Personal Finance

Hispanolistic | E+ | Getty Images When Jordan Wexler’s niece recently lost her first tooth, he sent her $15 along with a video of himself dancing while dressed up as a Tooth Fairy. The money was not the typical cash kids traditionally receive under their pillows. Instead, Wexler put the money toward an investment on

No-Mad | iStock | Getty Images More than 11 million Americans are behind on their rent and many could be pushed from their homes when the national eviction ban expires in June. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium, which has been in effect since September, will lift on June 30. Although the

Social media personalities Dixie D’Amelio and Noah Beck at Disney California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort on May 2, 2021 in Anaheim, California. Handout | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images The Covid pandemic made the past 14 months a literal roller coaster of a ride for both theme parks and their fans. Parks

Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images Car shoppers hoping to cash in on Memorial Day weekend sales events may want to rein in their expectations. On top of reduced inventory due to a shortage of microchips — key parts needed for today’s autos to operate — and unrelenting consumer demand pushing prices higher, there

STR | NurPhoto | Getty Images Cryptocurrency has increasingly become a factor in divorce settlements as bitcoin, dogecoin and other types gain mainstream acceptance and values spike.  More than 20 million Americans may own cryptocurrency, industry groups estimate, and the digital currency market value rose to $2 trillion for the first time in April.  Whether

Eddie Valdivia and his wife Vanessa pose in front of their first house, which they purchased in October 2020 with the help of a VA loan. Eddie Valdivia, 34 and his wife, Vanessa, 36, workers at the Red Cross, bought their first house last October, right in the middle of the pandemic. It’s a three-bedroom,

Drew Angerer | Getty Images News | Getty Images President Joe Biden proposed a 39.6% top tax rate on capital gains and dividends for millionaires when he released his fiscal 2022 budget request to Congress on Friday. That’s in line with the top rate the administration outlined in April as part of tax increases on

U.S. President Joe Biden. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images President Joe Biden has a problem with broad student loan forgiveness. In a recent interview with New York Times columnist David Brooks, Biden said: “The idea that you go to Penn and you’re paying a total of 70,000 bucks a year and the public should

People wait to visit a house for sale in Garden City, Nassau County, New York, on Sept. 6, 2020. Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images Mortgage interest rates are near historic lows. Yet if you want to take advantage of those rates, check your credit score first. That three-digit number determines whether you can get

Angela Muhwezi-Hall and Deborah Gladney started QuickHire, a hiring platform, during the pandemic. Deborah Gladney When the coronavirus pandemic shut down businesses across the nation, sisters Angela Muhwezi-Hall and Deborah Gladney decided it was the perfect time to start a new one. It was an idea they had been mulling over for years: a hiring

Kmatta More than half of Americans support states’ move to end a $300 weekly supplement to unemployment benefits months before it officially expires, according to a Quinnipiac University poll issued Wednesday. At least 23 states have announced an early end to federal unemployment programs in recent weeks. Self-employed workers and the long-term unemployed will lose

Thomas Barwick | DigitalVision | Getty Images Continuing the expanded child tax credit, which is set to expire after 2021, would help millions of American children, including lifting some out of poverty, according to new research. As many as 65.6 million American children — 90% of all kids in the U.S. — would benefit from

Kim Churches Courtesy of American Association of University Women It’s a statistic that prompts a double-take: Women owe two-thirds of the country’s $1.7 trillion outstanding student loan balance. On average, women borrow more than $31,000 to finance their education. Black women take out more than $41,000. Men, meanwhile, borrow around $29,000. But those differences are

Rattanakun Thongbun / EyeEm/Getty Images Some of your behavioral tendencies might be causing harm to your financial wellbeing, research suggests. Regardless of factors such as age, income and education, there’s a connection between certain biases and financial health, according to a Morningstar study about behavioral finance released on Tuesday. The research shows that high levels

Martin Barraud | Getty Images If you’re retired and worried about how inflation could hit your wallet, there may be strategies you can employ to minimize the impact. One option could be to invest in Treasury inflation-protected securities, or TIPS. Like typical Treasury bonds, they are issued and backed by the U.S. government — which

Carmelo Ramos gave back his $11,458 PPP loan because he qualified for more money. He ended up with nothing when the program ran out of funding as he was reapplying. Carmelo Ramos When Carmelo Ramos, 36, got his second-draw loan from the Paycheck Protection Program in February, he was grateful. The $11,458 loan was more

fstop123 | E+ | Getty Images It’s a sure bet that no one — regardless of age — enjoys handing over any of their income to the IRS. In retirement, though, doing so can feel like even more of a sting. Assuming you’ve left work earnings entirely behind you, any amount owed to Uncle Sam

Residential buildings in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. James Andrews | iStock | Getty Images The Treasury Department announced on Friday that it’s disbursed more than $6 billion to states to help renters and landlords struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic. Between the last two major stimulus packages, Congress has

PeopleImages | E+ | Getty Images Prices are picking up faster than usual, and the threat more investors are talking about is inflation. Inflation presents challenges for investors in a number of ways, experts say. Most simply, as the cost of living goes up, your returns don’t go as far. That’s a particularly vexing problem

Demonstrators participate in a protest asking senators to support the continuation of unemployment benefits on July 16, 2020 in Miami Springs, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images As Covid-19 restrictions loosen for businesses large and small, jobs are coming back. For people who are still out of work and collecting unemployment benefits, that could make

Hero Images | Hero Images | Getty Images Fidelity Investments announced Tuesday a new investing account for teens ages 13 to 17. The new fee-free account allows kids to buy and sell U.S. stocks, most exchange-traded funds and Fidelity mutual funds. “Starting with children at a young age is a great thing,” said certified financial planner

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a daily news briefing at the White House on May 7. Alex Wong | Getty Images President Joe Biden is calling for a crackdown on rich taxpayers who avoid tax by hiding a big chunk of their income from the IRS. Tax compliance is among the many ways Biden

Olga Kaya | iStock | Getty Images There are now more than 360 programs across the country providing money to renters who’ve fallen behind because of the coronavirus pandemic. The funds total more than $45 billion and have been allocated by Congress in the last two major stimulus packages in the hopes of clearing up

FG Trade | iStock | Getty Images Do you enjoy watching your nest egg grow? Depending on the type of account, the U.S. government probably does, too. That’s because if it’s a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account holding pre-tax contributions, the IRS expects to get a cut at some point.  “All too often, investors

Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images News | Getty Images President Joe Biden wants to raise taxes on wealthy households to fund part of his infrastructure agenda. But some of those tax hikes are poised to happen even if Biden’s legislative push isn’t successful. That’s due to the way in which lawmakers structured the 2017 Tax

When the Covid pandemic hit, small business owners across the country scrambled to stay afloat. Those who managed to stay open were the fortunate ones. As of May 5, the number of U.S. small businesses that are open decreased by 33.8% compared to January 2020, according to Opportunity Insights, a Harvard-based economic tracker. Here’s how

Fertnig | E+ | Getty Images Heidi Hansen was making $72,000 a year as a purchasing and warehouse manager in Emmetsburg, Iowa, until she was laid off last month. Her weekly state unemployment benefit of under $500 in Iowa wouldn’t be enough to cover her monthly bills, including her $830 mortgage, car insurance and utilities.

Whether it’s a kitchen remodel or dedicated work space, after a year of staying in, most homeowners have at least entertained the idea of a home renovation project. Yet anyone who has tried to tap their house for cash might be in for a surprise. Skyrocketing home prices have resulted in a record amount of

Hispanolistic Depending on where you live, cash or other financial aid from your state could be coming your way. As the U.S. economy continues recovering from the pandemic, some states are using (or plan to use) extra money in their budgets to either send out stimulus-type payments, provide tax cuts or otherwise give relief to

pinstock | E+ | Getty Images The government wants to cover high-speed internet for millions of low-income Americans.   The $3.2 billion Federal Communications Commission program, the Emergency Broadband Benefit, covers $50 per month for high-speed internet service for eligible households, with a $75 monthly discount for those in Native American tribal areas.  “High-speed internet service