Personal finance

As Covid-19 cases continue to rise and businesses struggle to adapt to their new normal, many Americans are stepping up to help people in their communities. From personal gestures to financial contributions, experts say giving back in many ways — big and small — can have a significant impact on your own well-being, emotionally and

Brenda Pickens and her late husband, Howard. Source: Brenda Pickens It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.  When 63-year-old Howard Pickens died suddenly of complications from Covid-19 in March, his wife Brenda was stunned. Not only had she lost her companion of almost three decades, she now had to figure out how to get by

Yellow Dog Productions | Getty Images Medicare might become a bit easier to navigate. A congressional measure that would help prevent costly enrollment mistakes cleared a House committee on Wednesday as part of a group of bipartisan-backed health-care bills. The next step would be a vote by the full chamber, although it’s uncertain when that

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc IRA savings and deductions If you have the cash — and access to your IRA custodian — you can still put money in your account today. Aside from bolstering your retirement savings, you may cut your taxes for 2019. “If you qualify, you can get a deduction of up to $6,000

The Covid-19 unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston. MARK FELIX Medicare is often referred to as a maze. The various deadlines for signing up may have something to do with that. While turning 65 makes you eligible for Medicare, not everyone will follow the same path to enrollment. Some beneficiaries are automatically signed

ljubaphoto “This year’s July 15 filing date is considered a disaster-related postponement of the filing deadline,” said IRS spokesman Eric Smith.  “Where a disaster-related postponement exists, the IRS is required by law to pay interest, calculated from the original April 15 filing deadline, as long as an individual income taxpayer files a 2019 tax return

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks during the daily Covid-19 briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House on April 21. Mandel Ngan | AFP | Getty Images The Treasury Department is canceling the stimulus payments it distributed to dead people, according to the IRS. “The Bureau of Fiscal Services has canceled outstanding Economic

More and more schools are joining the fight against the Trump Administration over a new rule that may bar international students from studying in the U.S. Now, 59 public and private colleges — including Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, Duke University and Emory University, as well as every member of the Ivy League — have

Medical staff work outside the Covid-19 intensive care unit at United Memorial Medical Center in Houston on June 30. Go Nakamura | Getty Images Amid one of the worst public-health crises in history, a record number of Americans are without health insurance. More than 5.4 million people who were laid off from their jobs are

Uncle Sam is sitting on $1.5 billion in tax refunds from 2016, and taxpayers have two days to grab their cash or lose it. July 15 isn’t just the due date for 2019’s federal income tax returns and taxes owed, it’s also the last day the IRS will accept late returns for the 2016 tax

The median price for a home in San Francisco is about $1.3 million, according to real estate site Zillow. Education Images | Universal Images Group | Getty Images There’s one part of the mortgage world that’s harder for some would-be home buyers to access: Jumbo loans. While there are signs that lenders may be easing

For many Americans, budgeting has become a more precarious balancing act these days. Both sides of the equation — income and expenses — are wrought with uncertainty. What will happen when your unemployment benefits run out? Will you be able to keep up with your credit card payments? Here is some information on where things

Tomas Vargas, Jr., of Stockton, Calif., says that receiving money through the city’s universal basic income experiment has been life changing. Snap Jackson Photography A few years ago, Tomas Vargas, Jr., was having a tough time supporting his family. The Stockton, California, resident, a part-time supervisor at UPS, found his paychecks were not enough to

PeopleImages Your insurance is up for renewal. Your cell phone contract could be coming to an end after a few years. Cable rates rise as regularly as the sun. Once or twice a year, the clock resets on various contracts. And there’s one thing you can pretty much count on. “Prices go up without fail,” said

Morsa Images If your income has taken a hit during the coronavirus pandemic, you may be trying to figure out ways to bring in some cash. One option is to tap  your 401(k) plan or individual retirement account under the new rules enacted in the federal coronavirus stimulus package, or CARES Act. Experts often say  taking money

Changes to Medicare that advocates have been seeking may end up in the next federal coronavirus relief legislation,  experts say. The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to unveil its version of the next stimulus package in late July as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to slow economic recovery and unemployment remains high. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell,

Demonstrators gather in front of the Texas State Capital during a protest in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Sergio Flores/Bloomberg via Getty Images More states may take similar steps as outbreaks expand, mostly across the American South and West. The United States reported a daily record of 63,247 new cases of Covid-19 on

A newly erected fence blocks the front of a vacant home that Moms 4 Housing activists occupied during a months-long protest that ended in a court-ordered eviction, in Oakland, California. PHILIP PACHECO Emily Benfer began her career representing homeless families in Washington, D.C. Her first case involved a family that had been evicted after complaining to

Crisserbug | Getty Images With more Americans under financial pressure due to the coronavirus, paying for college is a growing problem. Nearly 70% of families are worried about how they will cover the cost and more than half now say their higher education plans have changed due to Covid-19. By necessity, some students will attend a community college close to

The University of California announced plans to sue the government over a policy that could bar international students from studying in the U.S. The move comes on the heels of a joint lawsuit filed by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology against the Trump administration. The guidelines issued Monday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement