Personal finance

As the delta variant drives new Covid cases across country, the pandemic’s economic impact continues to weigh heavily on college enrollment. Now, with another class of undergraduates set to start classes in the fall, families are once again struggling with the cost. Nearly two-thirds of parents, or 63%, said their child’s post-high school plans have

A career fair in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 23, 2021. Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images Unemployment benefits are still not reaching people quickly, over a year into the Covid pandemic. About 38% of workers who got their first payment of benefits in June had waited more than 21 days for the funds to arrive, according

Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images The IRS began issuing another 1.5 million tax refunds this week to people who received unemployment benefits in 2020. That adds to the nearly 9 million refunds, worth about $10 billion, the agency sent since May. Funds delivered by direct deposit this week started hitting bank accounts on Wednesday, and

d3sign | Moment | Getty Images Around 4 million children in low-income families are at risk of not getting a monthly payment of the expanded child tax credit this year, according to a report published Thursday by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The IRS began issuing monthly payments of the tax credit on

Yury Karamanenko | iStock Editorial | Getty Images The national ban on evictions will expire in two days, leaving the millions of Americans who are still behind on their rent at risk of being forced out of their homes. But some states will continue to limit the proceedings beyond July 31. In California, where as

VALERIE MACON | AFP | Getty Images The Covid-19 pandemic prompted the Social Security Administration to suspend in-person services in March 2020. Now, a new report from the Social Security Office of the Inspector General finds that the agency is still behind with regard to processing some mailed applications and requests for Social Security cards.

U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi arrives at a weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol July 28, 2021 in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested on Wednesday that people who believe President Joe Biden can forgive student debt on his own are

People line up outside a newly reopened career center for in-person appointments in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., April 15, 2021. Amira Karaoud | Reuters There’s good news for some who claimed unemployment benefits in 2020. The IRS is sending another 1.5 million refunds to people who were taxed on unemployment income last year before a portion

Palantir Technologies co-founder and chairman Peter Thiel at a Tokyo news conference on Nov. 18, 2019. Kiyoshi Ota | Bloomberg | Getty Images PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel did it. Now, new data shows other investors are doing it, too. Figures released by the Joint Committee on Taxation finds that so-called mega individual retirement accounts, those

A visual representation of digital currencies. Yuriko Nakao | Getty Images Even though it’s a highly volatile asset, cryptocurrency can help investors build wealth, especially if they invest in digital coins over the long-term.   It’s a portfolio play that’s gained traction in recent months and is catching up to stock trading as something that

andresr | E+ | Getty Images Millions of Americans are feeling a financial boost from federal stimulus checks and monthly child tax credit payments. Those direct checks were made possible by tax credits that were created or expanded through legislation aimed at helping the U.S. economy bounce back from Covid-19. And as Americans get used

In this article WMT A worker wearing a protective mask arranges shopping carts outside a Walmart store in Duarte, California, U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. David Swanson | Bloomberg | Getty Images In an effort to help curb soaring student loan debts, Walmart Inc. announced on Tuesday that it will pay 100% of college

A gift-card display at a Publix supermarket. Jeff Greenberg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images If you’re like many Americans, you could be sitting on a small financial windfall. A new Bankrate.com survey finds that more than half of adults — 51% — currently have unused gift cards, vouchers and store credits. In total,

Thomas Barwick | DigitalVision | Getty Images In July, the first of six monthly child tax credit payments went out to more than 35 million households with about 60 million kids, according to the IRS. The money is an advance on a 2021 credit and is an enhancement of the existing child tax credit. For

Marko Geber | DigitalVision | Getty Images On July 15, more than 35 million American families received the first of six monthly child tax credit payments. However, some families may want to opt out of the remaining payments, according to financial experts, and instead wait to claim the entire credit when they file their 2021

lisegagne | E+ | Getty Images Barbarett Corbbins was relieved when she saw an extra $500 deposited into her bank account last week. She had received letters from the IRS that she was eligible for child tax credit payments for her two children, ages 10 and 17, but had forgotten when the money was to

A concert at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre outside Denver. John P Kelly | The Image Bank Unreleased | Getty Images With the pandemic upending where Americans live and work, many now face the dizzying maze of income tax issues. However, workers in some industries, such as entertainment, have been dealing with these problems for

In this article MORN A_Carina | iStock | Getty Images Bonds are typically thought of as the safer part of an investors’ portfolio — a form of protection when the stock market gets unruly. Yet as inflation becomes a growing concern, that form of security is looking a little wobbly. “One of the single greatest

President Joe Biden signs an executive order on “promoting competition in the American economy” at the White House on July 9, 2021. Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images The Biden administration wants to rein in use of abusive non-compete agreements by businesses. A non-compete is a legal contract between an employer and

When Lawrence Carpenter was released from prison in 2001, he was determined to make a better life for himself and his family. Yet he knew that having a criminal record would make it tough to find a job. “I shouldn’t have to live in poverty for the rest of my life because I made a