Personal finance

In this article IRSA3-AR Getty Images This year’s tax season has brought with it a new opportunity to collect any unpaid funds from previous rounds of federal stimulus checks. But the amount you claim could be adjusted by the IRS, the agency said on Monday. A new feature called a recovery rebate credit enables people

Jim McGuire | Getty Images When faced with a quiz on Social Security claiming rules, many people who are on the brink of retirement fail. MassMutual recently gave a 12-question true/false quiz to 1,500 people ages 55 to 65 who have not yet claimed their benefits. Just 3% of the respondents were able to answer

In this article TVAG-FF Drazen_ | E+ | Getty Images Now that spring has sprung and it looks as if an end to the pandemic might be in sight, many Americans are again planning vacations — and they’re booking beach destinations in a big way, says Trivago. The online global accommodations platform, based in Dusseldorf,

In this article ETSY Hispanolistic After a year of the coronavirus pandemic, millions of Americans are anxiously awaiting tax refunds from their 2020 returns. How they plan to use that chunk of money – which, for many, is the largest windfall they’ll see all year – is very different. Last year, the IRS sent nearly

In this article ESGEX IPX-GB US President Joe Biden speaks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 2021. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images President Joe Biden’s infrastructure initiative — and the measures it contains to curb climate change — may be a tailwind for investors in so-called sustainable or ESG funds, according to financial

kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images Many Americans will pocket some extra money this year and next courtesy of changes the American Rescue Plan made to a handful of tax credits. The $1.9 trillion Covid relief measure tweaked the child tax credit, earned income credit, and child and dependent care credit. The changes, especially those

US President Joe Biden speaks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 2021. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images President Joe Biden has requested that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona prepare a report on the president’s legal authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt per borrower, White House chief of staff Ron Klain said

urbazon | E+ | Getty Images A big wad of debt owed to the IRS can be a soul-crushing burden, but the worst thing you can do is to ignore the issue. It will not go away. “It depends on the level of debt you have, but it can be overwhelming,” said Beverly Winstead, a

The days of working from home may numbered. While some companies, including JPMorgan Chase, Salesforce and PricewaterhouseCoopers, are dumping office space, others are ramping up their return-to-work plans.   Just this week, Google, one of the first major U.S. companies to send employees home last year because of the coronavirus, told staffers it is accelerating

Morsa Images | E+ | Getty Images A new set of $1,400 stimulus checks may tempt some recipients who don’t really need the money to instead dabble in the stock market. Depending on your goals, a brokerage account may not be your best bet, some experts say. A third round of direct payments was authorized

Pamela Moore | iStock | Getty Images Plus Ah, the joys of the open road and carefree driving, until something happens that makes it cost even more.  There are events — i.e., accidents, arrests for driving under the influence, a lapse in coverage — that can drive up the cost of your car insurance. By

aldomurillo | E+ | Getty Images Retired, vaccinated and ready to hit the road? Don’t forget to check whether your Medicare plan will travel with you. While coverage when you’re away from home depends partly on where you’re headed, it also hinges on the specifics of your coverage. Whether the care you receive is routine

Getty Images As vaccines ramp up and the economy reopens, many individuals and families may be eager to see this side effect of the Covid-19 pandemic continue: government stimulus checks. A recent poll from Data for Progress found 65% of Americans are in favor of payments of $2,000 per month for the duration of the

Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images The IRS will start issuing tax refunds in May to Americans who filed their returns without claiming a new break on unemployment benefits, the federal agency said Wednesday. The American Rescue Plan waived federal tax on up to $10,200 of unemployment benefits, per person, received in 2020. Households with $150,000

In this article PFE Getting kids vaccinated could go a long way toward getting students back in the classroom this fall. Pfizer said Wednesday its Covid-19 vaccine was 100% effective in a study of adolescents ages 12 to 15, which could clear the shots for use in middle school students as soon as this summer. And

In this article FB SFY Monitors display Bumble signage during the company’s initial public offering in front of the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York on Feb. 11. Bloomberg | Getty Images It looks like Main Street is poised to get in on an investment that’s been largely off-limits: initial public offerings. At least two trading

Robert Daly | Getty Images The Biden administration is expanding an existing pause on student loan interest and collections to include more than 1.1 million borrowers who are in default, the U.S. Department of Education announced Tuesday. The borrowers, whose defaulted loans are part of the Federal Family Education Loan program, were ineligible for the

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at an event in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 26, 2021. Andi Rice/Bloomberg via Getty Images A group of Senate Democrats issued a proposal Monday to tax unrealized capital gains of wealthy estates at death. The plan comes as President Joe Biden prepares to unveil a major infrastructure plan that’s expected

FG Trade | iStock | Getty Images Married? You may want to think about how claiming Social Security early would affect your spousal benefits. For starters, not all early filers can access those benefits right away. And for those who can, it may not translate into a bigger monthly check. It’s also common to misunderstand

Steven Heap/EyeEm/Getty Images The deadline to contribute to individual retirement accounts and health savings accounts is May 17, the same day that individual federal income tax returns are due, the IRS said Monday. The announcement comes after the agency postponed the filing deadline to May 17 from April 15 following increased calls for more time