Personal finance

For some, this is a chance to save like never before. The personal savings rate hit a historic 33% in April, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis said Friday, by far the highest level of saving since the department started tracking data in the 1960s. With Americans largely sheltering at home, this historical spike in

If you’d like to make your kitchen or your beach house into your permanent office, think about what it might mean for your taxes. Social distancing orders in light of the coronavirus pandemic has forced companies to send workers home and have them work remotely. The trend might continue. Indeed, 3 out of 4 chief

University of Michigan tiny-al | Getty Images Although the upcoming academic year remains in limbo, the University of Michigan said it is taking steps to bring students back on campus in the fall. “The average student is very anxious to get out of mom and dad’s basement and come back to school,” President Mark Schlissel

NoDerog | iStock | Getty Images Millions of Americans have received their economic stimulus payments of up to $1,200 a person. But some are taking a look at those sums and wondering what happened. Some are finding that those checks are made out for less than they were expecting. Others may find that they receive

Wine store employees catalog a new shipment of alcohol on May 28, 2020 in New York City. Government guidelines encourage wearing a mask in public with strong social distancing in effect as all 50 states in the USA have begun a gradual process to slowly reopen after weeks of stay-at-home measures to slow the spread

Reading, PA – May 8: Major Joy Mudge, left, and Kristy Kushner, right the Director of Social Services, helps to organize boxes ready for distribution. During a food distribution at the Salvation Army location on South 5th Street in Reading, PA Friday afternoon May 8, 2020. (Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)

Getty Images Taxpayers marooned at home will now be able to submit amended income tax returns to the IRS electronically. The tax agency announced on Thursday that it would begin accepting amended returns via e-file this summer. Once the e-file option becomes available, filers will only be able to amend their 2019 return. Remember, you

Squaredpixels | E+ | Getty Images If you’re like most Americans, you are probably watching Capitol Hill closely to see if new relief legislation will include another round of stimulus checks. To ensure you get that money, you would also be wise to do something else – file your federal tax returns, if you haven’t

Never has the money sitting in your 401(k) retirement savings plan looked so enticing.  Thanks to the CARES Act stimulus package Congress passed in March, if you’ve been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, you can pull up to $100,000 from your retirement account through the end of the year, without being dinged the usual 10% early withdrawal

A House bill with bipartisan support would allow 2020 college graduates to postpone their student loan payments for three years without interest accruing.  Meanwhile, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, has introduced legislation in the Senate that would do the same.  “Students graduating from college this year are suddenly facing significant hurdles entering the workforce,” Romney said

Justin Horrocks | Vetta | Getty Images Laid-off employees who reject an offer of rehire may wind up being reported to the state unemployment office if their company took a forgivable federal loan. The Paycheck Protection Program is a federal loan program that was established by the CARES Act. It covers up to eight weeks

alphaspirit | Getty Images Your $1,200 stimulus check could have been garnished if you owe past debts. A group of senators is looking to put a stop to that. But because millions of stimulus checks have already gone out, it could be too late for some. Congress authorized the one-time payments when it passed the

Certain jobs and industries are benefiting from enhanced unemployment pay more than others — and have the most to gain from an extension of benefits.  Workers in lower-paying sectors of the economy, such as accommodation and food services, benefit more from the unemployment increase than those in finance and insurance that pay workers better. And the difference

Medical workers transport a patient outside a special Covid-19 area at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, on May 17. Johannes Eisele | Getty Images If you’re collecting more on unemployment than what you earned while working, it could affect how much you pay for health insurance. For households that bought coverage through one

This year, students may need extra help to make college a reality. Amid the coronavirus crisis and sky-high unemployment rates, less than half of families feel confident in their ability to meet the costs of higher education, according to education lender Sallie Mae. About 69% of parents and 55% of students entering college in the

We are all getting back to the basics. While it might feel good to bake bread, the best way to get through the coronavirus pandemic could be to stock your emergency fund and learn to “do-it-yourself” with household chores so you can save on expenses.  One bright spot: You might have more time on your

College graduates will soon be hit with their first student loan bill aywan88 | E+ | Getty Images When Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren dropped out of the race, it seemed that proposals to tackle student loan debt would go away, too.  They haven’t. Between the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and

Hero Images | Getty Images Traditionally, parents pay a premium so their children can play capture the flag, drink bug juice and swim in a lake through August. This year, of course, summer camp looks very different. Amid the coronavirus crisis, many camps have cancelled their summer sessions, others have moved online and a few

Lillian Johnson, 77, pictured outside her East Meadow, New York, nursing home. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, her son was unable to visit her for two months. Lamont Johnson Lamont Johnson lives just about two miles from his mother’s nursing home in Long Island, New York. He has not been able to visit her for about

SDI Productions Americans could use a financial boost. How to get that money into people’s hands has been a hot topic of debate. Democrats have proposed expanding unemployment insurance and giving Americans as much as $2,000 per month to get back on their feet. Meanwhile, one Republican proposal has called for giving Americans $11,000 now in