Personal finance

Hero Images | Getty Images If you’re eyeing your 401(k) account to help shore up your finances amid the coronavirus crisis, there are a couple of penalty-free ways you can do it if your employer allows it. Just be sure you’re aware of the long-term implications. Each of the options available — a loan or

The next normal for college students could be more distance learning.  Yet the prospect of continuing to live at home with their parents may seem like a pale second-best compared with what rising sophomores and juniors have already tasted on campus, pre-pandemic. For incoming freshman, there’s a huge financial factor. “Families simply do not want

Business owners who received a forgivable loan through the Paycheck Protection Program are likely getting more leeway on how to spend those funds.   The Senate passed legislation Wednesday night that restructures how entrepreneurs can use loans issued through a new federal relief program for small businesses ailing from the economic contagion unleashed by the coronavirus

Image of workplace with computer monitor and armchair in the living room at home AnnaStills Amid the coronavirus pandemic, millions of employees have been shut out of their offices and required to work from home. The massive change has many companies evaluating what they can do to make the transition smoother for their workers.  One

Corporate and nonprofit leaders are echoing the anger, pain and frustration expressed by many Americans after the death of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes. On Monday several black leaders in business

Luis Alvarez Call it the never-ending tax season. It may be hard to believe, but taxpayers have approximately six weeks to file their 2019 income tax returns and pay taxes owed to the IRS. July 15 is the new Tax Day, as the Treasury Department moved the deadline to help taxpayers contend with disruption related

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images Millions of Americans are suffering financially amid the gradual reopening of the U.S. economy. And there are multiple ways the U.S. government could extend more relief. The question is which one it will choose — and exactly how much cash could end up in your wallet. As the coronavirus pandemic

The coronavirus may have you thinking more about your mortality. After all, what if…? Pandemic or not, it’s important to consider what would happen to your bank accounts, your home, your belongings — i.e., everything you own — and, perhaps, your dependents, if you’re no longer here. In other words, you should prepare a will

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) after a May 19 closed Senate Republican policy lunch meeting with President Donald Trump to discuss the response to the coronavirus outbreak. Yuri Gripas | Reuters The president is warming up to the idea. Most Democrats are down. But will Republicans get behind the idea of a second round of

Gary John Norman | Getty Images At the private retirement community where 90-year-old Lee lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, the last scheduled social event was a Valentine’s Day dance in February.  A few weeks later, as the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised anyone 60 or older

Workers who can do their jobs from home are being forced to do so by the coronavirus, and many of these workers feel fortunate, even if they feel that they are working harder. Miguel Pereira | Getty Images As the coronavirus has forced businesses, restaurants, stores and theaters across the country to shut down, a

If you’d like to make your kitchen or your beach house into your permanent office, think about what it might mean for your taxes. Social distancing orders in light of the coronavirus pandemic has forced companies to send workers home and have them work remotely. The trend might continue. Indeed, 3 out of 4 chief

University of Michigan tiny-al | Getty Images Although the upcoming academic year remains in limbo, the University of Michigan said it is taking steps to bring students back on campus in the fall. “The average student is very anxious to get out of mom and dad’s basement and come back to school,” President Mark Schlissel

NoDerog | iStock | Getty Images Millions of Americans have received their economic stimulus payments of up to $1,200 a person. But some are taking a look at those sums and wondering what happened. Some are finding that those checks are made out for less than they were expecting. Others may find that they receive

Wine store employees catalog a new shipment of alcohol on May 28, 2020 in New York City. Government guidelines encourage wearing a mask in public with strong social distancing in effect as all 50 states in the USA have begun a gradual process to slowly reopen after weeks of stay-at-home measures to slow the spread

Getty Images Taxpayers marooned at home will now be able to submit amended income tax returns to the IRS electronically. The tax agency announced on Thursday that it would begin accepting amended returns via e-file this summer. Once the e-file option becomes available, filers will only be able to amend their 2019 return. Remember, you

Squaredpixels | E+ | Getty Images If you’re like most Americans, you are probably watching Capitol Hill closely to see if new relief legislation will include another round of stimulus checks. To ensure you get that money, you would also be wise to do something else – file your federal tax returns, if you haven’t

A House bill with bipartisan support would allow 2020 college graduates to postpone their student loan payments for three years without interest accruing.  Meanwhile, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, has introduced legislation in the Senate that would do the same.  “Students graduating from college this year are suddenly facing significant hurdles entering the workforce,” Romney said

Justin Horrocks | Vetta | Getty Images Laid-off employees who reject an offer of rehire may wind up being reported to the state unemployment office if their company took a forgivable federal loan. The Paycheck Protection Program is a federal loan program that was established by the CARES Act. It covers up to eight weeks

Certain jobs and industries are benefiting from enhanced unemployment pay more than others — and have the most to gain from an extension of benefits.  Workers in lower-paying sectors of the economy, such as accommodation and food services, benefit more from the unemployment increase than those in finance and insurance that pay workers better. And the difference