Personal finance

Audrey Saracco / EyeEm Capitol Hill lawmakers have been deadlocked on a new stimulus package. But another issue — sweeping changes to the U.S. Postal Service — now has both parties clashing again. The crux of the argument: whether changes that would improve the balance sheet of the country’s mail service would deny Americans’ their

Newport Beach, California, comes in at No. 2 in Hotwire’s 2020 list of “itty bitty city” destinations for quick nearby summer getaways. Westend61/Getty Images Summer is nearly over, and the Covid-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating. Many Americans, who put their vacation plans on hold, are thinking about when they might get away. Shorter

“I really liked the job,” Alridge, 37, said. “I was able to put away a lot of money over the last two years; we were saving to buy an apartment.” Source: Matthew Aldridge When Matthew Aldrige was furloughed in March from his job as a server at La Pizza & La Pasta, an Italian restaurant

Robert Federico waited more than four months for his unemployment benefits to arrive. In the end, the payout was more than $23,000. But he endured financial hardship in the interim. Robert Federico Robert Federico’s situation was bleak — dire, even, by his telling. In March, the 52-year-old lost his job at a New York design

For a program that seems to have clear-cut limits for eligibility, stimulus checks appear to have puzzled a lot of people. Part of the problem was determining eligibility, says Aaron Klein, a fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, a non-partisan research group in Washington, D.C. “The structure of the stimulus payment is this

President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 3. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) President Donald Trump is “ready to send” more coronavirus stimulus money. But it remains unclear if that is enough to move stalled Congressional negotiations forward so that Americans can see more money in their pockets. On Friday, Trump

Depending on your health coverage, you could see a rebate from your insurer in the coming months. While such paybacks are issued yearly, the 2020 aggregate amount is anticipated to be $2 billion — about twice what it was last year, said Karen Pollitz, a senior fellow with the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Insurer profitability has

President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Aug. 3. Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images) President Donald Trump signed a measure on Saturday to boost unemployment pay by up to $400 a week. That could help millions of jobless Americans pay their bills at a time when job prospects are slim and prior relief —

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images Congress is at an impasse when it comes to how to help millions of Americans recover from the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, a  report from Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee of Congress shows that one group — workers age 55 and older — are

RichVintage | E+ | Getty Images ETF basics An ETF is a cousin, if not a sibling, of mutual funds and index funds, says Kip Meadows, CEO and founder of Nottingham, a Rocky Mount, North Carolina, fund administration firm. An ETF’s composition — a diversified collection of securities — is similar to that of a

Some Americans may still be recovering from the disappointment they felt after receiving stimulus checks for less than anticipated. One particular cohort that may have received reduced checks: those who were due $500 payments for children under age 17. The U.S. government rushed out $1,200 stimulus checks to Americans this spring after Congress passed the

AJ Watt | Getty Images In early March, U.S. health officials had a stark warning for older Americans: You are more at risk for complications if you contract Covid-19, so avoid leaving your home. For Medicare’s 62.5 million beneficiaries — the majority of whom are 65 or older and more likely to use medical services

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at the White House on Monday, Aug. 10. Stefani Reynolds/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images President Trump’s executive order to boost unemployment benefits would give jobless Americans $708 a week in total aid, on average. Yet some may get less or none at all, given many caveats to the

seksan Mongkhonkhamsao Americans should be wary of fraud as Washington lawmakers debate the contours of another round of potential financial relief, according to an alert issued Tuesday by the Federal Trade Commission. Consumers should be cautious of solicitations asking them to pay for access to certain financial assistance, like stimulus checks and job opportunities, according

Alaina Lattin and her family Alaina Lattin was served an eviction notice last month at her home in Conroe, Texas. “It was a very loud banging,” Lattin, 32, said. “They just kept screaming, ‘Leasing office! Leasing office!'” Now, the single mother is worried that she and her four children will become homeless.  Lattin is one

A Social Security Administration office in San Francisco. Getty Images President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for a payroll tax holiday is prompting many to ask: What does that mean for the future of Social Security? Whether the president’s move ultimately will hurt the program depends on who you ask. Payroll taxes are taken from

Justin Horrocks | Vetta | Getty Images You probably heard that President Trump signed an executive order to provide an extra $400 a week in unemployment benefits. Be aware that it’s not a done deal. And, based on the contents of a Department of Labor memo sent out Sunday and reviewed by CNBC, that amount

A banner against renters eviction reading no job, no rent is displayed on a controlled rent building in Washington, DC on August 9, 2020. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images) ERIC BARADAT | AFP | Getty Images The executive action President Donald Trump took on Saturday doesn’t give

Many Americans are struggling to meet their credit card mills during the pandemic. zenstock | iStock | Getty Images Amid one of the worst downturns in U.S. history, nearly 80% of credit card holders say they’re worried they won’t be able to continue making even the minimum payments on their debt.  The figure comes from

Tenants and housing activists in Brooklyn, New York, protested in a Bushwick park on July 5. Erik McGregor | Getty Images Negotiations over the next coronavirus stimulus package on Capitol Hill ended the week in a stalemate. But there’s one form of help lawmakers reportedly agree on: a second set of stimulus checks. This week’s