Personal Finance

RichLegg | E+ | Getty Images Racial and economic inequities have long existed in America’s school systems, and it’s about to get worse, experts warn. With coronavirus cases still high around the country, half of U.S. elementary and high school students will attend school only virtually this fall, according to a study by Burbio, which

President Donald Trump speaks at an Aug. 10 White House news conference. Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images An extra $400 Trump’s executive order was one of four measures signed on Saturday to address jobless benefits, evictions, student loans and payroll taxes. Top Democratic lawmakers and White House officials have struggled to

Kilito Chan | Moment | Getty Images It’s an annual part of the college process. Every year, families fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. It’s a financial scan that determines a student’s eligibility for government money (federal and state) to help pay college costs. FAFSA takes your financial info and calculates

Justin Horrocks | Vetta | Getty Images You probably heard that President Trump signed an executive order to provide an extra $400 a week in unemployment benefits. Be aware that it’s not a done deal. And, based on the contents of a Department of Labor memo sent out Sunday and reviewed by CNBC, that amount

President Donald Trump signs executive orders extending coronavirus economic relief in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Aug. 8. JIM WATSON | AFP | Getty Images Trump’s executive order has already been called unconstitutional, and higher-education expert Mark Kantrowitz said he believes the president doesn’t have the legal authority to implement a payment pause and interest waiver

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

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

“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

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

Alistair Berg | Getty Images College students can now receive unemployment benefits, provided they can prove they had paid work last year. The reason is the CARES Act, which became law in March and made assistance for unemployment more widely available through Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. This is a separate program from a state’s traditional unemployment

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.

LWA/Dann Tardif/Getty Images If you’re on Medicare and are planning a move to another state, be sure to review what your coverage will look like once you’re in your new home. There are various rules that apply to such moves, and costs may be different in your new state. Often, the process of making the switch

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

Lucy Lambriex If you took a mandatory distribution from your retirement savings this year, you’re running out of time to put the money back. The CARES Act, the coronavirus relief act that took effect this spring, permitted retirement account holders to bypass required minimum distributions for 2020. RMDs are the annual withdrawals you must take

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

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

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

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

Introduction Creating a financially secure life can feel like a daunting task that requires the skills of expert mapmaker and GPS programmer. You need to figure out where you are today and where you want to get to. As if that’s not a big enough lift, you’re then in charge of finding the best route

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