Personal finance

Joseph Louis joins others in a protest asking the state of Florida to fix its unemployment system on May 22, 2020 in Miami Beach, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images One generous proposal on Capitol Hill could put as much as $10,000 per month into American families’ hands to help them weather the coronavirus pandemic.

Ravin Jesuthasan Source: Ravin Jesuthasan The coronavirus pandemic has destroyed tens of millions of American jobs. How many of them will come back?  That might be one of the most pressing questions of the Covid-19 recession. Arguably no other downturn has threatened to leave American life so unrecognizable.  What will the labor market look like

Investors who were sitting on the sidelines during coronavirus will get some more time to partake in a new tax play. Qualified opportunity funds were created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. They offer taxpayers an incentive to invest capital gains they incur elsewhere into economically distressed communities, granting investors an attractive

A “Now Hiring” sign advertising jobs at Lowe’s is seen as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, in Homestead, Florida, U.S., April 17, 2020. Marco Bello | Reuters Payroll tax cuts could be in the next round of coronavirus aid legislation, if President Donald Trump gets his way. Vice President Mike Pence reiterated

Hero Images | Getty Images If you’re eyeing your 401(k) account to help shore up your finances amid the coronavirus crisis, there are a couple of penalty-free ways you can do it if your employer allows it. Just be sure you’re aware of the long-term implications. Each of the options available — a loan or

LOS ANGELES-CA-MAY 25, 2020: Veterans including Karla Gonzalez, second from right, who served 12 years in the U.S. Army, salute during a Memorial Day ceremony at Los Cinco Puntos. Christina House Americans are hurting from the economic fallout of coronavirus pandemic. Military veterans are no exception. More than 1 million vets filed for unemployment in

U.S. President Donald Trump’s name appears on the coronavirus economic assistance checks that were sent to citizens across the country April 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images If you’re eligible for a $1,200 stimulus check and haven’t received yours yet, there’s good news: Money is still available. The U.S. government just

Business owners who received a forgivable loan through the Paycheck Protection Program are likely getting more leeway on how to spend those funds.   The Senate passed legislation Wednesday night that restructures how entrepreneurs can use loans issued through a new federal relief program for small businesses ailing from the economic contagion unleashed by the coronavirus

Pakorn Polachai / EyeEm Don’t feel comfortable getting on a plane given Covid-19? If you’re thinking of canceling an upcoming flight you paid for, you might have resigned yourself to losing your money or perhaps, best-case scenario, getting an airline credit for some or all of the fare. That’s because air carriers in the U.S.

A pedestrian passes by the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE, in New York on March 17, 2020. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua via Getty) (Xinhua/Michael Nagle via Getty Images) Xinhua News Agency Great Depression-era levels of unemployment. An economy in downward spiral. More than 100,000 dead from a killer virus. Cities in flames amid widespread civil

Image of workplace with computer monitor and armchair in the living room at home AnnaStills Amid the coronavirus pandemic, millions of employees have been shut out of their offices and required to work from home. The massive change has many companies evaluating what they can do to make the transition smoother for their workers.  One

A woman passes a hair salon ready to reopen in Arlington, Virginia, on May 28. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images The federal expansion of jobless benefits has made one part of the unemployment system especially lucrative for both workers and business. But many aren’t taking advantage. The niche in question — work-sharing programs, also known

Luis Alvarez Call it the never-ending tax season. It may be hard to believe, but taxpayers have approximately six weeks to file their 2019 income tax returns and pay taxes owed to the IRS. July 15 is the new Tax Day, as the Treasury Department moved the deadline to help taxpayers contend with disruption related

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Millions of Americans are suffering financially amid the gradual reopening of the U.S. economy. And there are multiple ways the U.S. government could extend more relief. The question is which one it will choose — and exactly how much cash could end up in your wallet. As the coronavirus pandemic

After months of working from home, does the idea of resuming your commute and sitting in an office all day fill you with dread? If you answered yes, this story is for you.  Prior to the pandemic, just 14% of employees in the U.S. worked from home five days a week. Now, as offices around

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) after a May 19 closed Senate Republican policy lunch meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss the response to the coronavirus outbreak. Yuri Gripas | Reuters The president is warming up to the idea. Most Democrats are down. But will Republicans get behind the idea of a second round of

The coronavirus may have you thinking more about your mortality. After all, what if…? Pandemic or not, it’s important to consider what would happen to your bank accounts, your home, your belongings — i.e., everything you own — and, perhaps, your dependents, if you’re no longer here. In other words, you should prepare a will

Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Treasury secretary, holds up a debit card to be used to distribute Covid-19 relief funds to the public during a cabinet meeting in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. Kevin Dietsch | Bloomberg | Getty Images Have you received a pre-paid debit

Gary John Norman | Getty Images At the private retirement community where 90-year-old Lee lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, the last scheduled social event was a Valentine’s Day dance in February.  A few weeks later, as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised anyone 60 or older

Workers who can do their jobs from home are being forced to do so by the coronavirus, and many of these workers feel fortunate, even if they feel that they are working harder. Miguel Pereira | Getty Images As the coronavirus has forced businesses, restaurants, stores and theaters across the country to shut down, a