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Is Your College Charging an Extra $475 COVID Fee?
Higher education in the United States has become very expensive. One of the main reasons is deep state budget cuts, which place a heavier financial weight on students. On a typical college or university bill, you’ll find tuition, room and board (unless you’re living off-campus) and a list of extra fees. And, this year, you might find another charge — the extra college COVID fee.
Your Pandemic Budget: How to Save for Another 12 Months
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major effect on the economy, which won’t be changing anytime soon. About a million people are filing for unemployment each week, and we could be years away from a vaccine. As we weather a recession, it’s wise to create a budget and have a keen understanding of your financial situation. Your budget can be temporary while you build up an emergency fund, compensate for a loss of income or pay off debt. And keep in mind that you can constantly reevaluate your budget based on changing circumstances.
We Answer Your 6 Important Questions About Credit Cards
Today’s reader mailbag discusses credit cards, from getting your maximum cashback value and the basics of annual percentage rate.
1. APR vs. APY
2. Getting maximum Amazon rewards value
3. What are finance charges on a credit card?
4. Are Visa/Mastercard debit cards safe?
5. Which credit card debt should I tackle first?
6. How to destroy credit cards
Do You Qualify for a Coronavirus Hardship Loan?
We’re six months into the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions have lost their jobs and are struggling to stay afloat. Payment deferral, eviction moratoriums, unemployment benefits and stimulus checks helped, but more assistance is needed. Congress and the White House are at odds about a second pandemic relief package, but there is an option for people who need help right away.
Many banks and institutions have stepped up and are offering coronavirus hardship loans. There are advantages and disadvantages to these loans, but it’s an option worthy of exploration to help shore up your finances during the pandemic.
Trump’s Payroll Tax Deferral, Explained
Jobs numbers are improving, and the stock market is doing well, but millions of Americans are still in need of assistance. Federal unemployment benefits expired a few weeks ago. These benefits provided people with an extra $600 a week to help get them through the pandemic. And as work on a new relief bill has stalled, Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on a variety of issues.
The August recess means new legislation isn’t likely until sometime in September, at the earliest. Not wanting to wait, President Trump issued a series of executive orders, including one that would encourage businesses to stop collecting payroll taxes.
[Read: Biden’s Economic Plan, Explained]
Here’s What a Realistic Budget Looks Like for Someone in Their 20s
CNBC’s Emmie Martin recently shared an article detailing the ins and outs of a very affluent 25-year-old’s budget. The 25-year-old profiled in the article was extremely lucky, earning a six-figure income, excellent credit and little debt. The article did a great job of breaking down his financial situation. However, it received plenty of backlash on Twitter from users who pointed out some unrealistic aspects of this budget.
14 Ways to Build a Cost-Efficient Home
A frequent reader of The Simple Dollar named Jim recently shared a really thought-provoking question about building a home:
A recent question about LED bulbs made me wonder — if you were buying a new house, or building it, what materials or features would you include “from the ground up” to maximize saving money? LED light bulbs, solar panels (depending on location), presence of ceiling fans in every room, efficient washer/dryer — what else would you add?
First of all, we need to make some assumptions about the question.
USAA Mortgage Review
USAA
USAA is one of the top lenders for VA loans, but it offers limited mortgage options and membership is only open to military service members, veterans and their families.
Best VA Refinance Rates and Loans
You want to know which are the best VA refinance rates and loans, so let’s get straight to it. The most overall affordable VA refinance rates are from Bank of America, which we explore more fully in this post. We also look at the best VA customer service for VA refinance rates (Navy Federal Credit […]
The post Best VA Refinance Rates and Loans appeared first on The Simple Dollar.
5 Helpful Tips To Create a Personalized Budget for Your Spending
Many, many personal finance books and guides love to discuss the process of assembling a household budget, and for good reason: a household budget can be an extremely powerful tool for setting personal finance goals and achieving them while also providing a great “big picture” view of your spending.
These guides are great for the purposes of teaching you how to make a budget, but they miss out on the why. Why is a budget worth all of the work that you put into it? How do you create a budget? What good is the exercise of building a personal or household budget?
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