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There are plenty of good reasons to support small businesses. For one, it helps stimulate the local economy. That means more jobs and tourist dollars to keep the community thriving. Plus, shopping small helps keep businesses competitive and spurs innovation. And if you appreciate friendly, personalized customer service, you’re more likely to find it at a local shop than a mega-retailer. By Casey Bond More From Your Money: Choose a high-interest saving, checking, CD, or investing account from our list of top banks to start saving today....

There are indicators everywhere, from packed airports to busy hotels, pointing to tremendous growth in the travel sector as we head into Summer 2022. In addition, the April jobs report showed 78,000 new jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector. By Dawn Allcot See: Stimulus Updates To Know for Spring 2022Cash App Borrow: How To Borrow Money on Cash App Although this total still sits 8.5% below pre-pandemic numbers in February 2020, the market is growing....

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission sends out benefits to SNAP accounts once per month which are linked to Texas Lone Star Cards, the state’s version of the federal EBT card. SNAP benefits can be used to purchase most foods, seeds and plants to grow food, excluding food that is hot when sold or food that is sold to be eaten in the store. By Josephine Nesbit See: Surprising Things You Can Buy With Food StampsLive Updates: Financial Trends, Money News and More...

Social Security is often thought of as just a retirement income plan for older Americans, and the truth is that most of the money in that program is paid to retirees. But if you’ve ever looked at your paycheck and seen a deduction for “OASDI,” you might have figured out that Social Security provides much more than a simple retirement benefit. That OASDI tag stands for “Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance,” and it describes the remaining primary benefits of the Social Security program....

The Biden administration has officially launched the application process to receive federal student loan forgiveness with a beta version of the website that went live over the weekend. About eight million borrowers submitted applications during the first few days, the White House said in a statement. By Vance Cariaga You can access the online application form by visiting the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid website. The application itself should only take a few minutes to fill out, officials said....

Supply chains are networks — ways to source and supply various goods and services across the globe. Unfortunately, due to complications resulting from the pandemic, both businesses and consumers have learned firsthand how vulnerable these networks are, and how critical they are to deliver what we and others often desperately need. By Cynthia Measom Here’s how the supply chain impacted the economy this year — and also what the future may hold....

Corporate entities buying single-family homes is nothing new. They’ve been doing it for years to diversify their portfolios, to add rental income to their revenue streams, or to sell the houses they buy for a profit. But, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the last few years have witnessed a sea change. By Andrew Lisa More: 50 Cities With the Most Overpriced HomesSee: What Homes Will Be Worth in Your State by the End of 2021...

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is continuing to warn taxpayers about what it deems its “Dirty Dozen” tax scams list for 2022, following up on its June 2 statement. Now, it is urging that you watch out for pandemic-related scams including theft of benefits and bogus social media posts, “a sad reminder that criminals still use the COVID-19 pandemic to steal people’s money and identity.” By Yaёl Bizouati-Kennedy Learn: How Much Cash You Need Stashed if a National Emergency HappensExplore: The Best Cities To Retire on $2,000 a Month...

If your child doesn’t qualify for the advance monthly child tax credit payment, there might be a few reasons. By Vance Cariaga First and foremost, your child must be a U.S. citizen to qualify, according to the Tax Policy Center. Children who are not U.S. citizens are not eligible, no matter how long they’ve been in the United States. See: New Study Shows the Advance Child Tax Credit Does Not Affect Employment Numbers Find: Stimulus Qualification: Here’s How To Get the Child Tax Credit If You Had a Child in 2021...

By John Csiszar See: 7 Things Every Woman Should Know About Social SecurityFind Out: Here’s How Much Cash You Need Stashed if a National Emergency Happens Cryptocurrency Is Very Different From a Savings Account A traditional savings account exists to provide a generally modest amount of interest in exchange for absolute security. Savings accounts are FDIC-insured for up to $250,000, and many brokerage firms provide additional insurance that could protect up to $25 million in savings, or even more....

The pandemic caused major disruptions in almost every aspect of life — including the retirement plans of some 69 million Americans. According to a new analysis from Age Wave and Edward Jones, 32% of Americans planning to retire say they’ll be retiring later than expected because of the pandemic and only 11% stated that they’d be retiring earlier, reports CNBC. By Josephine Nesbit See: AARP’s CEO Says It’s Time to Rethink RetirementFind: What a Comfortable Retirement Will Cost You in Each State...

In an effort to reduce the amount of improper claims and other tax benefit errors, the IRS is being advised to test and assess the viability of videoconferencing to educate tax preparers and conduct reviews to ensure they’re complying with tax laws. By David Nadelle Cash App Borrow: How To Borrow Money on Cash AppFind: The Best Cities To Retire on $2,000 a Month According to a report by the Government Accountability Office, “knock and talk visits” focused on education and conducted in person, and due diligence visits focused on compliance and done in person or by telephone, steeply declined due to the pandemic....

By Heather Taylor Retirement at Any Age: Get Retirement Tips That Fit Every Stage of LifeRead: 3 Easy Tips To Turn Your Credit Woes Into Wows ChangEd ChangEd is on a mission to make student loan debt repayment effective and pain-free through natural savings. The way ChangEd works is pretty simple. You link your credit or debit card to the app and every time you purchase something using these cards, ChangEd will automatically round up the price to the nearest dollar....

If you have advanced past the age of two, then someone in your life has probably lectured you about the importance of eating your veggies. It might never have occurred to you to say, “But they are so expensive!” You could say that now — because it’s true — but you should still eat your veggies. By Vance Cariaga See: September’s Consumer Price Index Shows Inflation Higher Than Expected After Fed Rate HikesFind: Consumer Price Index: How Much More Did Bacon & Eggs Cost You in September Because of Inflation?...

Not everyone has access to a 401(k) plan, and among those who are lucky enough to have one available to them, many are not taking advantage. As of 2020, more than one-quarter of private industry workers with access to a defined contribution plan, such as a 401(k) plan, did not participate, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. If you’re in this percentage, you may want to reconsider and enroll at your next opportunity....

The biggest eating holiday of the year is next week and you don’t feel like your home is properly decorated. Thankfully, Walmart has plenty of budget-friendly options to transform your dinner table or your front lawn into a Thanksgiving wonderland. By Jennifer Taylor Find: Costco Black Friday Deals You Shouldn’t Pass UpRead: If Your Credit Score Is Under 740, Make These 4 Moves Now Thanksgiving Cozy Plaid Table Runner Price: $10 and up...

When it comes to navigating adulthood, there are several things you may not have learned in school. This is especially when it comes to finances — and taxes. By Jenny Rose Spaudo Do You Have a Tax Question? Ask a Tax ProCheck Out: 3 Ways Smart People Save Money When Filing Their TaxesDiscover: All the States That Don’t Tax Social Security 1. How much money do I need to make before I have to file taxes?...

Overview of Alaska USA Federal Credit Union By Dawn Allcot About Alaska USA Federal Credit Union Checking Accounts Savings Accounts Money Market Accounts Share Certificates Features Competitors Final Take Health Savings Account 4.0 Accessibility 4.5 Breadth of Products 4.0 Online Account Access 4.0 The organization’s website notes that most people who live or work in the states of Alaska and Washington, or San Bernadino County, California, or Maricopa County, Arizona, qualify for membership....

The U.S. House narrowly passed President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill on Friday, which now puts the ball in the Senate’s court, where the social safety net and climate plan could get an extreme makeover. By Vance Cariaga See: Why the Build Back Better Plan Impacts You More Directly Than The Infrastructure BillFind: Stimulus 2020: You Could Be Eligible for This $2,000 Tax Break The House passed the bill by a 220 to 213 vote, with all but one Democrat approving the measure and every Republican opposing it....

By Joshua Rodriguez About Camelcamelcamel How To Use Other Options See: If Your Credit Score is Under 740, Make These 4 Moves Now What Is Camelcamelcamel? More From Your Money: Choose a high-interest saving, checking, CD, or investing account from our list of top banks to start saving today. When you complete the steps above, you’ll see a list of the different offerings of the product you’re interested in and the prices from each seller....