Personal finance

Wall Street and New York Stock Exchange in New York. Alexander Spatari The stock market has defied gravity in recent weeks, rebounding nearly as quickly as it sold off amid the coronavirus pandemic. The threat of another steep decline is omnipresent. But stock investors shouldn’t be concerned, experts say. In fact, panicking and selling out

U.S. President Donald Trump’s name appears on the coronavirus economic assistance checks that were sent to citizens across the country April 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images If you’re eligible for a $1,200 stimulus check and haven’t received yours yet, there’s good news: Money is still available. The U.S. government just

U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia. Oliver Contreras/SIPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images Savers using 401(k) plans may soon be able to invest their retirement money in private equity, long considered strictly the province of the well-to-do. The U.S. Labor Department issued guidance Wednesday stipulating that business owners with 401(k) plans can more safely offer certain funds

If you’ve taken out a loan against your 401(k) savings account and lose your job, it could generate an unexpected tax bill. While recent economic rescue legislation provided some relief for coronavirus-related 401(k) loans, they still are subject to certain existing rules when you separate from your company, whether by choice or not. And that

Image of workplace with computer monitor and armchair in the living room at home AnnaStills Amid the coronavirus pandemic, millions of employees have been shut out of their offices and required to work from home. The massive change has many companies evaluating what they can do to make the transition smoother for their workers.  One

A pedestrian passes by the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE, in New York on March 17, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Michael Nagle via Getty Images) Xinhua News Agency Great Depression-era levels of unemployment. An economy in downward spiral. More than 100,000 dead from a killer virus. Cities in flames amid widespread civil

For scammers, it’s open season on your stimulus checks. Bolster, a fraud prevention company, turned up more than 145,000 suspicious domain registrations with the term “stimulus check,” according to the firm’s first-quarter analysis of phishing and online fraud. The federal government has issued more than 152 million so-called Economic Impact Payments to individuals, totaling $257.9

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Millions of Americans are suffering financially amid the gradual reopening of the U.S. economy. And there are multiple ways the U.S. government could extend more relief. The question is which one it will choose — and exactly how much cash could end up in your wallet. As the coronavirus pandemic

A woman passes a hair salon ready to reopen in Arlington, Virginia, on May 28. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images The federal expansion of jobless benefits has made one part of the unemployment system especially lucrative for both workers and business. But many aren’t taking advantage. The niche in question — work-sharing programs, also known

The normally busy boardwalk at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, was still largely shuttered on May 24. Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images The $600 enhancement to weekly unemployment checks is ending at the end of July. While Democrats want to extend the extra pay into next year, Republicans appear resolute in blocking an extension. 

Even without knowing what the fall will look like, college-bound high-school seniors must now decide which school they will attend in September. After being pushed back from May, amid extreme uncertainty due to the coronavirus crisis, hundreds of colleges have declared June 1 National College Decision Day, the deadline for admitted students to submit deposits. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) after a May 19 closed Senate Republican policy lunch meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss the response to the coronavirus outbreak. Yuri Gripas | Reuters The president is warming up to the idea. Most Democrats are down. But will Republicans get behind the idea of a second round of

Gary John Norman | Getty Images At the private retirement community where 90-year-old Lee lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, the last scheduled social event was a Valentine’s Day dance in February.  A few weeks later, as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised anyone 60 or older

Workers who can do their jobs from home are being forced to do so by the coronavirus, and many of these workers feel fortunate, even if they feel that they are working harder. Miguel Pereira | Getty Images As the coronavirus has forced businesses, restaurants, stores and theaters across the country to shut down, a

Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Treasury secretary, holds up a debit card to be used to distribute Covid-19 relief funds to the public during a cabinet meeting in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Kevin Dietsch | Bloomberg | Getty Images Have you received a pre-paid debit

University of Michigan tiny-al | Getty Images Although the upcoming academic year remains in limbo, the University of Michigan said it is taking steps to bring students back on campus in the fall. “The average student is very anxious to get out of mom and dad’s basement and come back to school,” President Mark Schlissel

If you’d like to make your kitchen or your beach house into your permanent office, think about what it might mean for your taxes. Social distancing orders in light of the coronavirus pandemic has forced companies to send workers home and have them work remotely. The trend might continue. Indeed, 3 out of 4 chief

For some, this is a chance to save like never before. The personal savings rate hit a historic 33% in April, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis said Friday, by far the highest level of saving since the department started tracking data in the 1960s. With Americans largely sheltering at home, this historical spike in

Reading, PA – May 8: Major Joy Mudge, left, and Kristy Kushner, right the Director of Social Services, helps to organize boxes ready for distribution. During a food distribution at the Salvation Army location on South 5th Street in Reading, PA Friday afternoon May 8, 2020. (Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)

NoDerog | iStock | Getty Images Millions of Americans have received their economic stimulus payments of up to $1,200 a person. But some are taking a look at those sums and wondering what happened. Some are finding that those checks are made out for less than they were expecting. Others may find that they receive