Personal finance

ljubaphoto Travel insurer Seven Corners has started two new products  tailored to vacations in the age of coronavirus: one policy specifically covers medical expenses incurred due to Covid-19 infection while traveling overseas, and another helps motorists as road trips replace flights and cruises as the preferred means of summer and fall travel. “Travel trends, in general,

Student loan borrowers could see big changes over the next few months. pcess609 Former Vice President Joe Biden made an announcement in April that was mostly drowned out by more and more alarming developments of the coronavirus pandemic: As president, he would forgive undergraduate federal student loan debt picked up at public colleges for those

Some investors see recent volatility as a way to get rich quick. Trying to outsmart the market can end very badly. Last week, 20-year-old trader Alexander Kearns using the Robinhood platform committed suicide after a series of risky options trades left him deep in the red. In the note to his family, he said he had “no

Unlike most people who are now telecommuting due to the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve been working from home for a long time. As in two decades. Between full-time jobs that allowed it (one of them way back in 2000) and freelancing while I raised two children, I’ve truly appreciated the benefits that come with the arrangement

Oliver Rossi If you inherited an IRA, think before you take that tax-favored $100,000 distribution.  That’s because the relief the CARES Act offers investors who have individual retirement accounts and 401(k) retirement plans isn’t as generous to those who inherit these accounts, according to the American Institute of CPAs. The CARES Act provides several options

More people will be eligible to take a $100,000 coronavirus-related distribution from their retirement account. The IRS released guidance on Friday which details new rules for individuals affected by Covid-19 to take a withdrawal from a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. The CARES Act allows savers to take coronavirus-related distributions – emergency withdrawals

Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, speaks during a hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on June 9 about unemployment insurance during the Covid-19 pandemic. Leah Millis/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images The enhanced unemployment benefits supporting household income for millions of jobless Americans will soon lapse. Lawmakers, scrambling

This past April was a month Tom Nigro will never forget. As a certified registered nurse anesthetist, Nigro was well-equipped to serve victims of the coronavirus and moved that month from his apartment in Milwaukee to New York City – then the epicenter of the pandemic. On April 8, for example, more than 5,581 New

Jason Stitt | Getty Images Millions of Americans put a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks on their wish lists. But Congress has yet to decide exactly what the next version of coronavirus stimulus legislation will look like. If House Democrats have their way, a second batch of checks would be deployed to qualifying Americans.

Thomas Barwick The disaster some wealthy investors have been preparing for has finally arrived. Since the coronavirus pandemic struck, market volatility has become a regular theme for investors. On March 23, the S&P 500 index plummeted to 2,191.86 – an intraday low – but since then, it’s risen by close to 40%. In anticipation of

Students at the Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School graduation ceremony on May 06, 2020 in Bradley, Illinois. Scott Olson The future is suddenly looking very different for new high school graduates thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, 49% of the Class of 2020 have changed their plans as a result of the crisis, according to

Yellow Dog Productions The U.S. economy is restarting and millions of unemployed Americans are returning to work.    Yet that positive trajectory may not last. Many newly employed Americans could be furloughed or laid off again. Officials in areas like New York have discussed renewed lockdown measures as citizens flaunt social distancing rules. Houston may

Jay Clayton, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, warned Wednesday about the risks of tapping 401(k) retirement money and using it for riskier investments during the coronavirus pandemic.  As part of the CARES Act,  Congress approved a change to let people withdraw up to $100,000 from their 401(k) or IRA accounts this year without having to

rudi_suardi For the most part, Americans spent very little during the pandemic — up until now. On Tuesday, May retail sales shattered expectations, jumping 17.7% in the biggest monthly surge ever. President Donald Trump was quick to post on the news.  Nearly half of all consumers had said they were saving more during the coronavirus crisis by

Klaus Vedfelt | Getty Images Many companies have made big promises in recent weeks when it comes to improving racial diversity. Yet investors may be wondering whether the stocks they own include companies that have made racial inclusion a priority. One index is aiming to provide a measure for that. The Morningstar Minority Empowerment Index

Customers sitting outside of a restaurant in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Monday, June 15. San Francisco restaurants opened their patios Friday for the first time in three months. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images States are reopening and millions of people have returned to work. In some cases, those workers may be able

Larry Kudlow, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, June 15, 2020. Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Trump administration wants to end  enhanced unemployment benefits and replace them with a different policy, according to a senior aide.

Karen Ducey | Getty Images So you’ve enrolled in Medicare and have determined that a supplement plan — aka, “Medigap” — is an appropriate add-on for you.  There may be more decisions to make. While Medigap policies are standardized regardless of which insurance company sells them and where you live, the premiums can vary from

katleho Seisa Word on the street was that the stock market was immune to the coronavirus pandemic. We wished.  Stocks have been gyrating this week and last on news that virus rates could surge as businesses around the country re-open and social distancing practices are relaxed. Since the start of 2020, the S&P 500 Index is

When the coronavirus crisis hit New York, many of the city’s wealthiest families went elsewhere. Without knowing what the fall will look like, some are debating if they will return to New York at all, which could open up an unprecedented number of spots at even the most elite institutions, according to Emily Glickman, president