Personal Finance

damircudic Stay … Assuming there’s no outstanding loan, ask yourself if there’s a chance you’ll return to this employer. “If yes, leave it alone,” Parks said. “There are provisions to let you rejoin the plan, and you will get credit for time served.” You could stay in the plan, most likely, if your account balance

A framing art gallery is closed in Venice Beach, California’ during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images Some small-business owners are growing increasingly worried that loan money being distributed as part of the coronavirus relief package will run out before they can access funds. The Paycheck Protection Program, which is being overseen

Rolling coins is one way of teaching kids about money. Michelle Fox | CNBC With many schools shut down to protect against coronavirus exposure, many parents have found themselves in a new role: teacher. So why not add some personal finance to your lesson plans? “This is the most amazing opportunity for doing things with

Author Simon Sinek speaks on stage during the Massachusetts Conference For Women 2019 in Boston on Dec. 12, 2019. Marla Aufmuth/Getty Images for Massachusetts Conference for Women 2019 Motivational speaker and author Simon Sinek also prefers to include another title alongside his name: optimist. Sinek’s books include titles like, “Find Your Why: A Practical Guide

Elenaleonova | Getty Images Online tax preparation service TurboTax has launched a free stimulus registration website so that Americans who do not typically file tax returns can get their relief checks faster. Millions of Americans are slated to get one-time government checks of up to $1,200 or $2,400, based on whether they are single or

Damircudic As the country grapples with an unprecedented pandemic that’s left millions of Americans unemployed, the U.S. Department of Education is giving most federal student loan borrowers a break from their monthly bills until at least October.  That reprieve started on March 13 and goes until Sept. 30. And during that time, no interest will

In times of market downturns, many of the stocks that take a beating will eventually rebound. Others, not so much. For investors who have a big portion of their assets in one particular stock, the current drubbing may serve as a reminder that diversification matters. It might also be time to make sure you still

As millions of jobs are lost to the coronavirus pandemic, almost half of low-income Americans say they expect to burn through their savings within three months, according to a survey released Thursday. The government’s monthly employment numbers for March, due to be released Friday, are expected to show an unprecedented surge in layoffs by businesses

A customer pays with cash at a Best Buy store in Texas, United States, on November 26, 2010. Aaron M. Sprecher | Bloomberg | Getty Images If you’re counting the days until you receive your stimulus money from the government, hold tight: It could take up to five months. A House Ways and Means Committee

shot of social security card Kameleon007 People who receive Social Security benefits and who do not submit tax returns will not have to file in order to get a government stimulus check. The announcement by the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday night reverses earlier guidance that said those people would have to

NoDerog | iStock | Getty Images There may be a catch for individuals who typically don’t file a tax return but are expecting to receive a stimulus check. They may have to send a return to the government in order to get paid. New guidance was released on Monday by the IRS, which said there

Don’t be surprised if your employer pauses its contributions to your 401(k) plan during the U.S. economic downturn. As the coronavirus pandemic wallops the economy, and businesses deal with dropping revenue and limited cash flow, employers are exploring how to trim their obligations to those plans without violating federal regulations. Companies commonly give to worker’s

NoDerog | E+ | Getty Images Those government stimulus checks should be on their way soon to millions of Americans. Many people have still have a lot of questions about them. Last week, Washington lawmakers approved a $2 trillion relief bill in response to the coronavirus outbreak that includes a payment of $1,200 for single taxpayers

I drafted a notice to my firm’s clients so they can have a clear understanding of the provisions in the CARES Act, the $2 trillion economic rescue bill that President Trump signed into law last week. I wanted to share some of this information. I am only including information about how the act actually impacts

US President Donald Trump participates in a meeting with Supply Chain Distributors to discuss the response to COVID-19 at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 29, 2020. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images This year, heirs of retirement accounts can bypass mandatory withdrawals from those IRAs. The coronavirus relief bill, which President

The pandemic affects everyone — even cats and dogs that are clearly surprised at the change in routine. Younger children might not understand everything that’s going on, and older ones might realize life has changed but not know how to get clarity from their parents. The current situation is different from anything anyone’s experienced in

College acceptance letters are already in the mail. Now high school seniors must decide their fate for September. Up until now, National College Decision Day, the deadline for high school seniors to choose which college they will attend, has always been May 1. This year, however, the global coronavirus pandemic and extreme economic uncertainty have pushed many

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy speaks after taking the oath of office in Trenton, New Jersey, January 16, 2018. Lucas Jackson | Reuters New Jersey homeowners whose finances have been affected by the novel coronavirus will get a 90-day reprieve on their mortgage payments, said Gov. Phil Murphy on Saturday. Lenders will also waive late

Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, speaks during a news conference at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York, U.S., on Friday, March 27, 2020. Angus Mordant | Bloomberg | Getty Images New Yorkers are getting more time to submit their 2019 income tax returns to the Empire State. Individuals filing a New York

Yellow Dog Productions  What does the legislation do? The bill — the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act — expands unemployment insurance, a program enacted in 1935 to provide temporary income support for workers who lose their jobs. The legislation does three primary things: offers bigger unemployment checks, increases the duration of those payments and extends

Cabania | iStock | Getty Images Plus Congress has passed a $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill, and you’re probably already counting up the money you could receive in relief checks — if you’re eligible. Generally, individuals who earn $75,000 or less qualify for $1,200 one-time payments, while couples making $150,000 or less may receive $2,400.

Small businesses are getting a potential lifeline from Congress. The massive $2 trillion economic rescue package — expected to get final approval from Congress on Friday — includes provisions aimed at helping smaller employers weather the economic storm brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. “We are cautiously optimistic that this will provide the cash flow

White flag blowing in the wind Derek Brumby After weeks of steep market declines, you may feel you’ve had enough, that you want your hard-earned money during these uncertain times with you, under quarantine. And who could blame you? Headlines warn us that we’re careening toward a global financial crisis uglier than 2008, and the

NoDerog | iStock | Getty Images As Congress pushes through a $2 trillion stimulus bill, some Americans can expect checks from the government to help them cope with the economic devastation stemming from the coronavirus crisis. Those payments are expected to be $1,200 for individuals, or $2,400 for those who are married and file income

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters following the Senate Republican policy luncheon which both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence attended on March 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. Samuel Corum | Getty Images The federal coronavirus relief bill would allow taxpayers to nab a $300 deduction for charitable giving –

Jamie Grill | Getty Images More than a decade ago, the markets were sent into a tailspin during the financial crisis of 2008-2009. But it turns out investors who left their retirement nest eggs alone fared best. That’s according to research from J.P. Morgan, which used the firm’s own data combined with research from the

katleho Seisa Congress may permit retirees to skip required minimum distributions from their retirement savings. The House coronavirus relief bill, which was released yesterday, contains a provision that waives for 2020 the required minimum distributions from individual retirement accounts and workplace retirement plans. A similar provision is in the latest version of the Senate bill.

As the U.S. economy skids and many Americans scramble to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic, one casualty may be credit scores. Some congressional lawmakers want to prevent that.  A Senate bill introduced last week would prevent negative information from reaching your credit report for at least four months, as the nation continues battling

Rep Ilhan Omar (D-MN) takes part in a discussion on “Impacts of Phobia in Our Civic and Political Discourse” during the Muslim Caucus Education Collective’s conference in Washington, July 23, 2019. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts introduced legislation on Monday that would suspend student loan

BongkarnThanyakij It’s been a week since President Donald Trump announced he would waive all interest on federal student loans during the coronavirus outbreak. Brian Byrd’s debt is still growing. “Every day,” said Byrd, a 40-year-old software engineer from Seattle who owes around $50,000. “That clock has not stopped.” Byrd has called his student loan servicer,