Personal Finance

Many Americans are struggling to meet their credit card mills during the pandemic. zenstock | iStock | Getty Images Amid one of the worst downturns in U.S. history, nearly 80% of credit card holders say they’re worried they won’t be able to continue making even the minimum payments on their debt.  The figure comes from

Tenants and housing activists in Brooklyn, New York, protested in a Bushwick park on July 5. Erik McGregor | Getty Images Negotiations over the next coronavirus stimulus package on Capitol Hill ended the week in a stalemate. But there’s one form of help lawmakers reportedly agree on: a second set of stimulus checks. This week’s

“I’m on Indeed every single day, looking for jobs,” Lafauci, 36, said. “There’s nothing.” Source: Sarah Lafauci It’s now been over a week since tens of millions of Americans have stopped receiving the $600 federal unemployment boost.  Negotiations between Republicans and Democrats over what to replace those payments with have turned into an increasingly protracted and bitter

Agatha Kulaga, co-founder and CEO of Ovenly Source: Agatha Kulaga The past few months certainly haven’t been easy for small businesses. Many had to shut their doors due to the coronavirus pandemic. While some may never reopen, others are ramping up their business — and hoping they don’t have to shut down again. Retail and

This guide lays out the seven key steps to focus on to get you working toward long-term financial security. Step 1: Set short-term and long-term goals Step 2: Create a budget Step 3: Build an emergency fund Step 4: Pay off costly credit card debt Step 5: Save for retirement Step 6: Invest for retirement

Tetra Images | Getty Images Maybe you know one: the person who saves boatloads for retirement, manages to follow a budget and even has a fat emergency fund. In other words, a “super saver.” While perhaps an enviable position, it’s one that typically involves making some sacrifices, according to a report from Principal Financial Group

Cabania | iStock | Getty Images Plus When the U.S. government sent out urgent stimulus checks this spring, some people who had already died received money. Now it seems another ineligible group may be getting checks: foreign workers. Reports surfaced this week that a number of those recipients are now living in their home countries.

Three more proposals for federal stimulus are being discussed in Congress: The HEROES Act, the HEALS Act and the Coronavirus Assistance for American Families Act. While all three bills have some things in common — each would, for example, deliver a second round of checks to Americans — there are also some key differences. Like

Getty Images Some Americans who qualified for stimulus checks received an unwelcome surprise when the $500 payments for their children under 17 were not included. Starting today, the U.S. government plans to send out the missing cash. That applies to those individuals and couples who are not required to file a tax return and used

Reliably clean hotels and airplane cabins or a proven Covid-19 vaccine would be enough to make about half of Americans comfortable enough to travel again. Most of them would vacation within U.S. borders, meanwhile, and stick to hotels and resorts for lodging. That’s according to a recent survey of 4,300 travel insurance customers of Richmond,

Jovita Carranza, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, speaks as Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Treasury secretary, listens at a House Small Business Committee hearing in Washington, D.C. Erin Scott | Getty Images The federal government is about to turn off the tap on its supply of forgivable loans for small businesses. Saturday, Aug. 8 is

For some Medicare beneficiaries, the pandemic means worrying about more than just their increased health risk from Covid-19. It also raises the specter of large, unexpected medical expenses. Medicare, the government health insurance program that you generally qualify for at age 65, comes with costs that can surprise beneficiaries. And as the pandemic continues rumbling

Joshua Roberts | Reuters Capitol Hill lawmakers seem to agree on one thing: Sending a second round of stimulus checks to help Americans weather the economic storm brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic is is  worthwhile. But the conditions around who gets those checks could still be subject to change, particularly when it comes to

Getty Images If you’re like many Americans, the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted a financial reality check: You haven’t saved enough. A recent Bankrate survey found that 55% of Americans have regrets over their emergency savings, or lack thereof. Experts agree that having an emergency fund can help you whether you face a job loss or

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech during a tour of the Double Eagle Energy Oil Rig in Midland, Texas, July 29, 2020. Carlos Barria | Reuters Both parties are now working to come to a consensus on issues where they are divided, particularly unemployment insurance. The extra $600 per week in federal unemployment benefits

For millions of students with disabilities and special needs in U.S. public and private schools, the shift to remote learning has created an even greater host of challenges — and, in some cases, additional financial pressures for their families.  Special needs students require varied educational and support services. In this coronavirus pandemic, many families are

Couple buying a new house. PeopleImages | Getty Images A Roth individual retirement account is often cited as a way to save for your golden years. It could  also help you buy a house. In a nutshell, up to $10,000 in earnings can be withdrawn from such an account — free of both taxes and

Hundreds of unemployed Kentucky residents wait in long lines outside the Kentucky Career Center for help with their unemployment claims. John Sommers II Individuals receiving unemployment benefits this year could face a tax surprise in 2021: owing Uncle Sam or receiving smaller refunds. Some 1.43 million people filed for unemployment last week, according to the

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R- Ky., walks to the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, July 30. Democrats and Republicans have given no ground after three days of negotiations on a virus relief package as enhanced unemployment insurance for millions of out-of-work Americans and protections from evictions run out. Al Drago/Bloomberg via

Getty Images When a person passes away, it’s not unusual for them to leave behind some unpaid debt. So what happens to those remaining balances? It depends.  Upon death, a person’s assets — no matter how meager or massive — become their “estate.” This includes everything they own: financial accounts, real estate and possessions. And,

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. listens at left as Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a news conference prior to a town hall-style meeting in Aston, Pa., Monday, April 23, 2012. Jae C. Hong | AP A second set of stimulus checks could be on the way, but the ink on the

Cash-strapped entrepreneurs who took a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan and are running out of funding may get a second infusion of liquidity. The Senate’s HEALS Act,  the Republican proposal for another round of coronavirus relief funding, includes a measure that would permit certain small-business owners to borrow from the program a second time. Sens.

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, stops to speak to reporters as he arrives for the Senate Republicans weekly lunch on Tuesday, June, 9, 2020. Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call | Getty Images While Washington lawmakers negotiate over how much money to inject into a U.S. economy battered by Covid-19, one group of politicians hopes to also

fstop123 | E+ | Getty Images This summer, more than a dozen states are offering shoppers a back-to-school sales tax break. Whether it’ll be enough to draw legions of parents to mom-and-pop shops amid a pandemic is looking iffy. Depending on the state where you’re shopping, you can knock off anywhere from 4% (Alabama) to

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., leaves the Senate Republican Policy luncheon in Hart Building on Tuesday, July 21, 2020. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images A second round of $1,200 stimulus checks could be coming, thanks to Senate Republicans’ new stimulus proposal. The terms of the new payments were outlined in

Whether colleges reopen their campuses or remain online, students are sticking with school.  After weighing the options, the vast majority of undergraduates plan to continue their college education as planned, a report finds. Just 2% of students said they would take a gap year and only 5% considered switching to a school closer to home, according to

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (L) listens to U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters while hosting Republican congressional leaders and members of Trump’s cabinet in the Oval Office at the White House July 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. Doug Mills | Getty Images It’s the question that’s been on everyone’s minds: Will there

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc Covid-19 has upended much of U.S. society. And it’s changing how Americans think about money. A survey from money manager Charles Schwab finds their new mantra could very well be, “Less is more.” When it comes to how much it takes to be considered wealthy, Americans now say it’s an average

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, a growing number of U.S. colleges have said their campuses will remain closed through the fall semester.  Still, students are heading back to school as soon as this weekend. For some, there is nowhere else to go. About 52% of high school and college students said going back to school

People who lost their jobs wait in line to file for unemployment benefits, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at Arkansas Workforce Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. April 6, 2020. Nick Oxford |File Photo | REUTERS In mid-March, Erin Madden was furloughed from her job as a bartender at the Hollywood Burbank