Personal Finance

kupicoo | E+ | Getty Images Congressional lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are calling for a repeal of the state and local tax cap, arguing that they hurt middle-class Americans. On Thursday, representatives led by Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y.; Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y.; and Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., announced a bipartisan caucus to

nd3000 | iStock | Getty Images Retirees who are considering a move that involves buying a home may want to consider how they’d finance the purchase. It can be tricky for seniors to get a mortgage in retirement, said Al Bingham, a mortgage loan officer with Momentum Loans in Sandy, Utah. Not only are lenders

SelectStock | Getty Images The U.S. government has issued a new set of $1,400 stimulus checks, and this time Veterans Affairs beneficiaries were included. The latest round marks the fifth batch of direct payments sent since the $1,400 checks were first authorized by Congress through the American Rescue Plan Act in March. The latest payments

In this article COIN The Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange app pictured on the screen of an iPhone on February 12, 2018. Chesnot | Getty Images Coinbase is set to go public on Wednesday on the Nasdaq exchange, and you probably have at least one friend pointing to the news as a sign that cryptocurrencies are here

Dana Neely | Stone | Getty Images Criminals are targeting a new federal program that pays up to $9,000 in funeral costs for a loved one who died of Covid-19, the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday. The Covid-19 Funeral Assistance program, overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, opened to applicants on Monday. Individuals have

ljubaphoto | E+ | Getty Images New $1,400 stimulus checks are aimed at helping millions of Americans weather the financial difficulties from the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet the legislation that authorized those payments has one big caveat: The funds could be garnished for overdue unpaid debts. That goes for private debts, such as medical bills or

ozgurcankaya If you haven’t filed your 2020 tax returns yet, you’re in luck — you have more than a month to get your paperwork to the IRS. The IRS moved the filing deadline this year for individual returns to May 17 from April 15. In addition, May 17 is also the last day to contribute

In this article .COVID19 The number of colleges and universities that will require students be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 is suddenly escalating. In just the last few days, Duke University, Brown, Northeastern University, the University of Notre Dame, Syracuse University and Ithaca College all announced that students returning to campus in the fall must be

Jason York | Getty Images So you inherited a retirement account.  Before you make any decisions on when and how to access the money, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with the rules that apply to different beneficiaries. The rules for these retirement plans can be complicated. Therefore, mistakes can be made, and depending on the specifics,

antongvozdikov / 500px | 500Px Plus | Getty Images Some newlyweds get an unwelcome gift from the IRS: a bigger tax bill.  While many couples end up paying less in taxes after tying the knot, some face a “marriage penalty” — that is, they end up paying more in taxes than if they had remained

A person walks under a marquis for a closed down Paramount theater in Oakland, Calif. on Feb. 12, 2021. JOSH EDELSON | AFP | Getty Images It’s been a year since unemployment claims peaked at nosebleed levels and signaled the depth and severity of the Covid downturn. Yet claims for unemployment benefits persist at rates

After looking at more than 50 houses and writing 17 offers, Taryn and Antonio Orellana recently closed on a house in Lakewood, Calif. Source: Taryn Orellana When pandemic life began to feel too tight inside the one-bedroom apartment Taryn Orellana shared with her husband, Antonio, she knew they had to move. In October, the couple

A pedestrian wearing a protective mask walks past the Macy’s Inc. flagship store in the Herald Square area of New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Victor J. Blue | Bloomberg | Getty Images On any given day, the line outside the Gucci boutique at the Mall at Short Hills in N.J. winds around

Chase Kensrue Before the coronavirus pandemic hit last March, Danny Samet, 28, had big financial plans for the year. The freelance tour manager and merchandiser for bands had a goal to pay off his credit card debt, which is about $6,000, he said. Once he’d done that he was considering looking to buy a house

HRAUN Linda, a lawyer from California who was laid off from her job in January, is like millions of others in the pandemic who are living without health insurance. But she discovered that the government would fully subsidize her COBRA health insurance premiums from April until September, thanks to a provision in the latest stimulus

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks at Rochdale Village Community Center in Queens, New York, on April 5, 2021. Brendan McDermid | AFP | Getty Images The highest-earning New Yorkers are about to be hit with a tax hike. The New York state Senate and Assembly late Wednesday passed a $212 billion budget proposal after

Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a delay Wednesday to two debt-collection rules issued in the waning days of the Trump administration. Those rules broadly addressed how debt collectors may communicate with and make disclosures to consumers. Kathy Kraninger, the former CFPB head during the Trump administration, said the measures

Customer Tamara Jenkins tries on a hat with Meeka Robinson Davis, owner of One-Of-A-Kind Hats, at the store in the Windsor Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 2020. Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images Small businesses are realizing they might not have much time to tap the Paycheck Protection Program as

Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Around 1 in 10 people have fallen victim to gift card scams, according to a survey from AARP, the advocacy group for older Americans. In these scams, criminals convince targets that they need to purchase a gift card, sometimes called an electronic voucher, to pay bills,

Guido Mieth | DigitalVision | Getty Images (State of financial education: Many money problems Americans face could have been avoided if financial literacy was taught earlier in school. That knowledge helps create a foundation for students to build strong money habits early and avoid many mistakes that lead to a lifelong of money struggles. This story is part of

In this article IRSA3-AR Getty Images This year’s tax season has brought with it a new opportunity to collect any unpaid funds from previous rounds of federal stimulus checks. But the amount you claim could be adjusted by the IRS, the agency said on Monday. A new feature called a recovery rebate credit enables people

People need to pay attention to their total well-being, and if they don’t the consequences could be dire, according to wellness expert and best-selling author Deepak Chopra. Total well-being encompasses purpose — or career— social, physical, community and financial factors, he said. For example, community well-being can mean feeling safe and involved in your community,

US President Joe Biden speaks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 2021. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images President Joe Biden has requested that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona prepare a report on the president’s legal authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt per borrower, White House chief of staff Ron Klain said

In this article TVAG-FF Drazen_ | E+ | Getty Images Now that spring has sprung and it looks as if an end to the pandemic might be in sight, many Americans are again planning vacations — and they’re booking beach destinations in a big way, says Trivago. The online global accommodations platform, based in Dusseldorf,

Morsa Images | E+ | Getty Images A new set of $1,400 stimulus checks may tempt some recipients who don’t really need the money to instead dabble in the stock market. Depending on your goals, a brokerage account may not be your best bet, some experts say. A third round of direct payments was authorized

In this article ESGEX IPX-GB US President Joe Biden speaks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 2021. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images President Joe Biden’s infrastructure initiative — and the measures it contains to curb climate change — may be a tailwind for investors in so-called sustainable or ESG funds, according to financial

urbazon | E+ | Getty Images A big wad of debt owed to the IRS can be a soul-crushing burden, but the worst thing you can do is to ignore the issue. It will not go away. “It depends on the level of debt you have, but it can be overwhelming,” said Beverly Winstead, a

The days of working from home may numbered. While some companies, including JPMorgan Chase, Salesforce and PricewaterhouseCoopers, are dumping office space, others are ramping up their return-to-work plans.   Just this week, Google, one of the first major U.S. companies to send employees home last year because of the coronavirus, told staffers it is accelerating

Pamela Moore | iStock | Getty Images Plus Ah, the joys of the open road and carefree driving, until something happens that makes it cost even more.  There are events — i.e., accidents, arrests for driving under the influence, a lapse in coverage — that can drive up the cost of your car insurance. By

Getty Images As vaccines ramp up and the economy reopens, many individuals and families may be eager to see this side effect of the Covid-19 pandemic continue: government stimulus checks. A recent poll from Data for Progress found 65% of Americans are in favor of payments of $2,000 per month for the duration of the