Personal finance

In this article 1735-TW Erin Scott/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Labor Department is pumping $240 million into the nation’s unemployment system to fight ongoing fraud, part of a broader effort to fix flaws in the system exposed by the Covid pandemic. Criminals have targeted unemployment benefits at a high rate since spring 2020, after federal

In this article TREE darekm101 | Getty Image Big-city dwellers may dream of slashing expenses by moving to the country. But owning a home in a small town can be just as costly as a major metropolis — and in some cases, properties may be pricier. That’s according to a study from LendingTree, which analyzed

milan2099 | E+ | Getty Images If you are living overseas when you reach age 65, don’t overlook Medicare. That’s the age when you should sign up unless you meet an exception. And depending on how long you plan to remain abroad or whether you are working there, it may make sense to be on

skynesher | E+ | Getty Images People with federal student loan debt have about six more months of freedom from repayment and seeing interest accrue on their outstanding balances. In the meantime, they can put the money they would be paying towards those loans to work. The U.S. Department of Education in August extended the

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, during Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 22, 2021. Demetrius Freeman | Pool | Reuters The Senate approved a $3.5 trillion budget resolution early Wednesday after 14 hours of debate. Voting along party lines, Democrats blocked an amendment from Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa,

BROOK PIFER | Stone | Getty Images Investors know they shouldn’t let emotions or impulses drive their investing choices, but many just can’t help themselves, according to a survey from personal finance website Magnify Money. A majority, or 58%, of investor respondents agreed their portfolio performs better when emotions are left out of the equation.

Customers at the bar in Philadelphia restaurant Martha, which requires customer proof of vaccination, on Aug. 7, 2021. Hannah Beier | Reuters Business are getting creative in their efforts to attract and retain workers amid a labor shortage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Ray Bales, president of a Seniors Helping Seniors franchise in Knoxville, Tennessee,

Alex Potemkin | E+ | Getty Images Being ultra-tech-savvy apparently isn’t enough to protect you from online scams, a new report suggests. The number of individuals age 20 or younger — members of Generation Z who have grown up on smartphones and the internet — reporting they are victims of cyber-fraud has surged 156% over

Sue Barr | Image Source | Getty Images Families with children would be major winners if the $3.5 trillion budget blueprint released Monday by Democrats holds up. The package instructs Senate committees to invest trillions of dollars to boost the social safety net for families through programs and services such as an expanded child tax

Halfpoint | iStock | Getty Images Many Americans are looking to Labor Day with dread. That’s when some 7.5 million of them will stop receiving their unemployment benefits. The number is more than five times the 1.3 million people who lost aid in December 2013 as the country walked away from the Great Recession. Although

FatCamera | E+ | Getty Images There’s about a week left for anyone who’s uninsured to see if they qualify for free or low-cost private health insurance through the public marketplace. A special enrollment period that will end on Aug. 15 allows you to use healthcare.gov to sign up for a plan, which could come

PamelaJoeMcFarlane | E+ | Getty Images The first half of 2021 was very different than the volatile first six months of 2020. To that point, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index returned 15% in the first half of this year — healthy growth in just about any full year. Yet, with the potential for inflation

T-Mobile Weeks after applying for public service loan forgiveness, a federal program that forgives student loan debt for eligible workers, Kathleen Young got a phone call. The woman on the other end said she could help Young forgive her student debt. Young, an elementary school teacher in Palo Alto, California, assumed it was the U.S.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., second from right, speaks at a news conference in Washington, D.C., on July 28, 2021. Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images As the Senate races for its summer recess, Democrats hope to pass two priorities: a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan and a budget resolution allowing them to skirt Republican

More than 11 million Americans continue to report being behind on their rent. How much renters owe varies greatly from one state and county to the next, according to data provided to CNBC by Surgo Ventures, a nonprofit organization focusing on health and data. Across the country, the average renter in arrears owes $3,700. The

Those who hire a lawn-care company will reap time and energy savings for a relatively small monthly cost. davidf | E+ | Getty Images During our working years, saving for the future is critical to one day achieving financial independence. At the same time, we are working to meet other financial goals, such as paying

With schools and parents divided on mask and vaccine requirements, many school districts are planning to be fully in person in the fall — and hoping for the best. “We are all in this together,” said Michael Lubelfeld, superintendent of North Shore School District, just north of Chicago.   Lubelfeld said he will follow Illinois

Sam Edwards | Getty Images One type of annuity may be poised to get a bit of a makeover. Under bipartisan retirement legislation pending in both the House and Senate, the rules applying to qualified longevity annuity contracts, or QLACs, would be changed. Although the two chambers’ provisions differ somewhat, both would remove the 25%

The Biden administration announced Friday it will extend the payment pause for federal student loan borrowers through January 2022. Since March 2020, borrowers have been given the option to press the pause button on their monthly bills, without interest accruing on their debt. Some 90% of borrowers have been doing so. The pause was scheduled

Tara Moore | Getty Images When the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic sent shock waves through the U.S. economy, its also prompted worries about how the ensuing downturn could affect Social Security. The program’s trust funds were already running low. At the same time, the Social Security Administration was faced with the unprecedented task of