Personal Finance

Kyla Ernst-Alper is an aerialist in New York City. She’s never had an employer that offered her a 401(k) retirement plan in more than two decades of performing. Giles Clement Kyla Ernst-Alper, a 38-year-old aerial performer in New York City, has never had a 401(k) retirement plan. She holds multiple jobs at once to support

Tax-filing season is here, and you may be wondering how the pandemic will affect your return. Many filers have a lot more questions about their taxes this year than in the past. “For this specific tax season, it’s all about organization, especially because of what was provided last year for Covid relief,” said Sheneya Wilson,

Getty Images This tax season may end up being even less fun for many filers. On top of figuring out how Covid relief might affect their return, those complications could result in more taxpayers making mistakes and hearing from the IRS, experts say. And depending on the specifics, it could mean a smaller refund or

Stimulus checks printed at the Philadelphia Financial Center in Philadelphia. Jeff Fusco | Getty Images As a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package comes together on Capitol Hill, millions of additional direct payments to Americans could be in the works. Legislation under discussion includes $1,400 stimulus checks that could bring the total direct payments sent to

Prostock-Studio | iStock | Getty Images If you’re among the millions of people across the nation with no health insurance, you may be able to remedy that soon. A special enrollment period to get a plan through the federal Affordable Care Act health exchange (or your state’s exchange if it has one) opens Monday and

MartinPrescott | E+ | Getty Images Don’t count on having extra time to get your tax return filed this year like you did in 2020. The IRS said Thursday it has no plans to extend the standard filing deadline of April 15. This comes despite the agency delaying the start date for accepting returns to

Prot Tachapanit | iStock | Getty Images Money matters are often at the heart of divorce squabbles, for better or worse. If you happen to be in the midst of splitting from your spouse or are considering it, be aware that aside from the price tag of divorce — the median is $7,500, per legal

Getty Images Many Americans are eager to see more money from the federal government in the form of $1,400 stimulus checks. But another part of Democrats’ $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, changes to the child tax credit, could actually give qualifying families more money than the direct payments. “The child tax credit is going to

Getty Images Tax season can be a pain but submitting your return to the IRS as soon as you’re able may be extra important this year. That’s because the coronavirus pandemic has led to changes in the tax code that will impact individual returns and refunds. The season is also shorter than usual this year.

sturti | E+ | Getty Images Democrats are forging ahead with plans to send millions of Americans $1,400 stimulus checks. Their most recent proposal sheds light on just who could be eligible for the money once it’s approved. The House of Representatives unveiled its legislative drafts on Monday. Democrats, under the leadership of President Joe

Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images Millions of Americans will get tax forms for unemployment benefits this filing season. However, many will get them in error due to fraud, creating a potential headache for recipients. At least $36 billion has been lost to improper unemployment payments, largely due to fraud, by early November, according to an

bymuratdeniz | E+ | Getty Images With all of Medicare‘s different rules for enrolling, it’s not unheard of to miss your signup deadline. Now is the time to remedy that. During a general enrollment period that opened Jan. 1 and closes March 31, anyone who did not enroll when they should have (as defined by

Narisara Nami | Moment | Getty Images With health care more critical than ever these days, it should come as no surprise that 2 out of the 3 best jobs in the U.S. are in that field. Like many industries, the health-care sector has been hit by the Covid crisis, with employment down by 542,000

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during an event to introduce the Raise The Wage Act at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 16, 2019. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Senate Democrats passed a budget resolution early Friday, the latest step towards approving President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan by a simple majority without Republican votes.

Before the pandemic, volunteers for Creighton University’s VITA program worked closely with clients to file their tax returns for free. Tom Purcell Creighton University’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, or VITA, program has a new look this year, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead of in-person meetings, where people sit face-to-face with students volunteering to help

kate_sept2004 President Joe Biden wants to get more money to certain American families by expanding the child tax credit for one year. For those who are eligible, that would mean extra cash could come their way via a refund check. Now Democrats are planning to propose a bill next week to enact a long-term change

Dan and Grace Porte lost their jobs at Target when the Covid pandemic began. The couple, in their mid-80s, had used the income to supplement Social Security. Dan and Grace Porte Dan and Grace Porte worked together for decades. In the 1970s, they started a paint and wallpaper business. Then, after the housing bubble burst

Image Source | DigitalVision | Getty Images As Washington lawmakers work to come to an agreement on a new coronavirus relief package, one key question has emerged: Will the next stimulus checks be $1,400? President Joe Biden sought to end that debate in a press conference on Friday by re-affirming his commitment to $1,400. “I’m

THOUSAND OAKS, CA – AUGUST 18: Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth #77 of the Los Angeles Rams enters the field for training camp on August 18, 2020. Jayne Kamin-Oncea | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images Long before Andrew Whitworth made it to the National Football League, he knew he wanted to help others. When he

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Brandon Bell | Reuters The Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, along with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and other Democratic legislators on Thursday, introduced a resolution again calling on the White House to forgive $50,000 in student debt for all borrowers by executive action. “During a

Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Americans have it worse than all other developed nations when it comes to benefits for workers, according to a new ranking. The U.S. places last relative to its national policies around healthcare, unemployment, retirement, parental leave, and paid vacation and sick days, according to Zenefits, a

People gather together to ask the McDonald’s corporation to raise workers wages to a $15 minimum wage as well as demanding the right to a union on May 23, 2019 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Millions of workers in the U.S. could be in for a pay raise as Democrats move

Steven Heap/EyeEm/Getty Images Tax season is coming up, and this year, in particular, there’s a big reason for everyone to file a return, regardless of how much money they made last year. That’s because the coronavirus pandemic has ushered in some key changes that make filing a return critical, even if you aren’t likely to

Tiffany Hagler-Geard | Bloomberg | Getty Images GameStop, AMC Entertainment, BlackBerry, Dogecoin and silver – all have been subject to epic rallies and falls in recent days, spurred by droves of retail investors driving up prices and then selling. While it may be tempting to pile into an asset that’s seen such rapid growth, financial

As the nation celebrates the achievements of African-Americans during Black History Month, it is also a time to look ahead. Black leaders have some advice for the next generation of African-Americans about how to bridge the racial wealth and income gap in the U.S., which has only been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. That gap

Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images Reddit users and other retail investors who piled into GameStop stock aimed to take down Wall Street. Pension funds, which support ordinary Americans in retirement, may be an unintended casualty. Some hedge funds have sustained big losses as a result of bets against GameStop stock. Melvin Capital, for example, lost

Amanda Nicholls made extra cash during the pandemic by selling other families’ items online for a commission. Source: Amanda Nicholls When Amanda Nicholls was laid off from her sales job last summer, she had to get creative. The 34-year-old, who was bringing in about 75% of the family’s income, pivoted to selling second-hand goods for

Home ownership has long been considered a staple of the American dream. During the pandemic, it has also become a dividing line between the haves and have-nots. As the coronavirus outbreak and rise of remote work pushed Americans to move from the city to the suburbs, those who could afford a single-family home have been

Stimulus checks printed at the Philadelphia Financial Center in Philadelphia. Jeff Fusco | Getty Images Many Americans are waiting for their second stimulus check and others want to know when they could possibly get a third payment.  The $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan pushed by President Joe Biden includes a third round of  $1,400 stimulus

The headquarters of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Washington, D.C. JHVEPhoto | iStock Editorial | Getty Images The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to become a more aggressive consumer watchdog under the Biden administration and while the coronavirus pandemic hurls financial challenges at millions of Americans. Consumer advocates say the bureau was almost