CandyRetriever | iStock | Getty Images Tens of millions of Americans should soon have access to free at-home Covid tests. The White House made the announcement amid fears of a new variant of the coronavirus. Cases of the variant, called omicron, have already popped up in California, Minnesota, Colorado and New York. Other countries have
Personal finance
Scarlet Poulet (right), pictured with wife Nadine Kujawa, before Poulet was diagnosed with cancer in 2019. Courtesy: Scarlet Poulet Medicare’s rules for signing up have put 68-year-old Scarlet Poulet in an unenviable situation. The New Orleans resident, who is recovering from cancer, has been enrolled in Medicare Part A (hospital coverage) since 2018 when she
Did your “Great Resignation” lead you to start a business or become your own boss this year? You may be able to write off the cost of your home office come tax time. “Knowing that you’re not a 9-to-5 [worker] anymore, you can now take advantage of the home-office deduction,” said Sheneya Wilson, CPA and
10’000 Hours | DigitalVision | Getty Images Americans opened their hearts and wallets for another record-breaking Giving Tuesday. It’s estimated that 35 million U.S. adults participated in 2021, with total gifts of $2.7 billion, a 9% increase from 2020. While most aren’t shelling out for tax purposes, they may not know there’s a special write-off
Xavier Lorenzo | Moment | Getty Images Some states are making it easier for Americans to collect unemployment benefits if they’re fired for being unvaccinated against Covid-19. The governors of Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Tennessee signed laws in recent weeks that change eligibility rules for jobless benefits. Workers in these states who lose a job
Joe Raedle | Getty Images The number of long-term unemployed fell by 136,000 in November, continuing a downward trend since early 2021 as the economy and labor market have rebounded. However, the decrease was the smallest since April, when long-term unemployment fell by 35,000 people. Long-term unemployment is a period of joblessness that lasts more
FatCamera | E+ | Getty Images Almost half of U.S. families with young children have faced a high risk of falling into poverty in the first six years of their children’s lives, according to new academic research. What put those families at risk? Insecure or precarious parental work, according to a study from experts at
Getty Images This January not only marks the start of a new year. It is also the two-year anniversary of the first identified case of Covid-19 in the U.S. At the time, the pandemic caught most people by surprise. Now, many of our lives do not look the same as they did before Covid-19. People
Pavel Peskov / EyeEm | EyeEm | Getty Images The other day, combing through my old work wardrobe, I felt like an archeologist before ancient artifacts – I didn’t even remember some of the shirts and pants. Out of view from bosses and colleagues throughout the pandemic, I’ve interviewed sources in my bathrobe and worn
sturti | E+ | Getty Images As millions of Americans quit their jobs in favor of taking time off, finding a new job or even starting their own business, financial experts have a warning: Don’t lose track of valuable employer-sponsored retirement plans. Neglecting such a plan, which can hold thousands of dollars after just a
Rohit Chopra, director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Alex Edelman/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is cracking down on banks charging fees for customers who overdraw their checking accounts, the bureau announced Wednesday. The financial watchdog is planning a “range of regulatory interventions” targeting firms that rely heavily on overdraft fees
Christine Schneider | Cultura | Getty Images A proposal for federal paid family leave is at risk of ending up on the chopping block as Washington lawmakers work to finalize new social spending legislation. Cutting the plan out of the Build Back Better package could cripple Democrats’ chances in key Senate races next year, advocates