Personal finance

antongvozdikov / 500px | 500Px Plus | Getty Images Some newlyweds get an unwelcome gift from the IRS: a bigger tax bill.  While many couples end up paying less in taxes after tying the knot, some face a “marriage penalty” — that is, they end up paying more in taxes than if they had remained

HRAUN Linda, a lawyer from California who was laid off from her job in January, is like millions of others in the pandemic who are living without health insurance. But she discovered that the government would fully subsidize her COBRA health insurance premiums from April until September, thanks to a provision in the latest stimulus

Marcos Elihu Castillo Ramirez | iStock | Getty Images Considering a Medicare supplement plan, aka Medigap? Be sure to choose one based on more than just its cost. These policies, sold by private insurance companies, generally cover part or most cost-sharing — i.e., copays or deductibles — that comes with basic Medicare (Part A hospital

Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a delay Wednesday to two debt-collection rules issued in the waning days of the Trump administration. Those rules broadly addressed how debt collectors may communicate with and make disclosures to consumers. Kathy Kraninger, the former CFPB head during the Trump administration, said the measures

Those armed with a newly minted diploma are entering a job market that suddenly looks a lot more promising than it did a year ago. Employers project hiring 7.2% more new college graduates from the Class of 2021 than they did from the Class of 2020, according to a report from the National Association of Colleges

Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Around 1 in 10 people have fallen victim to gift card scams, according to a survey from AARP, the advocacy group for older Americans. In these scams, criminals convince targets that they need to purchase a gift card, sometimes called an electronic voucher, to pay bills,

The Inn of Rosslyn, which is permanently closed due to pressure from the Covid-19 pandemic, on Feb. 5, 2021 in Arlington, Virginia. Liu Jie/Xinhua via Getty Images Nearly a quarter of all unemployed workers in the U.S. have been out of work for at least a year, a stretch of joblessness dating to the early

Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images The IRS is still holding more than $1.3 billion in unclaimed tax refunds for those who didn’t file a return in 2017, the agency announced on Monday. The pot of money is owed to roughly 1.3 million Americans. IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig warned that time is running out for these

In this article IRSA3-AR Getty Images This year’s tax season has brought with it a new opportunity to collect any unpaid funds from previous rounds of federal stimulus checks. But the amount you claim could be adjusted by the IRS, the agency said on Monday. A new feature called a recovery rebate credit enables people

In this article TVAG-FF Drazen_ | E+ | Getty Images Now that spring has sprung and it looks as if an end to the pandemic might be in sight, many Americans are again planning vacations — and they’re booking beach destinations in a big way, says Trivago. The online global accommodations platform, based in Dusseldorf,

In this article ESGEX IPX-GB US President Joe Biden speaks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 2021. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images President Joe Biden’s infrastructure initiative — and the measures it contains to curb climate change — may be a tailwind for investors in so-called sustainable or ESG funds, according to financial

kate_sept2004 | E+ | Getty Images Many Americans will pocket some extra money this year and next courtesy of changes the American Rescue Plan made to a handful of tax credits. The $1.9 trillion Covid relief measure tweaked the child tax credit, earned income credit, and child and dependent care credit. The changes, especially those

US President Joe Biden speaks in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 31, 2021. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images President Joe Biden has requested that Education Secretary Miguel Cardona prepare a report on the president’s legal authority to cancel up to $50,000 in student debt per borrower, White House chief of staff Ron Klain said

urbazon | E+ | Getty Images A big wad of debt owed to the IRS can be a soul-crushing burden, but the worst thing you can do is to ignore the issue. It will not go away. “It depends on the level of debt you have, but it can be overwhelming,” said Beverly Winstead, a

The days of working from home may numbered. While some companies, including JPMorgan Chase, Salesforce and PricewaterhouseCoopers, are dumping office space, others are ramping up their return-to-work plans.   Just this week, Google, one of the first major U.S. companies to send employees home last year because of the coronavirus, told staffers it is accelerating

Morsa Images | E+ | Getty Images A new set of $1,400 stimulus checks may tempt some recipients who don’t really need the money to instead dabble in the stock market. Depending on your goals, a brokerage account may not be your best bet, some experts say. A third round of direct payments was authorized

Pamela Moore | iStock | Getty Images Plus Ah, the joys of the open road and carefree driving, until something happens that makes it cost even more.  There are events — i.e., accidents, arrests for driving under the influence, a lapse in coverage — that can drive up the cost of your car insurance. By

In this article ETSY Hispanolistic After a year of the coronavirus pandemic, millions of Americans are anxiously awaiting tax refunds from their 2020 returns. How they plan to use that chunk of money – which, for many, is the largest windfall they’ll see all year – is very different. Last year, the IRS sent nearly

Getty Images As vaccines ramp up and the economy reopens, many individuals and families may be eager to see this side effect of the Covid-19 pandemic continue: government stimulus checks. A recent poll from Data for Progress found 65% of Americans are in favor of payments of $2,000 per month for the duration of the

Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images The IRS will start issuing tax refunds in May to Americans who filed their returns without claiming a new break on unemployment benefits, the federal agency said Wednesday. The American Rescue Plan waived federal tax on up to $10,200 of unemployment benefits, per person, received in 2020. Households with $150,000