
Mike Molitoris received the second stimulus check via direct deposit on Wednesday. The pending funds will be available to use Jan. 4. Mike Molitoris Mike Molitoris, a wealth manager in Cary, North Carolina, heard that checks were being issued via direct deposit on the radio while he and his family were out seeing Christmas lights
Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images Morgan Stanley will repay $1.7 million to customers who paid high costs on investments earmarked for education expenses like college tuition. The brokerage firm is paying the sum, including nearly $1.5 million in restitution plus interest, to about 2,300 customers who are saving money in 529 plans, the Financial Industry
A view of Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University on July 08, 2020 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer | Getty Images Getting into college has always been a numbers game. This year the math is trickier. With early admissions largely decided, high school seniors face a grim reality: Covid-19 is making it harder
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images After months of back-and-forth negotiations, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agreed on another stimulus package that includes direct payments to many Americans for $600. Then President Donald Trump shocked Washington when he called the package a “disgrace” and suggested he wouldn’t approve of the bill unless the checks were