Personal finance

US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced on Friday that student loan borrowers could put their monthly payments on pause for at least 60 days during the coronavirus outbreak.  DeVos said this pause, coupled with the suspension of interest on student

Tara Moore | Getty Images A  bill proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., calls for sending checks of $1,200 to $2,400 to most Americans as a result of the economic damage stemming from the coronavirus outbreak. Based on the language of the bill, most Social Security recipients should be covered. But whether that will

Daniel Harison, a barista at Velvette Brew, a coffee shop in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Greg Iacurci A palpable chill had settled over Park Slope on an otherwise beautiful Monday evening. The brownstone-lined streets of this South Brooklyn enclave, typically abuzz with commuters at peak rush hour, were near empty. Stores of all kinds — from

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) Aaron P. Bernstein | Reuters Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., has proposed giving taxpayers until July 15 to submit their 2019 income tax returns – 90 days from the original April 15 due date. The Tax Filing Relief for America Act, which Senators Steve Daines, R-Mont., and Angus King, I-Maine, are joining

If you have cash parked in a money market fund that invests in non-U.S. Treasury debt, the Federal Reserve says it’s got your back. Late Wednesday, the Fed announced a new program that will make loans to financial institutions that buy shares in “prime” money market mutual funds, whose investments include corporate bonds. It’s the

Even before the spread of COVID-19 brought the U.S. economy to a near standstill, Americans were taking on increasing amounts of debt. Now, around 67 million Americans said they will have trouble paying their credit card bills due to the outbreak and its aftermath, according to a new Coronavirus Money Survey by personal finance site WalletHub.

To prevent millions of Americans from running out of money amid the coronavirus, the government has announced plans to send out checks to them soon.  When Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the announcement about the cash infusion on Tuesday, universal basic income proponents felt validated. Now, the group of those calling for such a policy,

boonchai wedmakawand Financial scammers will likely try to steal money offered to Americans suffering from the negative economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic — and the public should be on its guard, federal officials warned on Wednesday. The White House has proposed making direct payments to American households as the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc

Americans have begun to reconsider the cash they handle every day as coronavirus spreads. Some experts have said COVID-19 could latch onto currency the same way it is able to survive on other surfaces, such as doorknobs and handrails. Credit cards, on the other hand, may not be much better. Credit cards carry more types of bacteria than

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks while flanked by Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin (R) during a briefing about the coronavirus in the press briefing room at the White House on March 17, 2020 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer | Getty Images Taxpayers will get a three-month reprieve to pay the income taxes they owe

AndreyPopov | Getty Images Some good news – in the form of money – may be coming to Americans soon. On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that the Trump administration plans to move “immediately” to send money to Americans as the coronavirus cripples the economy. “Americans need cash now,” Mnuchin said, indicating checks could

For this year’s crop of high school seniors, their freshman college year is full of unknowns. Chief among them is where they will enroll and if they will even be able to afford it in the fall. For now, National College Decision Day is set for May 1, the deadline for high school seniors to

Bettmann | Getty Images It’s natural to want to strengthen your safety net in an emergency. For many, that means having extra cash on hand, whether that’s in the bank, in your wallet or both. That’s especially relevant now, as news headlines change by the minute. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates to near

Another wrinkle for the travel industry may emerge as the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues its rapid spread across the country: airline passengers who don’t have proper identification to fly domestically beginning in October. At least two states have now asked the federal government to delay the enforcement date for when travelers must comply with

Daniel Grill | Tetra Images | Getty Images The odds of slipping into a recession are increasingly likely as the global coronavirus outbreak puts acute stress on the U.S. economy. That could be bad news for American workers, who may lose jobs by the millions in a downturn. For those workers who don’t receive severance

My husband died after a short illness 13 years ago. I was brokenhearted, and my anguish seemed endless. However, I slowly emerged from my “stage 1” deep grief/numb phase of widowhood. I entered “stage 2” of widowhood — growth — when it’s time to take care of business, including money matters. The fog lifts and

Toilet paper shelves lay empty at a supermarket in Saugus, Massachusetts on March 13, 2020. Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images It’s not all in your mind. The growing panic over coronavirus is real, and fear is a rational response. What’s not a foregone conclusion is your own reaction. When markets tank, some people

Many international students are not able to come to the U.S. and that could cause a significant disruption in our college system. For years, there has been a major influx of students studying in this country, particularly from China. In fact, one-third of all the international students in the U.S. come from China — more

If the new coronavirus interferes with your already-planned trip, don’t count on your travel insurance to provide much help. Unless you have “cancel for any reason” coverage, you might be out of luck.  While some insurers have loosened their restrictions, fear of contracting the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, is not covered under a standard policy,

Hero Images | Getty Images This week’s market activity probably wasn’t the shot of confidence you were hoping for if you’re retired or planning to retire soon. And your first instinct is probably to protect your retirement income. Yet experts caution that the worst way to do that is to take dramatic actions with your