Personal finance

Robert Miller, a Pittsburgh area restaurateur, has watched with sadness as some of his favorite local eateries closed for good in recent weeks. Union Standard, Pizza Taglio, Spoon — just a handful of the businesses lost in the age of the coronavirus pandemic. “They’re all places people would know by name,” Miller said. Miller, 45, expects

Jodi Furman, 46, says negotiating over a car purchase or lease is best done over the phone or through email. Jodi Furman Jodi Furman is married to a man who loves expensive cars. “Pretty cars, fast cars,” said Furman, 46. She has bought 12 cars in about 20 years, and she’s picked up a wealth

President Donald Trump speaks on the “Rebuilding of America’s Infrastructure: Faster, Better, Stronger” in Atlanta on July 15. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images Your paycheck could get bigger if the White House gets its way. President Trump said this week that he won’t sign the next coronavirus relief package into law if it

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., indicated the $600 weekly enhancement to unemployment benefits won’t be in the next coronavirus relief package. Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images Paid not to work Lawmakers intended the $600-a-week supplement to fully replace lost wages for the average American. In other words, someone who lost a job would be

Brenda Pickens and her late husband, Howard. Source: Brenda Pickens It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.  When 63-year-old Howard Pickens died suddenly of complications from Covid-19 in March, his wife Brenda was stunned. Not only had she lost her companion of almost three decades, she now had to figure out how to get by

As Covid-19 cases continue to rise and businesses struggle to adapt to their new normal, many Americans are stepping up to help people in their communities. From personal gestures to financial contributions, experts say giving back in many ways — big and small — can have a significant impact on your own well-being, emotionally and

A vehicle is seen in a caravan protest asking the state of Florida to fix its unemployment system on May 22, 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Florida’s unemployment office is cutting nearly 1,000 workers from its call center — around a quarter of its representatives — at a time when the state’s jobless claims

The Covid-19 unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. MARK FELIX Medicare is often referred to as a maze. The various deadlines for signing up may have something to do with that. While turning 65 makes you eligible for Medicare, not everyone will follow the same path to enrollment. Some beneficiaries are automatically signed

ljubaphoto “This year’s July 15 filing date is considered a disaster-related postponement of the filing deadline,” said IRS spokesman Eric Smith.  “Where a disaster-related postponement exists, the IRS is required by law to pay interest, calculated from the original April 15 filing deadline, as long as an individual income taxpayer files a 2019 tax return

Valentinrussanov Tax Day has finally arrived. Just make sure sloppy work doesn’t get between you and your refund. Midnight on July 15 is the deadline for 2019 individual income tax returns, as well as any payments owed for that year. A pile of additional documents and payments are also due Wednesday, including estimated taxes for

Medical staff work outside the Covid-19 intensive care unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston on June 30. Go Nakamura | Getty Images Amid one of the worst public-health crises in history, a record number of Americans are without health insurance. More than 5.4 million people who were laid off from their jobs are

More and more schools are joining the fight against the Trump Administration over a new rule that may bar international students from studying in the U.S. Now, 59 public and private colleges — including Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, Duke University and Emory University, as well as every member of the Ivy League — have

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin walks to the West Wing of the White House on July 9, 2020. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images ‘Dramatically different situation’ The employment picture improved over the past two months, as states began reopening their economies. Businesses added 7.5 million jobs to their payrolls over May and June, following a

The median price for a home in San Francisco is about $1.3 million, according to real estate site Zillow. Education Images | Universal Images Group | Getty Images There’s one part of the mortgage world that’s harder for some would-be home buyers to access: Jumbo loans. While there are signs that lenders may be easing

For many Americans, budgeting has become a more precarious balancing act these days. Both sides of the equation — income and expenses — are wrought with uncertainty. What will happen when your unemployment benefits run out? Will you be able to keep up with your credit card payments? Here is some information on where things

jeremyiswild People who need more cash in retirement these days might be considering a reverse mortgage. The offer is tempting. Homeowners who are age 62 or older can convert part of the equity in their home into cash instead of having to sell.  But there are disadvantages, such as complexity of the loans and their significant

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

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

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

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,