The stock market is doing pretty well amid the coronavirus recession. You probably won’t benefit. MicroStockHub The stock market has proved freakishly immune to the economic suffering inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic, posting some of its largest gains in history even as members in 1 in 2 American households have lost income. Yet the fact that the market
Personal finance
JGI/Jamie Grill Chances are that the IRS has a check with your name on it — and you still haven’t picked it up. Taxpayers have about a month to file their 2019 income tax returns and pay any taxes owed to Uncle Sam. July 15 became the new Tax Day after the Treasury Department moved
Residents of Milford, Pennsylvania, and surrounding Pike County demonstrate against Governor Tom Wolf and ongoing business closures amid the coronavirus pandemic. Preston Ehrler | SOPA Images | Getty Images Americans who are eager for more help from the government could be waiting awhile. Additional stimulus legislation is coming, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said this week.
Michael Duva Lawmakers are at loggerheads over an extension of enhanced unemployment benefits being paid to millions of out-of-work Americans. Congressional Democrats want to continue the extra $600 weekly jobless payments that began when the CARES Act was enacted in March, calling them a financial lifeline that has helped families pay rent and put food
Residents of Fayetteville, Arkansas, wait in line to file for unemployment on April 6, 2020. Nick Oxford | Reuters The coronavirus pandemic prompted Congress to rush out emergency legislation to help Americans facing new financial challenges. But there’s a growing group of citizens opposed to one aspect of the federal aid effort — and some
The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it will hold its benchmark interest rate near zero through 2022 to help the economy recover from the coronavirus crisis. “The Fed has cut interest rates as low as they are going to go without going into negative rates,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. The economic shock from Covid-19 may call for drastic measures,
The economic shock from Covid-19 may call for drastic measures, but negative interest rates are not one of them — at least not yet. The Federal Reserve has never brought its benchmark rate into negative territory and, according to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, the central bank is not considering going to negative interest rates now. Experts agree. “I view that as
When it comes to hiring a diverse workforce, Wall Street could use a little help. That’s what Troy Prince, founder and CEO of nonprofit organization Wall Street Bound, is trying to do. “We know that talent and IQ is equally distributed,” he said in an interview Tuesday with Halftime Report. “Opportunity is not. “This demographic,
President Donald Trump conducts a bill signing ceremony with members of his economic team in the Rose Garden at the White House on June 05, 2020. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) A conspiracy theory has emerged relative to the unemployment rate, suggesting that the Trump administration rigged official statistics to give the illusion of a
Just as many U.S. businesses were thrown off their guard by the coronavirus pandemic, so were financial advisory practices. Close to 1.8 million Americans have contracted Covid-19, and more than 100,000 people have perished from the disease, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Lockdowns to minimize spread of the disease have also battered the
Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images One of the risks that comes with pension plans may be looming larger than usual. As many companies work to regain their financial footing in the midst of continuing economic uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a retiring worker’s decision to take either a lump sum or
Mixmike | Getty Images Gen Z may also be Gen DIY. “There’s an underlying assumption that almost any task can be taught or learned by yourself,” said Jonah Stillman, co-author of Gen Z @ Work. “I grew up with YouTube: I can log on and learn to play an instrument, write code or tile a
Audrey Saracco / EyeEm The U.S. government has sent 159 million stimulus checks to Americans. But there are still an estimated 30 million to 35 million payments yet to be issued, according to new data on the progress of the payments from the House Ways and Means Committee. The stimulus checks — up to $1,200
Investors who were sitting on the sidelines during coronavirus will get some more time to partake in a new tax play. Qualified opportunity funds were created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. They offer taxpayers an incentive to invest capital gains they incur elsewhere into economically distressed communities, granting investors an attractive
More than half of U.S. travelers planning to book trips will not insure their purchase, according to a survey of more than 1,200 Americans by ValuePenguin. That’s despite the near-shutdown of global tourism, the struggle to get refunds on canceled spring and summer travel plans, and lingering questions over how and when airlines, cruise lines,
Hero Images | Getty Images If you’re eyeing your 401(k) account to help shore up your finances amid the coronavirus crisis, there are a couple of penalty-free ways you can do it if your employer allows it. Just be sure you’re aware of the long-term implications. Each of the options available — a loan or
Joseph Louis joins others in a protest asking the state of Florida to fix its unemployment system on May 22, 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images One generous proposal on Capitol Hill could put as much as $10,000 per month into American families’ hands to help them weather the coronavirus pandemic.
Ravin Jesuthasan Source: Ravin Jesuthasan The coronavirus pandemic has destroyed tens of millions of American jobs. How many of them will come back? That might be one of the most pressing questions of the Covid-19 recession. Arguably no other downturn has threatened to leave American life so unrecognizable. What will the labor market look like
A “Now Hiring” sign advertising jobs at Lowe’s is seen as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Homestead, Florida, U.S., April 17, 2020. Marco Bello | Reuters Payroll tax cuts could be in the next round of coronavirus aid legislation, if President Donald Trump gets his way. Vice President Mike Pence reiterated
Spencer Platt | Getty Images The unemployment rate in the U.S. improved last month as millions of people returned to the workforce. But the official 13.3% unemployment rate, while still high relative to any point since the Great Depression in the early 20th century, likely understates the economic damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. The