Personal finance

krisanapong detraphiphat | Moment | Getty Images Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost here — and consumers shopping for the winter holidays should be on the lookout for online scams. U.S. sales online are expected to hit $207 billion this holiday shopping season, between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, according to Adobe. That’s a

Alexi Rosenfeld | Getty Images As Democrats’ Build Back Better plan advances to the Senate, one key proposal — paid family leave — may be at risk of getting dropped from the $1.75 trillion package. But there is room for lawmakers to compromise and come up with a plan that costs less, according to a

A pizzeria in North Babylon, New York, advertises available positions for wait staff and delivery drivers. Newsday LLC | Newsday | Getty Images It turns out the “Great Resignation” is more of a “Great Reckoning,” according to a survey by consulting firm Mercer. In other words, the movement is more about who is quitting their

lisegagne | E+ | Getty Images Millions of American families with kids are set to receive the last of six advance monthly child tax credit payments Dec. 15. Yet, just a few days earlier, Dec. 3, the U.S. government is set to shut down if Congress doesn’t approve more funding to keep it open through

Second Harvest Heartland workers distribute food in a recent truck to trunk event. As Covid-19 cases in Minneapolis surge, so has the demand for food, said CEO Allison O’Toole. Courtesy: Second Harvest Heartland The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last year prompted millions of Americans to wait in long lines for food assistance in the

Tijana Simic | iStock | Getty Images Medical debt is a growing burden among Americans, with more than 1 in 3 U.S. adults carrying a balance, according to a 2021 Healthcare.com survey. The findings also revealed that more than 6 in 10 adults with overdue bills received care knowing they couldn’t cover the costs, and more

eyecrave | E+ | Getty Images Teachers who have spent their own money on masks, hand sanitizer or other Covid-19 related supplies this year will get a little help come tax time. Those costs can be deducted with other eligible out-of-pocket expenses on 2021 taxes filed next year. Teachers have been able to deduct up

Brothers91 | E+ | Getty Images If you lack health insurance, it may not be as out of reach as you might think. An estimated 10 million individuals who are uninsured could qualify for financial help with private insurance through the public marketplace, according to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Another 7 million could

JJFarquitectos | iStock | Getty Images The coronavirus pandemic brought unprecedented hardship to renters, at one point leaving as many as 40 million people at risk of losing their homes. That the situation got so bad, so quickly for tenants revealed long-lasting issues of housing instability in the U.S., caused by rapidly rising rents and

blackCAT | E+ | Getty Images It’s easy to ignore finances during the holiday season. But with five weeks left in 2021, there’s still time for year-end moves to slash tax bills or boost refunds, experts say. While tax planning is a year-round process, the last couple of months may offer the chance to finalize

katleho Seisa Despite the biggest cost-of-living adjustment in decades, Social Security beneficiaries may still find it challenging to make their monthly checks stretch farther next year. The reasons: Inflation is continuing to drive up consumer prices, while standard Medicare Part B premiums will rise by 14.5% in 2022 in a bigger-than-expected jump. The Consumer Price

Labor activists hold a rally in support of a national $15 minimum wage on May 19, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images News | Getty Images Federal contractors will be guaranteed an hourly minimum wage of at least $15 in all new contracts with government agencies beginning on Jan. 30, 2022, the

By nearly all accounts, this Black Friday could be bigger than ever. Nearly 2 million more people are expected to shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday (Nov. 29) this year compared to last year, according to the National Retail Federation. “We’re expecting another record-breaking holiday season, and Thanksgiving weekend will play a major role,”

Michael Tubbs, former mayor of Stockton, California. Nick Otto | AFP | Getty Images Michael Tubbs had the odds stacked against him while growing up in Stockton, California, as the son of a young single mother and an incarcerated father. Tubbs, 31, felt the expectations for his life as a Black man in America were

Families, parents and caregivers call on Congress to include paid family and medical leave in the Build Back Better legislative package during an all-day Nov. 2, 2021 vigil in Washington, D.C. Paul Morigi | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images It’s been a contentious battle to get paid family leave included in social spending legislation

A worker helps a customer at the Presidente Supermarket in Miami on April 13, 2020. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Workers across the U.S. are wondering how rising inflation might be impacting their take-home pay. Inflation has risen more than expected. In October, consumer prices increased 0.9% and pushed the year-over-year gain to 6.2%, hitting

Chesnot | Getty Images As the end of the year approaches, there are still ways to reduce cryptocurrency tax bills, financial experts say. The IRS generally defines cryptocurrency as property for tax purposes, and investors must pay levies on the difference between the purchase and sales price.  If there’s a profit on assets held for less than

Student debt balances among 2020 graduates remained at an all-time high. Last year’s borrowing graduates in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Delaware owed close to $40,000 for their bachelor’s degree, on average, according to a report by the Institute for College Access and Success. More from Personal Finance:How to shop early and still get the best

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks at a press conference, along with House Democratic leadership, after the House passed the Build Back Better Act on Nov. 19, 2021. Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images The House of Representatives passed legislation Friday that would make the child tax credit fully refundable

House Democrats on Friday passed their $1.75 trillion spending package with a temporary increase for the limit on the federal deduction for state and local taxes, known as SALT. The bill would boost the limit to $80,000 from 2021 through 2030 before dropping it back to $10,000 in 2031. Without changes, the current $10,000 cap