US President Joe Biden speaks about the progress in the fight against Covid-19, at the Sportrock Climbing Centers in Alexandria, Virginia on May 28, 2021. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images President Joe Biden released his proposed 2022 fiscal year budget on Friday, which calls for an increase of the top capital gains tax
Personal finance
What will it take to convince people to get vaccinated against Covid? From free doughnuts to million-dollar payouts, public and private groups are trying it all. Back in March, Krispy Kreme was one of the first businesses to roll out a nationwide Covid vaccine incentive, offering a free glazed doughnut to any adult with a vaccination
martin-dm | E+ | Getty Images As the world opens following Covid restrictions, people are also reopening their wallets. For many, it’s exciting to be getting back to some sense of normal. It could also wreak havoc on personal finances, especially if people aren’t careful. “It’s critically important to revisit your budget and how you
Vesnaandjic | E+ | Getty Images After a year of lockdown, you may be ready to go out and start spending. Not so fast. “We’ve gone through what can be described as a major discretionary spending fast,” said Jim Wang, founder of the personal finance blog Wallet Hacks. “After a year of spending relatively little,
Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images When Jordan Wexler’s niece recently lost her first tooth, he sent her $15 along with a video of himself dancing while dressed up as a Tooth Fairy. The money was not the typical cash kids traditionally receive under their pillows. Instead, Wexler put the money toward an investment on
No-Mad | iStock | Getty Images More than 11 million Americans are behind on their rent and many could be pushed from their homes when the national eviction ban expires in June. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium, which has been in effect since September, will lift on June 30. Although the
R.Tsubin | Moment | Getty Images The Biden administration wants to get tougher on tax cheats — and cryptocurrency is an area of interest. Virtual currencies like bitcoin and ethereum, which are collectively valued around $2 trillion, offer investors a way to shield income from tax authorities. In that way, the crypto economy contributes to
Even though they’ve been around for decades, 529 college savings plans are still often misunderstood. The investment vehicles are a tax-advantaged way to save for college or other schooling. Earnings are free from federal tax and the funds aren’t taxed when taken out to pay for qualified expenses. Yet only 36% of Americans can correctly
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the price of higher education is an even bigger consideration for students and their families than usual. At the same time, the cost of a four-year college or university has never been higher. For the 2020-21 academic year, average tuition and fees increased 1.1% for in-state students at four-year public colleges, reaching $10,560,
U.S. President Joe Biden. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images President Joe Biden has a problem with broad student loan forgiveness. In a recent interview with New York Times columnist David Brooks, Biden said: “The idea that you go to Penn and you’re paying a total of 70,000 bucks a year and the public should
Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images Car shoppers hoping to cash in on Memorial Day weekend sales events may want to rein in their expectations. On top of reduced inventory due to a shortage of microchips — key parts needed for today’s autos to operate — and unrelenting consumer demand pushing prices higher, there
Social media personalities Dixie D’Amelio and Noah Beck at Disney California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort on May 2, 2021 in Anaheim, California. Handout | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images The Covid pandemic made the past 14 months a literal roller coaster of a ride for both theme parks and their fans. Parks
Eddie Valdivia and his wife Vanessa pose in front of their first house, which they purchased in October 2020 with the help of a VA loan. Eddie Valdivia, 34 and his wife, Vanessa, 36, workers at the Red Cross, bought their first house last October, right in the middle of the pandemic. It’s a three-bedroom,
Drew Angerer | Getty Images News | Getty Images President Joe Biden proposed a 39.6% top tax rate on capital gains and dividends for millionaires when he released his fiscal 2022 budget request to Congress on Friday. That’s in line with the top rate the administration outlined in April as part of tax increases on
STR | NurPhoto | Getty Images Cryptocurrency has increasingly become a factor in divorce settlements as bitcoin, dogecoin and other types gain mainstream acceptance and values spike. More than 20 million Americans may own cryptocurrency, industry groups estimate, and the digital currency market value rose to $2 trillion for the first time in April. Whether
Peter Dazeley | The Image Bank | Getty Images The threat of losing unemployment benefits in two dozen states had a modest but short-lived effect on job search activity, according to an analysis published Thursday by job site Indeed. At least 24 states have announced their early withdrawal from pandemic-era unemployment programs since early May.
lisegagne | E+ | Getty Images Parents anxiously awaiting the July 15 start of the monthly child tax credit payments should start planning how they’ll use the extra money now. The child tax credit got a boost from the American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Joe Biden in March. The new enhanced credit
People wait to visit a house for sale in Garden City, Nassau County, New York, on Sept. 6, 2020. Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Mortgage interest rates are near historic lows. Yet if you want to take advantage of those rates, check your credit score first. That three-digit number determines whether you can get
blackCAT | E+ | Getty Images If your income falls below $75,000 for 2021, there’s a chance you’ll end up paying no income taxes on it. On average, taxpayers in that category will have no tax liability after accounting for deductions and credits when they file their 2021 tax returns next spring, according to recent
Kmatta More than half of Americans support states’ move to end a $300 weekly supplement to unemployment benefits months before it officially expires, according to a Quinnipiac University poll issued Wednesday. At least 23 states have announced an early end to federal unemployment programs in recent weeks. Self-employed workers and the long-term unemployed will lose