Have you lost a job, and with it your employer-based health insurance? You can get 6 months of that insurance for free starting April 1. Last month’s American Rescue Plan Act included the $1,400 stimulus payments, expanded unemployment insurance, and many other benefits. One other less well-known benefit pays your health insurance if you’ve lost your job and your health … Read More
Don’t Waste Your Stimulus Payment
Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash. It’s all too easy to think you’re doing the right and smart thing to pay your stimulus payment to creditors. Here are examples when it’s not. Before You Make Decisions That Hurt You Last week we introduced the radical idea that the best use of your upcoming or already received $1,400 stimulus payment might … Read More
Renewed and New Unemployment Benefits Approved
Photo by Alex Kotliarskyi on Unsplash. Federal unemployment benefits were extended as of December 27, 2020. With one new unemployment benefit added. Here’s what the new law includes. The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), was enacted on December 27. Last week we wrote about the new $600 stimulus payments of this new Act. It also extended unemployment … Read More
$600 Pandemic Relief Payments Are Coming
Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash. Now that Trump did sign the new pandemic relief law, and the increase to $2,000 is not happening, when and how are the $600 payments coming? Last Sunday (on December 27) President Trump signed the pandemic relief law that Congress had passed 6 days earlier. Because between its passage and before signing he’d surprisingly … Read More
Trump DOES Sign Pandemic Relief Law
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash. Unexpectedly Trump did not sign the new pandemic relief law last week. Then after multiple objections, he unexpectedly signed it Sunday night. Late last weekend (on December 20) Congress announced it had a deal on a new pandemic relief law. That agreement was the topic of our blog post last week. Since our last … Read More
Congress Agrees to New Pandemic Relief
Photo by Blogging Guide on Unsplash. Congressional leaders finally announced an agreement for new pandemic relief, extending unemployment benefits and new stimulus payments. On Sunday evening, December 20, 2020, the U.S. Senate Republican and Democratic leaders announced that they finally agreed on a new pandemic relief package. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the following on the floor of the Senate: … Read More
No Federal Student Loan Payments through January
Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash. The pandemic’s federal student loan forbearance period which was expiring at the end of December has been extended through January 31, 2021. On Friday, December 4, the Department of Education extended a forbearance period that was expiring on December 31, 2020. Its press release says “[f]ederal student loan borrowers will not be expected to … Read More
The New Eviction Moratorium
Photo by Vlad Zinculescu on Unsplash. The CDC imposed a new eviction moratorium over virtually all “residential property” in the United States. How do renters take advantage of it? On Friday, September 4, 2020, a federal order went into effect temporarily stopping certain residential evictions throughout the country. Issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”), it’s titled … Read More