Personal finance

The government’s stimulus response to the pandemic may accelerate the trend of companies offering student loan assistance as a benefit. Mark Chilton | iStock | Getty Images Phyllis Wintter has had student debt for more than 30 years. At 67, she still owes around $48,000. Now she hopes that change could be coming, and that

People wait in line at a food distribution site in the South Bronx on March 10, 2021 in New York. Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty Images It’s been about a year since millions of Americans filed for unemployment benefits in the early days of the Covid pandemic.   That anniversary seems to

Halfpoint Images | Moment | Getty Images Millions of Americans have received some form of financial support from the government to help them get through the Covid-19 pandemic. The coronavirus has prompted the federal government to send three sets of stimulus checks, increase federal unemployment benefits and extend the duration and eligibility of those benefits,

As financial literacy advocates push for more personal finance education in schools, students are also joining the cause. Only 21 states require personal finance coursework to graduate high school, with just a handful mandating a stand-alone class, according to the Council for Economic Education. Yet research shows that those who have some financial education typically

The coronavirus crisis has had a devastating impact on many families’ finances. And some students were forced to sacrifice college as a result.   One quarter of last year’s high-school graduates delayed their college plans, according to a survey from Junior Achievement and Citizens, largely because their parents or guardians were less able to provide

Matthew Turner (on the right) and his husband, Gerard. Photo: Matthew Turner Since Matthew Turner was laid off in October, he estimates he’s applied to close to 600 jobs, with no luck. Nearly as difficult has been his hunt for rental assistance. Turner’s contacted many local organizations in North Carolina where he lives, but has

Getty Images With the end of tax-filing season swiftly approaching, people who worked in multiple states last year due to Covid may be wondering — where do I owe taxes? The answer might not be simple. Between March 2020 and October 2020, nearly 9 million Americans relocated, according to research from the National Association of

Ty Wright | Bloomberg | Getty Images It’s a challenging time to be a car buyer. High consumer demand coupled with a manufacturing shortage of microchips — key parts needed for today’s autos to operate — have pinched new-car inventory at dealerships across the country. And with drivers seeking affordable options for hitting the open

In this article PWC Pekic | E+ | Getty Images There’s a shift happening in corporate America. The coronavirus pandemic, which resulted in mass layoffs and reduced salaries and work hours, has left millions of people financially stressed. Employers are starting to respond. “The role of employers has really evolved,” said Julia Lamm, a New

Signs calling for more relief, a second Paycheck Protection Program and more as part of a campaign by Goldman Sachs supporting small businesses near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 5, 2021. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI | AFP | Getty Images Stimulus checks have injected about $850 billion in financial support to Americans over the past year. Now,

kupicoo | E+ | Getty Images Congressional lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are calling for a repeal of the state and local tax cap, arguing that they hurt middle-class Americans. On Thursday, representatives led by Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y.; Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y.; and Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., announced a bipartisan caucus to

. recep-bg | E+ | Getty Images Almost a year after college graduation, 45% of the class of 2020 are still looking for work, according to a survey from career website Monster. New graduates will join them in May. While the economy has improved since last year, the employment outlook is still far from pre-pandemic

LaylaBird Many taxpayers get a refund from the IRS. Not all are created equal. Some taxpayers receive significantly higher refunds after filing their returns, according to an analysis of IRS data done by LendingTree. In 2018, the latest available data, the average refund across the board was about $3,660, according to the study. However, taxpayers

SelectStock | Getty Images The U.S. government has issued a new set of $1,400 stimulus checks, and this time Veterans Affairs beneficiaries were included. The latest round marks the fifth batch of direct payments sent since the $1,400 checks were first authorized by Congress through the American Rescue Plan Act in March. The latest payments

College students searching for summer gigs are in for a shock. The Covid pandemic, of course, hit this group especially hard. Last summer, the unemployment rate for 16-to-24 year olds was 18.5%, about twice as high as the year before. Roughly 47% of young people were employed in July 2020, down from 56% a year

Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images While the latest stimulus package and a new massive infrastructure bill are the main topics of conversation in Washington of late, President Joe Biden continues to be under mounting pressure to take action on student loan forgiveness, too. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., held a hearing on

Dana Neely | Stone | Getty Images Criminals are targeting a new federal program that pays up to $9,000 in funeral costs for a loved one who died of Covid-19, the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday. The Covid-19 Funeral Assistance program, overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, opened to applicants on Monday. Individuals have

Tanya Constantine | Tetra images | Getty Images For a while there, it looked like tax season might not deliver the usual refund euphoria that a majority of Americans have become accustomed to receiving each year. With so many people drawing unemployment benefits last year and changes around tax withholding meaning less is being pulled

ozgurcankaya If you haven’t filed your 2020 tax returns yet, you’re in luck — you have more than a month to get your paperwork to the IRS. The IRS moved the filing deadline this year for individual returns to May 17 from April 15. In addition, May 17 is also the last day to contribute

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | DigitalVision | Getty Images Ever wonder how your nest egg fares in comparison to your neighbors’? From state to state, the median amount — half fall above, half below — that retirement savers have earmarked for their golden years ranges from about $83,500 in Mississippi to $177,500 in Washington, according