Personal finance

Lawmakers are giving cash-strapped entrepreneurs more time to apply for emergency funding. But the effort might be insufficient to keep business owners afloat. The Paycheck Protection Program, the forgivable loan program that was established through the federal CARES Act, was originally intended to cover eight weeks of payroll costs, plus mortgage interest, utilities and rent

Bobby Bonilla of the New York Mets looks on before a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 15, 1999 at Shea Stadium in New York. Mitchell Layton/Getty Images Bobby Bonilla, who retired as a baseball player in 2001, hasn’t played for the New York Mets since 1999. Yet Bonilla is among the highest-paid

Pedestrians in Washington pass a “We Are Open” restaurant sign during the Covid-19 outbreak on May 12. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters When it comes to the next coronavirus stimulus package and providing more direct financial aid, the question on most Americans’ lips is, “Will they or won’t they?” One political analyst predicts it’s likely lawmakers

Joseph Wardenaar was an executive chef in Portland before the coronavirus hit. Now he’s pursuing a career in computer programming. Source: Joseph Wardenaar Before the coronavirus crisis, Joseph Wardenaar was a successful chef in Portland, Oregon. At 36, he had worked his way up from line cook to executive chef at Irving Street Kitchen. Then,

Maskot/Getty Images Uncle Sam has heard your requests for more time to file your taxes – and they have been denied. The Treasury Department and the IRS will stick with the July 15 deadline for 2019 income tax returns and taxes owed for that year, the agencies said. The announcement came less than a week

ROBERTO SCHMIDT It’s impossible to think about racial injustice in the U.S. without looking at the distribution of dollars.  In many ways that Americans work to establish themselves financially — through the stock market,  net worth and homeownership — Black families trail White families. “To put it simply, we don’t have a level playing field,” said Evelyn Brodkin, an

Playing games with coins is one way to teach kids about money Source: Diana David Joseph School may be out for summer, yet you can still find the time to teach your kids about money — and it doesn’t have to be boring. “Some parents think they need to have the ‘money talk,’ but it’s

Klaus Vedfelt If you took a mandatory distribution from an inherited retirement account this year, the IRS will let you put the money back. The CARES Act, which became law on March 27, allowed individuals to skip required minimum distributions for 2020. This is the annual withdrawal you must take from your individual retirement account and

Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill. Ralf-Finn Hestoft | Corbis | Getty Image The bill, called the Student Recovery Eligibility for Low-Income Individuals to Exact Funds (RELIEF) Act of 2020, would make students receiving Pell Grants eligible to receive $1,200 stimulus checks. Federal Pell Grants are need-based funds given to low-income students to help them complete their

Getty Images For millions of Americans, federal stimulus of up to $1,200 per person has been the most highly anticipated payment of the year. But not everyone received their money the same way. Americans who were paid first generally got their money via direct deposit, while others received paper checks in the mail. The government

PeopleImages | E+ | Getty Images Deciding when to take your Social Security retirement benefits is a crucial decision no matter when you make it. Making that call during the coronavirus pandemic can raise the stakes. That’s because the age at which you decide to claim will lock in the amount of monthly income you

The reception desk at luxury boutique property Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern in Saugerties, New York, features sneeze guards. Guests and staff must wear face masks in public areas. Gina Hornbeck/Diamond Mills Hotel & Tavern Like most components of travel in the Covid-19 era, hotel check-in has changed — perhaps, in many ways, for good.

In the wake of Covid-19, colleges will likely outsource more of the student housing needs to companies such as DMG, which owns apartment complexes such as this one in upstate New York serving Cornell University. Source: DMG Investments The days of cramming undergraduates into shared rooms with a communal bathroom down the hall may be

Sam Seagraves Source: Sam Seagraves Almost all of the money Sam Seagraves used to make as an actor in Portland, Oregon, went toward her monthly student loan bill of $1,083.  Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. With many production companies postponing or cancelling operations, Seagraves hasn’t been hired for a role since March. The CARES Act granted

A patient arrives to Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, on April 5, 2020. Bryan R. Smith | AFP | Getty Images An unfortunate side effect can accompany a job loss: no more employer-subsidized health insurance. For people age 65 or older in that situation, Medicare is generally the solution. While some in that age

Up until recently, an old-fashioned certificate of deposit was a reliable way to lock in a decent return.  Now, some CD rates are hitting all-time lows and could still fall further, according to Ken Tumin, founder of DepositAccounts.com. “Since March, rates have taken a nosedive,” he said. “I’m not sure where they will bottom.” In the wake of

MoMo Productions The secret to building sustainable income in retirement is right in front of you — and the IRS has had it all along. Retirees generally know all about required minimum distributions. This is the annual withdrawal that you must take from your individual retirement account and 401(k) plans after you turn 70½ —

A tray of checks is shown at the U.S. Treasury printing facility in Philadelphia in this July 18, 2011 photo. Getty Images The federal government has sent stimulus checks of up to $1,200 to millions of Americans — including deceased individuals. A new report from the Government Accountability Office finds that about 1.1 million payments, totaling

Hispanolistic Forget high-interest savings accounts. The IRS is crediting up to 5% interest on late tax refunds. The government agency announced it would grant interest on tax refunds that are issued after April 15 – the original due date for 2019 federal income tax returns. Bear in mind that the IRS has pushed out the

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Michael Brochstein | SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images The coronavirus stimulus checks have provided a financial boost to millions of Americans — except for those who filed tax returns with non-citizen spouses. A bill introduced on Thursday by Sens. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is seeking to