The Latest Debt & Finance Blog

Coronavirus scam fraud alert on cell phone

How to Avoid COVID-19 Scams

By Max Fay | November 9, 2020

You don’t have to catch the virus to get harmed by COVID-19. As soon as the pandemic hit, scams arose to take advantage of people’s fears. In 2020, Americans have…

Google search bar with phrase student loan benefit

Google Is the Latest Company to Offer Student Loan Repayment Benefits

By Bill Fay | November 3, 2020

If the biggest employee benefit you receive is when your company bothers to fill the toilet paper rolls in the employee bathroom, you might not want to read this: Google…

Woman deciding whether or not to pay down student loans during COVID-19

Paying Down Student Loans Before the COVID Suspension Is Lifted

By Bill Fay | October 28, 2020

If you are paying on a federal student loan, you probably already know that the government CARES Act has provided benefits that suspends payment and interest requirements through May 1,…

Campaign buttons for Trump and Biden

Trump vs. Biden: How Their Plans for Student Loan Debt Compare

By Bill Fay | October 16, 2020

Americans with student loan debt have a $1.6 trillion question on their minds: What would President Trump or a President Biden do about all that money these 45 million borrowers…

Trump and Biden looking at each other

How Biden & Trump Tax Policies Compare

By Max Fay | October 2, 2020

The gap between the presidential candidates on tax programs is Grand Canyon-esque. And that may understate it. President Donald Trump wants to continue the 2017 tax cut, which his campaign…

Woman applying for a new credit card on her computer

Should I Apply for a New Credit Card During COVID?

By Bill Fay | September 24, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has created record unemployment, erased profit margins, closed businesses and wreaked havoc on almost every family’s money outlook. It has even affected America’s ultimate get-out-of-jail financial symbol…

Sign for VA office

VA Extends COVID-19 Debt Relief to Veterans Through 2020

By Bill Fay | September 15, 2020

Veterans indebted to the Department of Veterans Affairs won a partial payment reprieve this summer that will last at least through the end of 2020. The VA action extends a…

Paperwork to defer payroll tax

Payroll Tax Deferral: Is It Worth It?

By Max Fay | September 11, 2020

Many American businesses are disregarding President Trump’s order allowing them to temporarily stop withholding Social Security taxes from their employees’ paychecks. The plan, they say, is confusing and won’t produce…

Man deciding whether to consolidate his debt

It’s a Great Time to Consolidate Credit Card Debt

By Max Fay | August 27, 2020

If you’re considering a consolidation loan to sweep away credit card debt and lower your monthly interest payments, do it! There couldn’t be a better time. All you need is…

Workers lined up for unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic

$300 Federal Unemployment Benefits

By Bents Dulcio | August 27, 2020

If you are unemployed and your job prospects are grim, March 11th was probably one of the better days you’ve had during the pandemic. That was the day federal unemployment…

Sources:

  1. Patch, E. (2020, September 30) Watch Out for COVID Cons. Retrieved from https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/601422/watch-out-for-covid-cons
  2. Block, S. (2020, August 26) Beware Crooked Contact Tracers. Retrieved from https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/social-security/601247/beware-crooked-contact-tracers
  3. N.A. (ND) Coronavirus Advice for Consumers. FTC COVID-19 and Stimulus Reports. Retrieved from https://www.ftc.gov/coronavirus/scams-consumer-advice
  4. N.A. (2020, October 14) Retrieved from https://public.tableau.com/profile/federal.trade.commission#!/vizhome/COVID-19andStimulusReports/Map
  5. Witt, P. (2020, June 11) What do COVID-19 scams look like in your state? Retrieved from https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/06/what-do-covid-19-scams-look-your-state
  6. N.A. (ND) Keep Calm and Avoid Coronavirus Scams. Retrieved from https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/attachments/coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-ftc-action/keep_calm_infographic_en_letter_508.pdf
  7. Komando, K. (2020, April 30) 10 COVID-19 scams spreading right now that people are falling for. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2020/04/30/10-online-covid-19-scams-consumers-falling-right-now/3052342001/
  8. N.A. (2020, October 21) COVID-19 fraud is rapidly evolving. Retrieved from https://oig.hhs.gov/coronavirus/fraud-alert-covid19.asp
  9. N.A. (ND) Resources to help you avoid scams. Retrieved from https://www.consumerfinance.gov/coronavirus/avoiding-scams/
  10. Skiba, K. (2020, August 13) 10 Tips to Avoid COVID-19 Scams. Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2020/doj-avoid-coronavirus-fraud-tips.html