Rachel Bozarth and her family have frozen their spending on non-essential items for the month of January. Source: Rachel Bozarth Rachael Bozarth is taking some drastic measures to attack her debt. The 32-year old mother of five has pledged to freeze all of her non-essential spending for the month of January. “I need to retrain
Personal finance
Taking a trip? Not likely right now. With tourism at a near standstill, making a long-term commitment to an annual vacation spot may have seemed like a better idea before a global pandemic restricted travel and caused a sudden spike in unemployment, leaving many Americans with less disposable income. Now some owners of timeshares, who
The latest round of $600 stimulus checks is on the way. Meanwhile, many have already arrived for millions of Americans. But for people who recently changed their bank account information, that payment might not come at all. The IRS and U.S. Treasury Department began issuing the second economic impact payments through direct deposit and mailing
Getty Images Between the nation’s two largest lottery jackpots, there’s close to $1 billion up for grabs. Mega Millions’ top prize was revised upward on Thursday to $510 million due to strong ticket sales. The next drawing is Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time. For Powerball, the jackpot is $470 million, with the next drawing
Drew Angerer | Getty Images News | Getty Images No, you didn’t hit the $520 million Mega Millions jackpot. The lottery game’s top prize has climbed to a whopping $600 million for Tuesday night’s drawing, following no ticket matching all six numbers drawn Friday night. The amount marks the 8th-largest jackpot in lottery history. And
Jersey City, New Jersey. Dong Wenjie | Moment | Getty Images Whether they were tired of the chilly winters or the high income taxes, a lot of residents fled New Jersey, New York and Illinois in 2020. New Jersey was the top “outbound” state last year, according to an analysis of 2020 moving data by
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images With Democrats in control of the White House and Congress, student debt forgiveness stands a better shot of becoming a reality for millions of Americans. Still, there are obstacles. Will cancelling the debt be a priority for the young Biden administration, which comes in amid dueling and unprecedented health
Fertnig | E+ | Getty Images If you don’t receive your second stimulus check in your bank account or the mail, the good news is you can claim the money when you file your tax return this spring. But beware: That doesn’t necessarily mean you will automatically get the full $600 or other funds you
In the stimulus package signed into law last month, the national ban on evictions was extended through January and a $25 billion pot of money was established for renters struggling amid the health and economic crisis. That money will help to keep many of the 14 million Americans who are behind on their rent in
Getty Images Millions of second stimulus checks are being deployed to help Americans who are struggling amid the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, some may be asking, “Where is my money?” A new set of payments was authorized by Congress with the latest $900 billion coronavirus relief package. This time, the checks will be up to
SDI Productions | E+ | Getty Images If your stimulus payment came in below what you expected, you may get a second shot at claiming the money when you file your 2020 tax return. In the waning days of 2020, the federal government began sending out its second round of stimulus checks to millions of
President-elect Joe Biden (C) along with Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate Jon Ossoff (L) and Rev. Raphael Warnock (R) greet supporters during a campaign rally the day before their runoff election in the parking lot of Centerparc Stadium in Atlanta. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images A $15 federal minimum wage edged closer after Tuesday’s
Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff (R) and Raphael Warnock (L) of Georgia wave to supporters during a rally on November 15, 2020 in Marietta, Georgia. Jessica McGowan | Getty Images Democrats may be poised to control the Senate, which would give President-elect Joe Biden’s tax plan a better chance at passing. Georgia hosted two
Jon Ossoff and David Perdue, candidates for Senate from Georgia. Reuters; Getty Images If Democrats achieve a majority in the Senate, a number of relief measures targeted at renters struggling amid the pandemic – including a right to counsel for those facing eviction and a larger pot of money for back rent – will have
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden speaks as he campaigns on behalf of Democratic U.S. Senate candidates from Georgia Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, ahead of their January 5 run-off elections, during a drive-in campaign rally in Atlanta, Georgia, January 4, 2021. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters The outcome of the two contests for U.S. Senate seats in
Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images Maybe you’re familiar with a common quirk of health insurance coverage: Not knowing the cost of services until after the fact. A new price transparency rule that took effect Jan. 1 is an effort to change that. Basically, hospitals are now required to post online, in a consumer-friendly
Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images PUA fraud Most of the theft has focused on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a temporary program created by the federal CARES Act in March. It offers unemployment benefits to workers who don’t ordinarily qualify, like the self-employed, gig workers, freelancers, contractors and part-timers. Con artists are attracted
Getty Images The $600 stimulus payments from the latest $900 billion coronavirus relief act are hitting bank accounts and mailboxes for millions of Americans. And for a few, the money won’t come via direct deposit or in paper check form – instead, it will be sent on a debit card. The IRS is sending some
Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg via Getty Images Taxpayers will have another shot at a package of tax breaks that would have otherwise expired at the end of 2020. That’s because when lawmakers hammered out the 5,593-page Covid relief act, they resurrected a basket of deductions and credits — known as tax extenders — that were about a
Brian van der Brug | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images A handful of states have begun issuing a $300 weekly boost to unemployment benefits or signaled workers will get the payments starting this week. Others expect the aid to kick in later this month. Workers in Arizona, California, New York and Rhode Island will