Personal finance

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images Congress may soon offer a tax break to unemployed Americans. States may not be so generous. The Senate passed a $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill on Saturday that waives tax on up to $10,200 of unemployment benefits per person received in 2020. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the

Valera Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images $300 vs. $400 a week A $300 weekly increase in weekly unemployment benefits would come on top of standard state benefits. Workers got $324 a week in state benefits, on average, in the third quarter last year, according to most recent U.S. Labor Department data. That aid replaced about

Thomas Tolstrup The Senate has passed a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, helping to clear the way for millions of Americans to potentially receive $1,400 stimulus checks. But the new checks won’t be official until the House of Representatives and President Joe Biden give their final approval, which is expected to happen this week. The

The Internal Revenue Service building in Washington. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan has inadvertently created a conundrum for the unemployed this tax season. The pandemic aid measure, which passed the Senate on Saturday, offers $1,400 stimulus checks and waives federal taxes on a portion of unemployment benefits received last

In many ways, the coronavirus crisis has paved the way to better budgeting. Consumers are paying down debt and saving more than they have in decades. Many are leveraging low interest rates to refinance and lower their monthly bills. Federal relief, such as stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits and an extended pause in loan repayments, have even given some a chance to catch up on

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WVA) removes his mask to speak as bipartisan members of the Senate and House gather to announce a framework for fresh coronavirus disease (COVID-19) relief legislation at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 1, 2020. Kevin Lamarque | Reuters Sen. Joe Manchin, the moderate Democrat from West Virginia, said

New York City housing advocates and tenants march to demand Gov. Andrew Cuomo cancel rent amid the pandemic on Oct. 10, 2020. Andrew Lichtenstein | Corbis News | Getty Images The new federal coronavirus relief bill that’s poised to be approved on Capitol Hill could put unprecedented sums of money into the hands of American

MoMo Productions | Getty Images The U.S. Department of Education has offered most federal student loan borrowers the option of pausing their payments, without interest accruing, through September because of the financial fallout of the pandemic. Most have accepted. In fact, just around 10% of the country’s 44 million student loan borrowers are currently repaying

Getty Images If you’re one of the millions of Americans struggling financially because of the coronavirus pandemic, more relief is on the way. Included in the $1.9 trillion stimulus package working its way through Congress and expected to be signed into law by mid-March will likely be direct payments of up to $1,400, an extension

It’s been one year since the coronavirus crisis brought the economy to its knees, and some people may never financially recover. Despite recent signs of improvement — including modest job gains and progress on Covid-19 vaccine shots, which paves the way to a more open economy — about half of working adults in the U.S. said

Food is loaded as drivers in their vehicles wait in line on arrival at a “Let’s Feed LA County” food distribution hosted by the Los Angeles Food Bank on Dec. 4, 2020 in Hacienda Heights, California. FREDERIC J. BROWN | AFP | Getty Images Long-term joblessness is nearing a record, as Washington lawmakers rush to

Tetra Images | Tetra images | Getty Images It would be normal to want to spend a minimal amount of time planning for your own death. Yet there’s a key aspect of creating an estate plan that experts say you shouldn’t gloss over. For instance, choosing who would carry out the wishes outlined in your

Wind turbines operate at the Gouda wind power facility alongside a road at dusk in Gouda, South Africa, on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images ESG growth Investor demand for ESG funds has grown sharply in recent years. Investors poured $51.1 billion of net new money into such funds in 2020, a

You’ve probably received a phone call claiming your Social Security number has been compromised. For people who fall for such scams, the experience can add up to big financial losses. One elderly woman in Massachusetts lost more than $900,000 to a Social Security imposter scam operation, according to the office of the U.S. Attorney for

katleho Seisa | E+ | Getty Images For an extra year, it’s going to be easier than ever to monitor your credit report — and check for errors. The nation’s three largest credit reporting firms — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — said Tuesday that consumers can access their credit report through a central site up

The headquarters of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). SAUL LOEB | AFP | Getty Images The Securities and Exchange Commission will probe conflicts of interest in financial advice this year with more vigor, at a time when market conditions may lead brokers to take advantage of clients with greater frequency, the federal agency

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., speaks at a Senate Finance Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 25, 2021. Tasos Katopodis | Getty Images News | Getty Images Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Wednesday it’s a “prescription for trouble” to end jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed and gig

Douglas Sacha | Moment | Getty Images The timing of filing a 2020 tax return is extra important this year — if you get it right, it could lead to a bigger stimulus check. The Senate this week is expected to take up President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, which includes $1,400 stimulus checks

romrodinka | iStock | Getty Images You may already have noticed that you’re spending more to fill your car’s gas tank. Don’t be surprised if the price keeps ticking higher. The national average cost for a gallon of gas has increased by about 18 cents over the last two weeks, on the heels of reduced

Luis Alvarez | DigitalVision | Getty Images The House of Representatives’ $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill includes a proposal that could help keep some seniors out of nursing homes. The bill calls for a 7.5% increase — or about $10 billion — in additional federal Medicaid matching funds for home- and community-based services. The extra