During the 2020 presidential campaign, Joe Biden promised to forgive a large chunk of the country’s outstanding student loan debt. Leah Millis | Reuters Even before the pandemic cost Adam Anderson his job, repaying his student loans was a challenge. He owes more than $60,000. He earned around $50,000 a year as a physical therapy
Personal finance
Senators Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., and David Perdue, R-Ga., at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on July 15, 2020. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters Wealthy families have Georgia on their minds. That’s because the outcome of two contentious races for the Senate could shape their plans to pass on millions of dollars to their heirs, as well as
Oliver Rossi | Stone | Getty Images The coronavirus pandemic may be putting you in some uncomfortable financial situations with your family. A relative may have asked for a loan, or your young adult child may be looking to move back home. You may be struggling financially and haven’t addressed it with your kids, or
Volunteers distribute food to the needy in Orlando, Fla. Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images Continuing claims Continuing claims for unemployment benefits are the best available proxy for the total number of people receiving jobless aid. Claims have fallen by more than 10 million since the early summer. There were around 21 million continuing claims through
Try – Fail – Success. Andrii Zastrozhnov | iStock | Getty Images Who can go through life without making some financial mistakes? In fact, so personal are matters of the pocketbook that it can be hard to definitely label any one money move a mistake. Maybe you wanted to go back to school and took
Seniors MoMo Productions | DigitalVision | Getty Images It’s a common end-of-year refrain: Don’t forget to take your required minimum distribution. But, just as with everything else in 2020, rules for RMDs, as they are generally known, are different this year. Seniors don’t have to take them. The CARES Act passed by Congress in March
President-elect Joe Biden delivers remarks in Wilmington, Delaware, on Nov. 9, 2020. Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images President-elect Joe Biden ran on a platform that included proposals to shore up Social Security benefits while extending the program’s solvency. How his administration and the next Congress take shape will help determine just how many
Lindsay Hartmann, pictured with her sons, is married to an active-duty Marine. The family moved to Florida in June and she’s still trying to find a full-time job. Source: Lindsay Hartmann In the last eight months, Lindsay Hartmann has endured a bout with Covid-19, a job loss and a cross-country move. Uncertainty has long been
MoMo Productions Families of color were already trailing their White peers in retirement savings. Then the coronavirus pandemic hit, adding a further hurdle to retirement planning for minorities in the U.S. More than 60% of Hispanic households are at risk of being unable to maintain their current standard of living in retirement, along with 54%
On the heels of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, free college may finally become a reality. On the campaign trail, Biden said he will enact legislation to ensure that students can go to community college for up to two years without having to pay tuition. Biden also adopted a proposal from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., to
The recent stock market rally may have boosted your 401(k) balance, but it probably won’t be the silver bullet that secures your financial future. Take a look now at all of your money goals, not just your retirement savings and investments, financial advisors say. Key market averages — the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P
shapecharge | E+ | Getty Images Medicare beneficiaries who pay extra for coverage due to higher income should be aware that those monthly surcharges are creeping up for 2021. With the standard premium for Part B (which covers outpatient care) now set at $148.50 next year, those so-called income-related monthly adjustment amounts, or IRMAAs, will
The White House as seen on Nov. 8, 2020. ALEX EDELMAN | AFP | Getty Images On the campaign trail, President-elect Joe Biden was called “the most progressive nominee in history.” One of his policies that led to that description was his call for student debt forgiveness. Now that he’s been elected, the 42 million
The U.S. Capitol at sunrise in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Friday, Nov. 6, 2020. Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images Millions of Americans are waiting for more financial help from the federal government. Following President-elect Joe Biden’s win, it now looks more probable that another coronavirus relief package may not come until January. That’s
Labor leaders, workers and activists attend a rally for a $15 minimum hourly wage on July 22, 2015 in New York. Spencer Platt | Getty Images The federal minimum wage which is currently $7.25 per hour, has not been updated since 2009 and is an unlivable income in most of the U.S. It may soon
Florida election results are displayed at an election night party for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, on Nov. 3, 2020. Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images One winner emerged in Florida’s election that wasn’t President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden. It was the $15
Before the coronavirus crisis, a private school education wasn’t something Jennifer Clayton would have considered for her son, Robbie, 6. Clayton, 43, works in a restaurant in the small town of Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey. Her husband, Joe, is a retired marine. They are not the typical private school family. But when their local public
An employee restocks shelves as shoppers visit a Lowe’s hardware store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. November 4, 2020. Mark Makela | Reuters 1. Amazon Openings: 63,433 Sample position: Warehouse team manager An Amazon fulfillment center in Frankenthal, Germany. Thorsten Wagner | Bloomberg | Getty Images 2. Intuit Openings: 12,667 Sample position: Remote tax expert Smith
Volunteers hand out potatoes in Auburn, Washington on May 7, 2020. JASON REDMOND | AFP | Getty Images That’s a big jump from the prior month, when 19% of the unemployed were out of work for at least six months. The number of long-term unemployed swelled by 1.2 million people in a month, to 3.6
A man fills out paperwork while waiting for his number to be called at an unemployment event in Tulsa, Oklahoma on July 15, 2020. Nick Oxford for The Washington Post | Getty Images Vicki Honeycutt lost her job in March, one of millions laid off in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. To make