More than six months into the pandemic, layoffs show no sign of abating any time soon. undrey | iStock | Getty Images 1. Apply for unemployment You should file for unemployment as soon as possible, experts say. Amid the pandemic, wait times for your benefits can be longer than usual and you want to avoid
Personal finance
In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, many American families are under severe financial strain. Meanwhile, others are also facing a $40,000 college tuition bill. Nearly 40% of parents who didn’t plan to apply for federal aid, now will as a result of the pandemic, according to a recent survey by Discover Student Loans. Roughly
silvana magnaghi | Moment | Getty Images Tens of thousands of job cuts have been announced this week as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With 28,000 employees expected to be laid off at Disney and 7,000 to 9,000 jobs cut at Royal Dutch Shell by the end of 2022, job losses are mounting
A young couple going through financial problems Geber86 | E+ | Getty Images As Americans prepare to vote in the Nov. 3 presidential election amid the global coronavirus pandemic, some are wondering if the potential for outsized market volatility is a reason to delay investing in stocks. The U.S. stock market has moved sharply up,
Getty Images The big question over whether Congress will pass another coronavirus stimulus bill is, will they or won’t they? From jobs to savings to retirement plans, the coronavirus pandemic has upended many Americans’ financial lives. And that has resulted in millions of people facing serious financial hardship. They are hoping for more relief, including
Joe Biden speaks at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Sept. 20, 2020, to make a statement on the nomination for replacement of recently deceased Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Roberto Schmidt | AFP | Getty Images Residents in high-tax states who lost out on a substantial write-off are in good company. Democratic
A protester blocks the street leading to the Washington, D.C., home of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., demanding the extension of unemployment aid, on July 22, 2020. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters Stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment benefits that helped the poorest Americans weather the coronavirus pandemic are in danger of ending, throwing the
kate_sept2004 If you’re still waiting on $500 stimulus payments for your children, time is running out to meet a deadline to make sure the government gets that money to you. The IRS has set Wednesday, Sept. 30 for federal beneficiaries who were shut out of those dependent payments to submit their information to the agency’s
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a news conference inside the James S. Brady Briefing Room at the White House September 27, 2020 in Washington, U.S. Ken Cedeno | Reuters Apparently, losing millions of dollars can work in your favor – if you’re President Donald Trump and can hire a team of professionals
Alistair Berg | DigitalVision | Getty Images Once you hit your 60s, it’s time to figure out when you want to retire — and whether or not you can make it happen. By the age of 67, which is when people born in 1960 or later can fully retire on Social Security, you should have
Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images With so many companies seeking to cut costs to survive the Covid-19-induced economic downturn, many corporate executives are now weighing the answer to a simple question: “Does it make sense to take an early retirement?” I work closely with corporate executives from a wide range of Fortune 500 companies.
Ariel Skelley | DigitalVision | Getty Images It’s no wonder so many Americans retire down south. The Sunshine State has four of the top five places for retirement, according to the latest WalletHub Best & Worst Places to Retire report. “Florida is a tax haven for everyone, but especially for the elderly, so when it
Sam Fornasiero Sam Fornasiero For an instant, luck seemed to change for Sam Fornasiero. The 21-year-old’s phone call was put on hold — a noteworthy improvement relative to the 2,000-plus prior attempts to reach New Jersey’s unemployment bureau, by his estimation. The call went dead after a half hour of waiting. But Fornasiero has gotten good at
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | DigitalVision | Getty Images Oct.1 is around the corner. And even though millions of Americans are living without a steady paycheck amid the pandemic, the bills are still due. Making the situation worse is that fact that Congress hasn’t been able to reach a deal on another stimulus package, leaving
Emergency Rescue Service (SAMU) nurse Belisa Marcelino checks the lungs of Maria Geralda da Silva, 84, who is experiencing breathing difficulty and others symptoms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as preparation is made to transfer the patient to a hospital amid the outbreak, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Amanda Perobelli | Reuters You may have heard
The possibility of more campus closures has sparked a sudden interest in withdrawing from college before it’s too late. “All of us are counting down to the tuition deadline,” said Carla Voight, 20, a junior at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, referring to the last day students are eligible for some reimbursement if
SDI Productions | E+ | Getty Images Financial aid packages for next year might be woefully short for college students whose parents have lost their jobs amid the Covid-19 downturn. Students can begin applying for financial aid as early as Oct. 1. That’s the first day they can fill out the Free Application for Federal
zimmytws | iStock | Getty Images The stimulus stalemate has pitted Democrats and Republicans against each other on Capitol Hill. But another issue — Social Security and its ability to pay retirement, disability, survivor and other benefits into the future — has also created a rift between leaders of the two parties. Congressional lawmakers gathered
The U.S. Supreme Court. Phil Roeder | Moment | Getty Images The Supreme Court may soon erase the Affordable Care Act from existence — an outcome that could have far-reaching consequences for American health care. The high court is expected to hear oral arguments in a case seeking to overturn the law, also known as Obamacare,
Tom Brenner | Reuters A legislative stalemate in Washington is preventing Congress from getting more financial relief to millions of Americans who are facing financial hardship. Despite that impasse, there are actually a handful of stimulus initiatives that leaders on both sides of the aisle agree on. They just have not been combined into one