Personal Finance

Hispanolistic Forget high-interest savings accounts. The IRS is crediting up to 5% interest on late tax refunds. The government agency announced it would grant interest on tax refunds that are issued after April 15 – the original due date for 2019 federal income tax returns. Bear in mind that the IRS has pushed out the

xavierarnau When it comes to retiring, few people want to quit work cold turkey. Close to 6 out of 10 workers around the world would like a phased transition — a gradual shift from full-time work into part-time or freelancing — as they enter retirement, according to a survey from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.

Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Treasury secretary, speaks during a Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images This tax season may look more like a tax year, as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin weighs delaying the July 15 deadline once again. “As

If you took a required minimum distribution from your retirement account this year and want to reverse it, you now may be able to. The IRS said Tuesday that anyone who already has taken an RMD in 2020 from certain retirement accounts has until Aug. 31 to put the money back. The announcement comes several

U.S. President Donald Trump signs H.R. 748, the CARES Act in the Oval Office of the White House on March 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. Erin Schaff | Getty Images A political fight is brewing on Capitol Hill over what  the next coronavirus stimulus package will look like. But President Donald Trump made it clear

For many Americans, federal stimulus payments are a lifeline during this period of extreme financial stress. And yet, many questions remain unanswered in the ever-changing status of these payments. Americans are also wondering how to make the best use of this one-time cash injection — or whether more money is on the way. Here are

10’000 Hours For those who desperately need tax refunds, it can feel like ages before they get the money.  For an unlucky few, the wait has taken months. “We filed a client’s return, and it was accepted on April 14,” said Nayo Carter-Gray, an enrolled agent at 1st Step Accounting in Towson, Maryland. “He finally

Student loan borrowers could see big changes over the next few months. pcess609 Former Vice President Joe Biden made an announcement in April that was mostly drowned out by more and more alarming developments of the coronavirus pandemic: As president, he would forgive undergraduate federal student loan debt picked up at public colleges for those

ljubaphoto Travel insurer Seven Corners has started two new products  tailored to vacations in the age of coronavirus: one policy specifically covers medical expenses incurred due to Covid-19 infection while traveling overseas, and another helps motorists as road trips replace flights and cruises as the preferred means of summer and fall travel. “Travel trends, in general,

Some investors see recent volatility as a way to get rich quick. Trying to outsmart the market can end very badly. Last week, 20-year-old trader Alexander Kearns using the Robinhood platform committed suicide after a series of risky options trades left him deep in the red. In the note to his family, he said he had “no

Unlike most people who are now telecommuting due to the coronavirus pandemic, I’ve been working from home for a long time. As in two decades. Between full-time jobs that allowed it (one of them way back in 2000) and freelancing while I raised two children, I’ve truly appreciated the benefits that come with the arrangement

More people will be eligible to take a $100,000 coronavirus-related distribution from their retirement account. The IRS released guidance on Friday which details new rules for individuals affected by Covid-19 to take a withdrawal from a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. The CARES Act allows savers to take coronavirus-related distributions – emergency withdrawals

Oliver Rossi If you inherited an IRA, think before you take that tax-favored $100,000 distribution.  That’s because the relief the CARES Act offers investors who have individual retirement accounts and 401(k) retirement plans isn’t as generous to those who inherit these accounts, according to the American Institute of CPAs. The CARES Act provides several options

Jason Stitt | Getty Images Millions of Americans put a second round of $1,200 stimulus checks on their wish lists. But Congress has yet to decide exactly what the next version of coronavirus stimulus legislation will look like. If House Democrats have their way, a second batch of checks would be deployed to qualifying Americans.

Thomas Barwick The disaster some wealthy investors have been preparing for has finally arrived. Since the coronavirus pandemic struck, market volatility has become a regular theme for investors. On March 23, the S&P 500 index plummeted to 2,191.86 – an intraday low – but since then, it’s risen by close to 40%. In anticipation of

Yellow Dog Productions The U.S. economy is restarting and millions of unemployed Americans are returning to work.    Yet that positive trajectory may not last. Many newly employed Americans could be furloughed or laid off again. Officials in areas like New York have discussed renewed lockdown measures as citizens flaunt social distancing rules. Houston may

Gillian Gullett thought she had it all figured out: Graduate from college, move to Seattle to live with her boyfriend, and find a job. After all, the economy was strong and unemployment was matching its lowest level in more than 50 years. Then, the coronavirus crisis hit and jobs dried up. “The pandemic hit around

Klaus Vedfelt | Getty Images Many companies have made big promises in recent weeks when it comes to improving racial diversity. Yet investors may be wondering whether the stocks they own include companies that have made racial inclusion a priority. One index is aiming to provide a measure for that. The Morningstar Minority Empowerment Index

rudi_suardi For the most part, Americans spent very little during the pandemic — up until now. On Tuesday, May retail sales shattered expectations, jumping 17.7% in the biggest monthly surge ever. President Donald Trump was quick to post on the news.  Nearly half of all consumers had said they were saving more during the coronavirus crisis by

Karen Ducey | Getty Images So you’ve enrolled in Medicare and have determined that a supplement plan — aka, “Medigap” — is an appropriate add-on for you.  There may be more decisions to make. While Medigap policies are standardized regardless of which insurance company sells them and where you live, the premiums can vary from

A United Airlines ticketing agent checks the mobile device of a passenger as he tries to check in for a flight in the main terminal of Denver International Airport. David Zalubowski | AP Paychecks aren’t the only thing at risk for workers in the airline and hospitality industries. Their nest eggs could be on the

Lisa Hess and her daughter Lucy enjoy a cup of coffee in San Luis Obispo, California. Shannon McMillen Photography Lisa Hess, owner of Lucy’s Coffee, has started the long climb to restoring her business in a post-coronavirus world. But her well of emergency funding is about to run dry. The crisis came at quite possibly

When the coronavirus crisis hit New York, many of the city’s wealthiest families went elsewhere. Without knowing what the fall will look like, some are debating if they will return to New York at all, which could open up an unprecedented number of spots at even the most elite institutions, according to Emily Glickman, president

The stock market is doing pretty well amid the coronavirus recession. You probably won’t benefit. MicroStockHub The stock market has proved freakishly immune to the economic suffering inflicted by the coronavirus pandemic, posting some of its largest gains in history even as members in 1 in 2 American households have lost income.    Yet the fact that the market

Image Source | Getty Images Many Americans are at risk of not receiving their $1,200 stimulus checks. Now, research estimates that as many as 12 million people could go without the payments due to them. That’s according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a non-partisan research and policy institute. The center based its

It won’t be long before that blissful reprieve from having to worry about filing taxes comes to a close — July 15 is Tax Day. While the process may be a headache, it doesn’t necessarily have to come with a cost, as well. If you haven’t yet filed your return, it’s worth checking to see

JGI/Jamie Grill Chances are that the IRS has a check with your name on it — and you still haven’t picked it up. Taxpayers have about a month to file their 2019 income tax returns and pay any taxes owed to Uncle Sam. July 15 became the new Tax Day after the Treasury Department moved

An employee wearing a protective mask prepares cut flowers at a wholesale flower market in San Francisco, California, on Monday, May 18, 2020. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg via Getty Images The economy is uncertain for small businesses, yet many of them are still taking their time securing emergency funding through the Paycheck Protection Program.

Residents of Fayetteville, Arkansas, wait in line to file for unemployment on April 6, 2020. Nick Oxford | Reuters The coronavirus pandemic prompted Congress to rush out emergency legislation to help Americans facing new financial challenges. But there’s a growing group of citizens opposed to one aspect of the federal aid effort — and some

The Federal Reserve said Wednesday it will hold its benchmark interest rate near zero through 2022 to help the economy recover from the coronavirus crisis. “The Fed has cut interest rates as low as they are going to go without going into negative rates,” said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. The economic shock from Covid-19 may call for drastic measures,