Personal finance

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

Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images Democrats are rushing to pass a $1.9 trillion pandemic aid bill by next week and get it to President Joe Biden in time to prevent a gap in unemployment benefits. It’s perhaps too late to stop that from happening, according to some experts. “The unfortunate reality

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

Volunteers load shopping bags with food assistance for laid off workers at a food distribution event on Dec. 12, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images Democrats are poised to send more unemployment benefits to laid-off workers. Meanwhile, some workers are still waiting on the last tranche, authorized months ago. A $900 billion

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

chee gin tan | E+ | Getty Images The Small Business Administration on Wednesday released a new application and loan calculation formula for Paycheck Protection Program loans for self-employed and gig workers. For these small businesses, it will mean larger forgivable loan amounts going forward. The new PPP application for self-employed workers and sole proprietors

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

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

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

Protesters attend a rally held by fast food workers and supporters to celebrate the California Labor Commissioner’s order for the company to rehire and compensate workers who went on strike for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) protections, in Los Angeles, California, February 18, 2021. Lucy Nicholson | Reuters It looks like the federal minimum wage won’t be

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., holds a news conference to announce legislation that would tax the net worth of America’s wealthiest individuals at the U.S. Capitol on Mar. 1, 2021 in Washington. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty Images A slew of Democrats on Capitol Hill — including progressives Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and

A woman walks past tents for the homeless lining a street in Los Angeles, Calif. on Feb. 1, 2021. FREDERIC J. BROWN | AFP | Getty Images More than one million Americans were lifted out of poverty in January as a result of federal stimulus checks and additional unemployment benefits, according to economists at the

Stony Brook, N.Y. First day of the 2020 fall semester at Stony Brook University. Newsday LLC | Newsday | Getty Images Some of the most selective colleges and universities are seeing a surge in applications for incoming freshmen this fall. Yet other schools are struggling. That may present an opportunity for families to try to

Laura Crovo still has some lingering Covid symptoms, despite having contracted the virus last April. It’s been 10 months since Laura Crovo has felt entirely normal. Since testing positive for Covid last April, the 41-year-old Marylander has yet to shake off all of her symptoms. And on top of battling them — mostly a racing

Al Drago | Getty Images News | Getty Images Unemployment benefits extended Those programs include Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for self-employed, gig and other workers who don’t qualify for state-level assistance; and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which pays extra weeks of state benefits to the long-term unemployed. The bill would offer PUA recipients a maximum 74

Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images A Covid relief bill backed by Democrats could trigger billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare and other federal programs, like ones that support unemployed workers and student-loan borrowers, if it’s ultimately passed. The funding cuts would take effect in 2022 and last for several years.

Austin Goergen, a student at Oregon State University, started a petition last year to allow dependents ages 17 and up to qualify for stimulus checks. Austin Goergen Washington lawmakers are one step closer to authorizing new $1,400 stimulus checks for millions of Americans. This time, one big group could become eligible for the first time: