Personal finance

LaylaBird Many taxpayers get a refund from the IRS. Not all are created equal. Some taxpayers receive significantly higher refunds after filing their returns, according to an analysis of IRS data done by LendingTree. In 2018, the latest available data, the average refund across the board was about $3,660, according to the study. However, taxpayers

SelectStock | Getty Images The U.S. government has issued a new set of $1,400 stimulus checks, and this time Veterans Affairs beneficiaries were included. The latest round marks the fifth batch of direct payments sent since the $1,400 checks were first authorized by Congress through the American Rescue Plan Act in March. The latest payments

wera Rodsawang | Moment | Getty Images As new $1,400 Covid stimulus checks roll in, Americans are using them to pay monthly bills, regardless of their incomes, a new survey finds. Bankrate.com found that 45% of Americans plan to use the latest round of checks for monthly expenses, followed by 36% who plan to use

Alex Wong | Getty Images News | Getty Images While the latest stimulus package and a new massive infrastructure bill are the main topics of conversation in Washington of late, President Joe Biden continues to be under mounting pressure to take action on student loan forgiveness, too. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., held a hearing on

Dana Neely | Stone | Getty Images Criminals are targeting a new federal program that pays up to $9,000 in funeral costs for a loved one who died of Covid-19, the Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday. The Covid-19 Funeral Assistance program, overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, opened to applicants on Monday. Individuals have

If you were waitlisted at your dream college, join the club. The hardest application cycle to date left more students in limbo than ever before. In addition to the number of gap-year students who already accounted for as much as a quarter of next year’s freshman class, schools were “test optional” for the first time

ozgurcankaya If you haven’t filed your 2020 tax returns yet, you’re in luck — you have more than a month to get your paperwork to the IRS. The IRS moved the filing deadline this year for individual returns to May 17 from April 15. In addition, May 17 is also the last day to contribute

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | DigitalVision | Getty Images Ever wonder how your nest egg fares in comparison to your neighbors’? From state to state, the median amount — half fall above, half below — that retirement savers have earmarked for their golden years ranges from about $83,500 in Mississippi to $177,500 in Washington, according

Jason York | Getty Images So you inherited a retirement account.  Before you make any decisions on when and how to access the money, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with the rules that apply to different beneficiaries. The rules for these retirement plans can be complicated. Therefore, mistakes can be made, and depending on the specifics,

After looking at more than 50 houses and writing 17 offers, Taryn and Antonio Orellana recently closed on a house in Lakewood, Calif. Source: Taryn Orellana When pandemic life began to feel too tight inside the one-bedroom apartment Taryn Orellana shared with her husband, Antonio, she knew they had to move. In October, the couple

Chase Kensrue Before the coronavirus pandemic hit last March, Danny Samet, 28, had big financial plans for the year. The freelance tour manager and merchandiser for bands had a goal to pay off his credit card debt, which is about $6,000, he said. Once he’d done that he was considering looking to buy a house

Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images The SEC is eyeing potentially misleading earnings projections made by SPAC sponsors and is seeking clearer disclosures, with one official hinting Thursday that the agency may issue a future rule to rein them in. Special purpose acquisition companies, known as SPACs or blank-check funds, are a hot-ticket item

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks at Rochdale Village Community Center in Queens, New York, on April 5, 2021. Brendan McDermid | AFP | Getty Images The highest-earning New Yorkers are about to be hit with a tax hike. The New York state Senate and Assembly late Wednesday passed a $212 billion budget proposal after

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

In this article EXPE Westend61 | Westend61 | Getty Images Many people are itching to book a trip to their favorite summer getaway spot but are not sure about Covid outbreaks or vaccination, testing or quarantine requirements. Online travel shopping company Expedia Group Thursday launched COVID-19 Travel Advisor, an online tool that provides information about

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

Sawitree Pamee / EyeEm | EyeEm | Getty Images The recent ascent of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has enriched early investors with returns more akin to the lottery than your typical bread-and-butter investment. After all, a $10,000 investment at $100 per bitcoin would currently be worth an estimated $5 million. Of course, when an asset

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