On August 10, a derecho blew through a large band of the Midwest. Stretching across central Iowa, northern Illinois, and portions of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana, this “derecho” was a megastorm, featuring 80+ miles per hour sustained winds and gusts up to and over 130 miles per hour.
Unfortunately, my home was directly in the line of the worst part of this storm. While our home did not receive too much direct damage, many homes, apartments and businesses near us — including our neighbors — received significant damage, with some homes suffering a total loss. Coupled with the damage was a lack of electricity for several days, which meant dealing with refrigerated and frozen food loss and a severe reduction in food preparation options, among other concerns.
Over the years, we’ve done lots of things to prepare for various kinds of natural disasters. We learned pretty quickly that some things did not help, while other things were extremely helpful.
Last week, we took a close look at Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan for the U.S. economy, including a new federal credit bureau aimed at closing the racial wealth gap in America. But what about Biden’s new running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California?
“I’m not trying to restructure society,” she said to The New York Times early in her own presidential campaign last year. “I’m just trying to take care of the issues that wake people up in the middle of the night.”
Here’s where Kamala Harris stands on key economic issues from taxes to coronavirus relief.
Back in June, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that the Civil Rights Act applies to sexual orientation. Moving forward, Americans don’t have to worry about losing their jobs for being who they are. However, the ruling didn’t address other areas of prejudice — including the discrimination LGBTQ homebuyers face in the mortgage industry.
“There are more than 35 states where it is perfectly legal for a bank or credit union officer to say, ‘We do not loan money to your kind,’” says Justin Nelson, Co-Founder and President of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. According to a study based on two decades of mortgage data from Iowa State Univerity’s Ivy College of Business, same-sex couples are 73% more likely to be denied a mortgage. And those who are approved are charged noticeably higher fees.
The current surge in coronavirus infections is creating a tight spot for parents who work full-time or have kids who need supervision. If schools move to full-remote or partial remote learning, parents will need to make drastic changes to their routines — including, for some parents, leaving the workforce.
However, some parents will be eligible to receive unemployment benefits following fall school closures. The Families First Coronavirus Act (FFCRA), which was passed in March, offers financial aid and an extended relief for parents who have been employed for at least 30 calendar days. Here’s the exact language from the FFCRA:
As a father of three children, I find it very important to support them in a variety of different ways. One of the most important subjects I feel my kids need to know, they might not learn in the classroom — either online or in person. Teaching my kids about credit and general financial education will help them make their own important financial decisions in the future, which is something that I didn’t have. Here’s why you should teach your kids about credit, what exactly it is and how to start those conversations early enough that they have the time to learn and ask more questions.
Why teach your kids about credit?
When I first became an adult, I really didn’t understand the impact that credit would have on my life. I didn’t understand the value of a good credit score or how to build it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has officially ushered in an economic recession. When facing uncertainty about how the economy will recover, it’s essential to get your finances in order. Does the word “debt” immediately come to mind? We understand. It’s probably your most stressful financial obligation. High-interest debt, in particular, can keep you buried in bills that outlive the original purchase.
The economic outlook in the U.S. isn’t so hot right now. A record-breaking number of Americans filed unemployment claims in recent months, the stock market is all over the place and the hits from the COVID-19 pandemic just keep coming.
But despite the economic turmoil, a surprising number of Americans still think 2020 is an ideal time to buy a home. According to a recent survey by The Simple Dollar, three in ten (30%) Americans think this year is the best time to purchase a house or property.
With millions out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans are worried about their finances right now. According to our recent survey conducted by The Simple Dollar, 62% of Americans have at least one major source of financial anxiety for the rest of 2020, with paying for groceries, covering rent, and staying employed among the most pressing.
“Financial concerns typically rank at the top of most peoples causes for worry and anxiety,” says Michael G. Wetter, Psy.D. “Millions of people now question how they will afford to provide for themselves and their family, maintain housing, and other topics directly (and indirectly) involving financial security.”
While small businesses are struggling to keep their doors open during the pandemic, some are turning to their insurance policies to help them stay afloat. But there’s one problem. Standard business interruption policies don’t cover COVID-19.
“An exclusion for pandemic-caused losses — Exclusion of Loss Due to Virus or Bacteria — has been incorporated into standard business interruption policies since 2006, following the SARS outbreak,” says Mark Friedlander, the Director of Corporate Communications for the Insurance Information Institute.
With 30 million unemployed, a reduction in unemployment benefits and expired eviction protection, paying rent is a burden for many people right now. These are extraordinary times, so if you’re having trouble affording your current rent, approach your landlord to ask if they can accommodate your situation.
Chances are, your landlord doesn’t want to evict you. It’s costly to find new tenants and flip the apartment. Similarly, a survey by Apartment List found that 39% of people not paying in full reported that their landlord had made an adjustment to their payments. Contact your landlord as soon as you know you can’t pay rent (not after a payment is already late) and be open to creative solutions.
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