Personal finance

Damir Khabirov | iStock | Getty Images Some Americans who are eagerly awaiting their coronavirus stimulus payments may be in for an unwelcome surprise: less money than they had expected. News that $1,200 payments are coming to individuals and $2,400 for couples has made headlines since Congress passed the CARES Act in March. Dependents are

JGI/Jamie Grill Millions of Americans are slated to get payments of up to $1,200 per person from the government this week, and now there’s a way to track your money. On Wednesday, the Treasury Department and IRS launched a new free web app called “Get My Payment” that allows taxpayers to find the status of

urfinguss | Getty Images A fight could be brewing over your coronavirus stimulus check. Your opponent could be your very own bank. If you have outstanding debts, your stimulus payments could be reduced or taken by creditors or debt collectors, in what 25 state attorneys general called a “legislative oversight” in a letter sent to

Yuka Ioroi, co-owner of Cassava restaurant on Balboa Street in San Francisco manages take-out orders on April 8, 2020. San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images Nearly 7.5 million small businesses are at risk of closing their doors permanently over the next several months if the coronavirus pandemic persists, according to a survey. Around two-thirds

Ahmad Alsheikh, 18, was admitted to the Harvard class of 2024. Source: Ahmad Alsheikh For Ahmad Alsheikh, 18, gaining acceptance to Harvard’s Class of 2024 was a lifetime in the making.  Alsheikh and his family came to the U.S. from Syria, seeking asylum from that country’s civil war. Yet in starting school as a high school

Sam Edwards | Getty Images Retiring at 65 was already becoming a fading tradition before Covid-19 sank the world’s economy. Now, that traditional retirement age could fall further by the wayside as workers pick up the pieces once the economy gets going again. A survey from Allianz Life Insurance Company finds that half of Americans

Getty Images If you’d planned on making a payment to the IRS on April 15 and now want to reschedule due to the coronavirus pandemic, you’re running out of time. In March, the IRS and Treasury Department announced it would give taxpayers until July 15 to file their 2019 income tax returns and make any necessary payments.

Frank Van Delft On Saturday the IRS started depositing $1,200 payments into eligible tax filers’ bank accounts as part of the relief efforts of the $2 trillion stimulus bill, known as the CARES Act, which was signed into law in late March. Tax filers with adjusted gross income up to $75,000 for individuals and up

The U.S. economy is taking a beating from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and, like most everyone, you’re probably feeling some impact from the stock market’s volatility. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged in March before soaring again, jumping 400 points on April 9. It’s still down, though, from its high of 29,551 on

A new government tool to file for coronavirus stimulus checks is here, and that’s good news for some Social Security recipients. The government is urging certain individuals to apply using that tool now to make sure they receive timely payments and the full amounts for which they are eligible. This week, the Treasury Department and

Unemployment applications are seen as City of Hialeah employees hand them out to people in front of the John F. Kennedy Library on April 08, 2020 in Hialeah, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Joe Raedle Americans are applying for unemployment in record numbers as the coronavirus pandemic has effectively shuttered much of the U.S.

The Internal Revenue Services offices in Washington, D.C. Adam Jeffery | CNBC The IRS is giving taxpayers extra relief on upcoming deadlines, pushing the due date for more  returns and payments to July 15. Taxpayers have three more months to submit their 2019 income tax returns and payments, and now the IRS is granting additional

kate_sept2004  If you’re paying a financial advisor to guide you through current market havoc, groups representing those professionals want you to nab a tax break for those fees. A quintet of groups representing financial advisors is calling upon Congress to restore a tax deduction for advisory fees. “We think it’s good public policy at any

For anyone who became accustomed to watching their 401(k) account balance climb higher for years on end, the market’s recent drop and continued volatility may be unnerving if not downright scary. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t let fear cause you do something that could hurt your long-term retirement planning, advisors say.  “The coronavirus is certainly creating a

Getty Images Millions of taxpayers missed out on a pile of tax write-offs when they filed their returns last year. In all, 16.7 million households claimed itemized deductions on their 2018 income tax returns, according to data from the IRS. That’s down from 46.2 million taxpayers during the 2017 tax year. The decline is the

As more than 16 million Americans have lost their jobs in the last three weeks, many have scrambled to apply for unemployment insurance to help cover their expenses. And some workers age 62 and up may also consider tapping another source: Social Security retirement benefits. During the financial crisis, more people decided to file for

MoMo Productions You may be wondering how secure your job is. Don’t give into the negative feelings for too long, though. “You have to stay ahead of the game,” said Claire Bissot, managing director of CBIZ Human Resources Services in Roanoke, Virginia. “Ditch your ‘woe is me’ mindset and declare, ‘I can survive anything.’ “

Thomas Barwick This year, the coronavirus relief law is letting savers bypass mandatory distributions from their retirement accounts. While that’s good news, it’s still generating plenty of questions from account holders. Generally, savers who turn 70½ must begin annual required minimum withdrawals, or RMDs, from their retirement accounts and pay taxes on those distributions. However,

With most Americans under stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus outbreak, the roads are quieter – and safer – than usual. So why should you keep paying your regular auto insurance premium?  Many insurers have a perhaps surprising answer to that question: You shouldn’t.  Allstate announced this week that it would slash April and May’s

Getty Images It’s never ideal to build up debt, but it may be necessary these days. The coronavirus outbreak has disrupted the economy. Businesses have shuttered and workers have been laid off or furloughed from their jobs. On April 2, the Labor Department reported 6.6 million people filed for unemployment the week prior — bringing the total