Andy | Saving to Invest

Unemployment Rate Drops and Jobless Claims Continue Falling As Benefits End – Updated News and Statistics

Update July 2021 - The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims changed trend and increased for first time in several months, but layoffs are easing amid a reopening economy and a shortage of people willing to work. With unemployment benefits ending early in many states it is expected that…

Partial Unemployment for Part Time Workers

See this article for the latest on Partial Unemployment benefits for workers with reduced hours or working part-time. How Do I Apply For Partial Unemployment Benefits? You will have to check your state unemployment website for details, but for example in New York, rules have been updated to allow workers…

Extra $300 FPUC Unemployment Compensation COVID Stimulus Relief – Slow Rollout Out By States

Congress and the President have passed legislation that funds an 11 week extension into 2021 for enhanced unemployment programs under the Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020 (COVID Relief Bill). This covers extending the PUA and PEUC programs until March 14th, 2021 and providing supplementary unemployment benefits at $300 per week for…

Will I Automatically Get The New Unemployment Benefits Extension for PEUC and PUA and Extra $300 Weekly Stimulus Payment With a Remaining or Exhausted Claim Balance

The short answer to the title of this article is Maybe. But like the earlier extensions there are some constraints to be aware of under the September 2021 unemployment extensions funded under $1.9 trillion Biden Stimulus package. The final bill funded another 25 weeks of unemployment benefit extensions for millions…

Colorado Unemployment Benefits in 2026: Up to $844/Week for 26 Weeks, Partial UI Rules, Taxes, and What Else Is Available

Colorado's unemployment insurance program — managed by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) — raised its maximum weekly benefit to $844 in 2026, up from $781 in 2025. Colorado sets its maximum at two-thirds of the statewide average weekly wage, adjusted each January, keeping benefits closely tied to…

Texas Unemployment Benefits in 2026: Up to $605/Week for 26 Weeks, No State Income Tax, Partial UI Rules, and What Else Is Available

Texas' unemployment insurance program — managed by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) — increased its maximum weekly benefit to $605 in 2026, up from $563 in 2025. Texas sets its maximum at the greater of $590 or 47% of the statewide average weekly wage, adjusted each October. Texas has no…

2024 IRS Payment Status and Update on 4th stimulus check release date direct deposit

This article and sections below provide information on ongoing IRS refund processing, payments for past stimulus checks/tax credits and other tax related information. The 2024 tax season is now underway (see key dates) with the IRS expected to start processing 2023 returns from January 29th. With the increased investment (via…

Florida Reemployment Assistance (Unemployment) in 2026 — $275/Week, 12 Weeks, and How to File

Florida pays a maximum of $275 per week in Reemployment Assistance benefits, and you can only collect for 12 weeks in 2026. That's not a typo. Florida's system is one of the most restrictive in the United States — both in dollar amount and duration. To put it in perspective:…

If You Make Over $100,000 the SBA-PPP Stimulus Bill Could Mean a Pay-cut or your Job

Under the recently enacted $2 trillion Coronavirus stimulus bill (CARES ACT) small business owners have been afforded many provisions to help them stay in business and incentivize them to keep paying bills and their workers. Specifically the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has provisions in it to provide forgivable loans for…

SNAP Benefits 2026: EBT Amounts, New Work Rules, and All 50 State Guides

The maximum SNAP benefit for a family of four in fiscal year 2026 is $994 per month — up from $975 last year. If you’re a single adult, the max is $298/month. But 2026 is a more complicated year for SNAP than most. The One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) made…

PPP Loan Program For Small Business Extended Under 2021 COVID-19 Relief Stimulus – News and Updates

[December 2020 update in new COVID Relief Bill] With passage of the latest stimulus bill, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has been extended until mid-2021 and provides $284 billion in new funding to this program that is supposed to help small business' adversely impacted by COVID and allow them to…

Skipping Payments On Your Mortgage, Auto Loan And Credit Cards Due to Coronavirus Lay-offs and Hardship

Under the recently enacted CARES act that is providing $2 trillion in federal bailout funding financial institutions like mortgage companies, banks and online lenders now have to allow people who have lost their job or seen a significant reduction in income to make reduced payments or to skip payments (for…

Many Unemployed Getting Retroactive Unemployment Back Payments and Can Claim 2020 UI Tax Break in 2021

Under President Biden’s $1.9 trillion federal coronavirus relief package, enacted as the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), enhanced unemployment benefits have been extended until September 6th, 2021. This includes further extensions to the PUA program, PEUC program, $300 weekly payment under the FPUC program and $100 Mixed Earners (MEUC) program. The ARPA also contained provisions for Unemployment tax…

Secure Act Changes To Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) for IRAs, Roth, 401Ks and Annuities – Latest 2023 News and Updates

[2023 Update] The SECURE 2.0 Act is a new law that aims to strengthen the nation's retirement system. Some of the key changes brought about by the Act include increasing the age at which required minimum distributions (RMDs) must be taken from retirement accounts to 73 starting in 2023 and…