Personal finance

Kyla Ernst-Alper is an aerialist in New York City. She’s never had an employer that offered her a 401(k) retirement plan in more than two decades of performing. Giles Clement Kyla Ernst-Alper, a 38-year-old aerial performer in New York City, has never had a 401(k) retirement plan. She holds multiple jobs at once to support

Prostock-Studio | iStock | Getty Images If you’re among the millions of people across the nation with no health insurance, you may be able to remedy that soon. A special enrollment period to get a plan through the federal Affordable Care Act health exchange (or your state’s exchange if it has one) opens Monday and

President Joe Biden speaks as he meets with Senators from both parties in the White House on Feb. 11, 2021. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images More unemployment benefits may be on the way as Democrats and the Biden administration pursue a $1.9 trillion pandemic aid package. The legislation would increase the amount of jobless benefits workers receive

Getty Images This tax season may end up being even less fun for many filers. On top of figuring out how Covid relief might affect their return, those complications could result in more taxpayers making mistakes and hearing from the IRS, experts say. And depending on the specifics, it could mean a smaller refund or

Tax-filing season is here, and you may be wondering how the pandemic will affect your return. Many filers have a lot more questions about their taxes this year than in the past. “For this specific tax season, it’s all about organization, especially because of what was provided last year for Covid relief,” said Sheneya Wilson,

Stimulus checks printed at the Philadelphia Financial Center in Philadelphia. Jeff Fusco | Getty Images As a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package comes together on Capitol Hill, millions of additional direct payments to Americans could be in the works. Legislation under discussion includes $1,400 stimulus checks that could bring the total direct payments sent to

Sanders Fabares felt that something wasn’t working. Even after years of paying $1,000 a month toward his student loans and his wife’s, their balance hadn’t decreased by much. They still owed around $80,000, down from the $90,000 they’d originally borrowed. “I started trying to understand what we were doing wrong,” Fabares, 41, said. His research

U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) participates in a news conference on the third day of the Senate impeachment trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, February 11, 2021. Erin Scott | Reuters House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said that a $15 federal minimum wage will be included in the

MartinPrescott | E+ | Getty Images Don’t count on having extra time to get your tax return filed this year like you did in 2020. The IRS said Thursday it has no plans to extend the standard filing deadline of April 15. This comes despite the agency delaying the start date for accepting returns to

Everyone knows it’s been hard to be single during the pandemic. Being in a relationship is no picnic either. With Valentine’s Day approaching, many couples struggling in the face of the current economic crisis won’t celebrate the way they usually do. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, 1 in 10 couples were furloughed, lost their job,

Getting America’s workforce vaccinated will go a long way toward helping the country reach herd immunity. Instacart, Target, Trader Joe’s, McDonald’s and Dollar General are among a growing list of companies giving workers time off and extra money to get vaccinated for Covid-19. Others, including Amazon, Uber and DoorDash, are going a step further by lobbying state officials to secure

Getty Images Many Americans are eager to see more money from the federal government in the form of $1,400 stimulus checks. But another part of Democrats’ $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, changes to the child tax credit, could actually give qualifying families more money than the direct payments. “The child tax credit is going to

Getty Images Tax season can be a pain but submitting your return to the IRS as soon as you’re able may be extra important this year. That’s because the coronavirus pandemic has led to changes in the tax code that will impact individual returns and refunds. The season is also shorter than usual this year.

Protestors call for a $15 minimum wage outside of McDonald’s corporate headquarters in Chicago on Jan. 15, 2021. Scott Olson | Getty Images The push for a $15 federal minimum wage continues. Just days after the Senate voted on a nonbinding amendment to prohibit raising the minimum wage during the pandemic, the House of Representatives

sturti | E+ | Getty Images Democrats are forging ahead with plans to send millions of Americans $1,400 stimulus checks. Their most recent proposal sheds light on just who could be eligible for the money once it’s approved. The House of Representatives unveiled its legislative drafts on Monday. Democrats, under the leadership of President Joe

valentinrussanov | E+ | Getty Images Hotels and resorts, like the rest of the travel industry, have taken a hit during the pandemic, but prospective travelers willing to book accommodations later this year may see a silver lining in the form of especially low room rates and widespread availability. That’s according to the American Hotel

People press demands to McDonald’s to raise workers wages to a $15 minimum wage, May 23, 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images A report released Monday from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 could add tens of billions of dollars

bymuratdeniz | E+ | Getty Images With all of Medicare‘s different rules for enrolling, it’s not unheard of to miss your signup deadline. Now is the time to remedy that. During a general enrollment period that opened Jan. 1 and closes March 31, anyone who did not enroll when they should have (as defined by

Getting into the Super Bowl spirit usually entails some sort of wager. This year, however, gambling on the big game looks a lot different than it has in the past. Altogether, more than half of Americans said they’ll bet on this Sunday’s Super Bowl LV, according to a report from LendingTree. Despite widespread job losses,

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during an event to introduce the Raise The Wage Act at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 16, 2019. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Senate Democrats passed a budget resolution early Friday, the latest step towards approving President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan by a simple majority without Republican votes.