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☆ House lawmakers weigh relief for state and local tax deduction 'marriage penalty'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Violetastoimenova | E+ | Getty ImagesHouse lawmakers are weighing relief for a "marriage penalty" that impacts the federal deduction limit on state and local taxes, known as SALT. While the bill doesn't have broad support, it could help shape future tax policy discussions, experts say. Without changes from Congress, the $10,000 limit will sunset after 2025 and there will be no deduction cap. Lawmakers on Wednesday afternoon will cast a procedural vote on the bill for future House consideration. As discussions continue about expiring Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions, the SALT cap "is going to be one of the biggest sticking points," he said.

Persons: there's, filers, Garrett Watson, John Buhl Organizations: Getty Images, Republicans, Tax, Urban Institute, Urban Locations: New York , New Jersey, California

☆ Opinion: How to solve the nation’s affordable housing crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Opinion Jim Parrott | Mark Zandi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Not only has that made mortgages much more expensive, it’s exacerbated the long-standing shortage in housing supply, particularly at the lower-priced part of the market. The market machinery that cranks out housing supply at the bottom of the market has effectively ground to a halt. But falling rates will not solve the underlying structural problems that caused the housing shortfall in the first place. Once rates normalize, housing affordability will simply return to where we were prior to the pandemic, going from dismal to just bad. Lawmakers should complement this support to increase the supply of housing with targeted help for those looking to buy their first home.

Persons: Jim Parrott, Parrott Ryan, Mark Zandi, Jim Parrott Ella Parrott, Mark Zandi Moody's, it’s Organizations: Urban Institute, Moody’s, CNN, National Association of Realtors, Congress

☆ Why millennials' retirement outlook may be worse than older generations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

'Deteriorating' retirement outlookAbout 38% of early millennials (those born in the 1980s) will have "inadequate" retirement income at age 70, according to projections from a 2022 Urban Institute study. watch now"We do see the retirement outlook deteriorating for future generations," including millennials, said Richard Johnson, director of Urban's retirement policy program and co-author of the report. Millennials' student loans dent their net worthA 2021 paper by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College had similar findings. Meanwhile, the last major Social Security overhaul, in 1983, gradually raised the program's "full retirement age" to 67 years old. That will make it easier to save for retirement, according to a Brookings Institution report.

Persons: Jamie Grill, Craig Copeland, Gen X, Xers, Richard Johnson, Johnson, aren't, Millennials, Gen Xers, CRR, X, EBRI, Anqi Chen, Copeland, millennials, they're, William Gale, Hilary Gelfond, Jason Fichtner, there's, Sean Deviney, Deviney Organizations: Social Security, Research Institute, Urban, Center for Retirement Research, Boston College, Research, Transamerica Center, Retirement Studies, Finance, IRA, Pensions, Social, Center, Budget, Brookings Institution, Vanguard Group Locations: U.S, Fort Lauderdale , Florida

NEW YORK (AP) — GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns have generated $30 billion since 2010, the fundraising platform announced Tuesday, as younger generations look beyond institutions to make their donations. GoFundMe, a privately held, for-profit company, has annually released the total amount raised on its crowdfunding platform since its founding, but hasn't published a breakdown of funds raised in an individual year. Part of that growth includes GoFundMe's acquisition of Classy in 2022, which is an online platform that facilitates giving to nonprofit organizations. It's not yet clear how much giving through a crowdfunding campaign has supplanted giving to nonprofit organizations, Soskis said, in part because data about crowdfunding is less public. Other platforms also facilitate online crowdfunding, besides GoFundMe.

Persons: GoFundMe, Tim Cadogan, GoFundMe's, Gen, Indiana University Lilly, “, we’ve, ” Cadogan, hasn't, Cadogan, “ That’s, Damar, ’ ”, Margaret Richardson, Hamlin, —, Benjamin Soskis, It's, Soskis, ” Soskis, it's, Meta, ” Organizations: Indiana University, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Associated Press, Buffalo Bills, Corporate, Hamlin, M’s, Urban Institute, Nonprofit, IRS, Facebook, Associated, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: U.S, Uvalde , Texas, ecommerce, GoFundMe

☆ How Supreme Court affirmative action decision is impacting college applicants. 'The barriers are already so high,' one legal expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The percentage of first-year applicants identifying as Black or Latino jumped 12% and 13%, respectively, year over year, outpacing other groups. At the same time, colleges are seeing an increase in first-generation applicants and international students, the Common App found. The financial aid factorFor many families, the price tag is the most significant sticking point when it comes to college access. Black households also tend to borrow more than households to finance a higher education. And because of historic racial and economic inequities, Black student loan borrowers struggle to repay their debt more than their white peers.

Persons: it's, Cara McClellan, Biden, Bryan Cook, Cook, Elise Colin, Colin, McClellan, Wells Organizations: Racial, Civil Justice Clinic, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, Finance, Urban Institute, Urban, University of California, University of Michigan, Federal Student Aid Locations: Wells Fargo

☆ House passes child tax credit expansion — which could benefit millions of families, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Kate Dore | Cfp | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

J_art | Moment | Getty ImagesHouse lawmakers on Wednesday night passed a $78 billion bipartisan tax package, including a child tax credit expansion that could benefit millions of children in low-income families, according to policy experts. If enacted, the bill would expand access to the child tax credit, or CTC, and retroactively boost the refundable portion for 2023, which could affect taxpayers this filing season. The child poverty rate "precipitously dropped" during the 2021 child tax credit expansion, Hamilton said. Modeling a permanent version of the 2021 child tax credit increase, the report projects higher graduation rates and future earnings for childhood child tax credit recipients. Nikhita Airi Research analyst at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center

Persons: Chuck Marr, Marr, Steven Hamilton, Hamilton Organizations: Images, Center, Budget, Urban, Brookings Tax, The George Washington University, Rescue Plan, Columbia University, . Census, CTC, Urban Institute, Modeling, Airi

☆ New bill in Congress calls for creating children's savings accounts from birth. Here's how it would work
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Lorie Konish | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The plan calls for providing savings accounts for every child in the U.S. on state 529 college savings platforms, which would be managed by state Treasurers. More from Personal Finance:IRS to launch free tax-filing pilot programJamie Dimon: Improving earned income tax credit is 'no brainer'Biden has forgiven student debt for millions. Children in households that are eligible for the earned income tax credit — which aims to reduce the federal tax burden for low- to moderate-income workers — would receive additional aid. The proposal comes as Congress is poised to consider a new expansion of the child tax credit. Estimates have found the new child tax credit could help about 16 million children from low-income families in the first year, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Persons: Democratic Sens, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Chuck Schumer, Ron Wyden, Don Beyer of Virginia, Joyce Beatty, Suzan, Jamie Dimon, Biden, Casey, Momo, Roth, I'm, Madeline Brown Organizations: Democratic, New, Reps, Finance, IRS, Getty, Center, Budget, Urban Institute, D.C Locations: New York, Oregon, Joyce Beatty of Ohio, Washington, U.S

☆ Minneapolis is giving people $500 a month and recipients say the no-strings-attached cash is helping them fight soaring housing costs
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But significantly improving a recipient's housing situation might only be possible in a longer-term program or with larger payments, the researchers found. And the cash transfers did not cause recipients to work less , a common concern with basic income programs, the report found. A growing landscape of basic income experimentsLocal and state governments across the country are experimenting with guaranteed basic income programs, often targeting the region's most vulnerable residents, including new and expecting mothers and the lowest-income families. AdvertisementRecipients of a year-long basic income program in Austin, Texas, used most of the cash on housing costs and became "substantially more housing secure," according to surveys. "One of the undergirding premises of basic income programs, in general, is giving folks the decision-making latitude to choose for themselves where that money goes," Palmer said.

Persons: Vanessa Palmer, Andrew Goodman, Bacon, Palmer, — Organizations: Minneapolis who've, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Federal Reserve, Federal Reserve's Center, Indian Country Development, Federal, Opportunity, Growth Institute, Urban Institute, Harvard, The New York Times, Department of Housing, Urban Development Locations: Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Austin , Texas, Washington ,, San Francisco

☆ Austin experimented with giving people $1,000 a month. They spent the no-strings-attached cash mostly on housing, a study found.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A guaranteed basic income program in Austin gave people $1,000 a month for a year. AdvertisementA guaranteed basic income plan in one of Texas's largest cities reduced rates of housing insecurity. Austin was the first city in Texas to launch a tax-payer-funded basic income program when the Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot kicked off in May 2022. On average, program participants spent more than half of the cash they received on housing, the report's authors wrote. Harris County, which includes Houston, earlier this month launched a guaranteed basic income program that gives low-income residents up to $500 a month.

Persons: —, Austin, Taniquewa Brewster, KXAN, it's, Sen, Paul Bettencourt, Bettencourt, Tonaeya Moore Organizations: Service, Austin, Urban Institute, Washington DC, NBC, Houston Chronicle, Baltimore Young Locations: Austin, Texas, City, Washington, Houston, Harris County, United States, Baltimore

☆ Austin experimented with giving people $1,000 a month. They said they spent the no-strings-attached cash mostly on housing.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Kenneth Niemeyer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewPeople who received guaranteed basic income in one of Texas' largest cities reported reduced rates of housing insecurity. Austin was the first city in Texas to launch a taxpayer-funded guaranteed-income program when the Austin Guaranteed Income Pilot kicked off in May 2022. On average, program participants said they spent more than half of the cash they received on housing. While Austin was the first city in Texas to test a guaranteed-income program, it's now not the only one. AdvertisementAnd in Denver, a basic-income program that gives some people up to $1,000 a month was recently extended after participants reported increased housing security .

Persons: —, Austin, Taniquewa Brewster, KXAN, it's, Sen, Paul Bettencourt, Bettencourt, Tonaeya Moore Organizations: Service, Business, Austin, Urban Institute, NBC, Houston Chronicle, Baltimore Young Locations: Texas, City of Austin, Washington, DC, Houston, Harris County, United States, Baltimore, Maryland, Denver

☆ More Tenants Can Now Add Rent Payments to Their Credit Score
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Ann Carrns | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

As it stands, few landlords routinely report rent payments to credit bureaus. (Negative rent information can end up in credit files if a landlord reports delinquent accounts or sends them to a collection agency.) But in recent years, policymakers have been exploring whether consumers can benefit from having on-time rent payments included in credit scores, just as payments for mortgages, car loans and credit cards are. Reporting on-time rent payments is viewed as a way to reduce disparities in homeownership. TransUnion has been able to include rent payments in its credit reports since 2016 and has seen increasing interest from property managers, said Maitri Johnson, vice president of tenant and employment screening at the credit bureau.

Persons: isn’t, Fannie Mae, TransUnion, Maitri Johnson, Johnson Organizations: Self Financial, Urban Institute Locations: homeownership

☆ Fact check: Trump makes false claims in New Hampshire victory speech
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump made several false claims in a speech Tuesday night after CNN and other media outlets projected that he would win the Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire. CNN also watched rival candidate Nikki Haley’s Tuesday night speech in New Hampshire; Haley’s claims were either accurate or too general to fact check. He lost the 2020 election fair and square to Joe Biden, by a 306 to 232 margin in the Electoral College, and also lost New Hampshire in that election. Chris Sununu, a supporter of Haley, Trump said that because of Sununu’s incompetence, “in the Republican primary, they accepted Democrats to vote. In fact, I think they had 4,000 Democrats – Democrats before October 6 – they already voted.

Persons: Donald Trump, Nikki Haley’s, Haley’s, dismissively, Joe Biden, “, Biden, ” Howard Gleckman, ‘, ” Gleckman, ” Trump, Hillary Clinton, Chris Sununu, Haley, Trump, –, it’s, Sununu, can’t Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, Electoral College, New Hampshire, Brookings Tax, Urban Institute, New Hampshire Trump, Democratic, Republican New Hampshire Gov, – Democrats, GOP, New Hampshire Bulletin Locations: New Hampshire, “, New, Trump’s, Florida, Hampshire

☆ People are using cash transfers like basic income to pay rent, and it shows just how badly a housing-crisis solution is needed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

And a growing number of people who are eligible for government housing assistance aren't getting it. But unlike other government benefits like Medicaid and food stamps, housing aid doesn't automatically go to those who need it. And across 31 pilot basic income programs , recipients spent an average of about 9.2% of their payments on housing and utilities. AdvertisementThe amount that the federal government spends on its housing assistance programs, mainly Housing Choice Vouchers and public housing, is determined by Congress each year. "Housing support across America is very fractured and variable," said Sean Kline, director of Stanford's Basic Income Lab.

Persons: —, doesn't, Matt Desmond, Chris Herbert, Ulbrich, Matt Turner, hasn't, Sean Kline, Matthew Fowle, Fowle, Kline, Herbert Organizations: Service, Homelessness, Business, Urban Institute, Assistance, Columbia University's, Poverty, Princeton, Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies, Economic, Congress, Harvard, The New York Times, Department of Housing, Urban Development, Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, University of Pennsylvania, UPenn's Housing Locations: Washington ,, San Francisco, Davos, America, Philadelphia

☆ Can we turn all those empty office buildings into housing?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Anna Bahney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Experts in housing, building, and urban planning say it may be difficult to convert office space to livable, likeable residential housing, but there’s an urgent reason they’re trying. More office space is sitting empty in the United States than at any point since 1979, Moody’s Analytics reported earlier this week. By some estimates, only 3% of New York City office buildings and 2% in downtown Denver are suited for residential conversions. Office space and homes are two fundamentally different types of buildings, according to builders and architects. Do you have another building where you can move them?”As result, according to Theodos, office conversions are not a solution to either the empty office glut or the housing supply shortage.

Persons: Biden, ”, Harold Bordwin, Keen, Brett Theodos, ” Bordwin, “, ” Maren Reepmeyer, ” Theodos, –, Nathaniel Meyersohn, Donald Judd Organizations: DC CNN, Moody’s, National Association of Realtors, Summit Capital Partners, Metropolitan Housing, Policy Center, Urban Institute, “, CBRE, Wacker, Chicago Business Locations: Washington, New York, Boston, Cleveland, United States, Manhattan, “, New York City, Denver, Chicago, Theodos

☆ Trump’s avalanche of dishonesty: Fact-checking 102 of his false claims from this fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +111 min

Below is a fact check of 102 of Trump’s false claims from the 12 speeches. But contrary to Trump’s claim, it’s not true that people had been attempting for decades to create such an initiative. Trump’s aid to farmersIn speech after speech, Trump claimed that he had given US farmers $28 billion from China. Even if the poll result is off, it’s clear that Trump’s claim that “nobody wants them” is not true. He said he was an airline pilot.”Facts First: Trump made a false claim while mocking Biden for making false claims.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Trump, Joe Biden, Biden, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, “, ”, Mexico’s, ‘ Trump, Defense Department –, ” Theresa Cardinal Brown, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, ” Trump, I’ve, Todd Harrison, Harrison, It’s, Trump’s, ” Ben Cahill, Nobody, Jimmy Carter’s, Barack Obama, isn’t, El Salvador –, Obama, we’d, Obama’s, Webster, Covid, Wuhan ”, They’d, they’d, you’d, Scott Gottlieb, ” Gottlieb, Trump Trump, it’s, Abraham, Aaron David Miller, Miller, Dana El Kurd, Qasem Soleimani, they’ve, we’re, We’re, ’, Iran haven’t, ” Matt Smith, Biden’s, Smith, Ali Vaez, Kpler, Biden Trump, Iran “, Democrats ”, that’s, Jimmy Carter, Carter “, Carter, ‘, Hillary Clinton, Kari Lake, Bill Gates, Gates, ” Chris Wallace, Chris Wallace, Hunter Biden, “ Chris Wallace, ‘ He’s, ‘ ” Trump, Wallace, “ you’re, “ Biden, ‘ You’re, Wallace interjected, Rather, you’ve, ’ ” Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James &, ” Molchanov, Tim Woody, Woody, autoworkers, CNN’s Ella Nilsen, Joe Biden’s, Erin Mellon, Gavin Newsom, Mellon, ” Vonette Fontaine, Biden “, CNN’s Matt Egan, Egan, ” Biden, Europe Trump, United Kingdom “, Brent, Pavel Molchanov, Raymond James, Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy, De Haan, Matt Smith, Matt Egan, Afghanistan Trump, we’ve, Krista Wiegand, Wiegand, ” Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Qasem, Bibi, Netanyahu, Soleimani, Asad, Mark Milley, Hezbollah Trump, Steven Cheung, John Kirby, Cheung, Kirby, Iran’s, ” Ali Vaez, Joseph Amon, Washington –, Faiq Zidan, Zidan’s, Zidan, Abu Mahdi al, China Trump, Ukraine Trump, Letitia James, James, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Matthew Colangelo, You’re, Bragg, Colangelo, Tanya Chutkan, I’m, Jack Smith, Bill Clinton, That’s, everybody’s, Letitia James –, Al Capone’s, Al Capone, Capone, Brad Schwartz, CNN couldn’t, Schwartz, Eliot Ness, MAGA, “ MAGA, …, White, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Inflation Trump, Bacon, Joe, PolitiFact, Trump . Howard Gleckman Organizations: Washington CNN —, CNN, Republican, Trump Trump, Republican Jewish Coalition, Department, ISIS, Trump’s, Democratic, Congress, Defense Department, former Defense Department, Center, US Customs, Trump, American Enterprise Institute, Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Energy Security, Center for Strategic, International Studies, US, IHS, Islamic, The State Department, Customs Enforcement, Policy Institute, ICE, El Salvador, ”, Merriam, The New York Times, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Abraham Accords, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, Hezbollah, State Department, Carnegie Endowment, International, Arab Center Washington DC, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force, Obama, US International Trade Commission, Washington Post, U.S . International Trade Commission, New England lobstermen, England lobstermen, Americas, Crisis, government’s Energy, Administration, Washington Free Beacon, Energy Information Administration, Democrats, Biden, Electoral, Georgia, Michigan, Carter, Democrats can’t, Republicans, Alabama, Arizona, Fox News, ” Energy, Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, Wildlife, Alaska Industrial Development, Export Authority, Raymond James & Associates, Wilderness Society, Cox Automotive, Pew Research Center, New York Times, National Oceanic, California Gov, California, American Petroleum Institute, Union, West, Energy, American Automobile Association, AAA, GasBuddy, New Hampshire, Houston, Keystone XL, Obama administration’s State Department, –, Foreign, Military, DoD, Afghan, Defense, Policy, Taiwan News, “, University of Tennessee’s Center for National Security, Foreign Affairs, Israeli, NBC, Jerusalem Post, Yahoo, Pentagon, ” CNN, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Post, National Security, Group, US government’s Defense Intelligence Agency, Narcotics Bureau, Global Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Justice Department, Washington, Judicial, Popular Mobilization Forces, Customs and, Middle East, Customs, Protection, CBP, Border Protection, Kiel Institute, European Union, New York, New, ExxonMobil, Trump University, Trump Foundation, Manhattan, Attorney, federal Justice Department, Department of Justice, Washington DC, Presidential Records, Presidential, Mar, Biden White, MAGA Republicans, Inflation, Heritage Foundation, Trump ., Brookings Tax, Urban Institute Locations: New Hampshire, New York City, Saudi, Florida, al Qaeda, New York, Texas, Iowa, Mexico, “, U.S, Houston, Iraq, Israel, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nord, Germany, Russian, Trump’s, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, El, Washington, ”, ” In Texas, Covid, China, Wuhan, Italy, France, Abraham, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Palestine, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, New England, England, Kpler, Malaysia, Oregon, Alabama, Maricopa County, Arizona, Arizona’s, Moscow, Alaska, East, South Carolina, California, “ California, West Virginia, Virginia, United Kingdom, West Texas, “ U.S, Los Angeles, Venezuela, Mississippi , Louisiana, Canada, United States, Paris, Taiwan, “ China, Iranian, that’s, –, Singapore, Iraqi, San Diego, Kiel, York, Manhattan, York’s, Chicago, Philadelphia, Georgia, Qaeda

☆ Why climate change may cost you big bucks — and what to do about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Climate change has been described as a ticking time bomb, the threats of which extend beyond ecosystems and biodiversity to big financial impacts on households and the U.S. economy. Here's what to know, according to Rumbach and David Pogue, host of the podcast "Unsung Science" and author of "How to Prepare for Climate Change: A Practical Guide to Surviving the Chaos." Both experts were interviewed by CNBC during a recent discussion about climate change and its impact on personal finance. "Over time, each incremental increase in climate change is going to up the economic cost bit by bit," Rumbach said. But there are also steps they can take to prepare for the worsening effects of climate change.

Persons: Andrew Merry, Andrew Rumbach, David Pogue, Tim Wright, Rumbach, Pogue, There's, Justin Paget, Digitalvision Organizations: CNBC's, Finance, White, Urban Institute, CNBC, Bloomberg Creative, Bloomberg, Census, Getty, Starbucks, Urban Locations: U.S, Florida, Louisiana, New Orleans

☆ Why doesn’t the US have more passenger trains?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Today, the United States’ passenger rail system is an echo of its former self, with swathes of the network unused or surrendered to freight. In 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the Rail Passenger Service Act, which removed the requirement that private rail companies provide passenger service. Mike Segar/ReutersBut many American towns and cities have lost access to passenger trains. Can passenger trains make a comeback? A passenger rides an Amtrak train passing near the Pacific Ocean on November 9, 2021 near Oceanside, California.

Persons: you’ll, Biden, ”, Miguel Medina, JP Morgan, Jay Gould, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Christian Wolmar, “, Yonah Freemark, Bing Guan, Freemark, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Harvey Weber, Paul Hammond, Hammond, Richard Nixon, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Mike Segar, Ulysses S, Grant, Al Drago, Joe Biden, ” Freemark, Robert Puentes, It’s, ” Puentes, Mario Tama, Brightline, Carline Jean, Tony Coscia Organizations: Los Angeles CNN, Washington , D.C, Brightline, Miami, US Department of Transportation, du, Getty, Amtrak, US, Transcontinental Railroad, Central Pacific Railroad, Union Pacific Railroad, Railroad, CNN, Bloomberg, United States Senate, Newsday, Colorado Railroad Museum, Rail, Service, Hall, Pennsylvania, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Washington DC, Eno Center for Transportation, Private, Las, Passengers, West Palm Beach, Fort, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Tribune Locations: Europe, Asia, America, United States, Boston, Washington ,, Orlando, California, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Swedish, Paris, AFP, France, Japan, China, Promontory Point , Utah, Compton , California, American, Levittown , New York, Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Indiana, Ohio, Baltimore, Baltimore , Maryland, Potomac, Delaware, Oceanside , California, South Florida, Las Vegas, West Palm, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, South

☆ It's never been harder to build wealth. Blame high interest rates and the US housing market.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

That's largely because it's become much harder to buy a home, the "big ticket" to wealth for most Americans. Less wealthy Americans have also been slammed by high inflation, high borrowing costs, and meager wage gains. An inaccessible housing market spells trouble for those looking to build up their nest eggs, according to BankRate senior industry analyst Ted Rossman. With ever-more Americans priced out of the housing market, that gap could grow wider. The struggle to build wealth — by way of the housing market or other means — has been reflected in the latest economic data.

Persons: It's, it's, —, Ted Rossman, Rossman, aren't, Fannie Mae, Michael Neal, Neal, Bankrate's Rossman Organizations: Service, Federal Reserve, Business, Federal, National Association of Realtors, Realtor.com, Urban Institute Locations: –

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' fund to support homeless families announced $117 million in new grants on Tuesday to organizations across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, which is a part of a $2 billion commitment Bezos made in 2018 to support homeless families and to run free preschools. That brings the amount granted by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund to benefit homeless families to almost $640 million. The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte received a second grant this year after first being awarded $5 million by the fund in 2018. The Bezos Day 1 Families Fund did not give a timeframe for when the pledged $2 billion would be distributed or what portion would go to homeless families. Last year, Bezos gave away $122.2 million and has pledged around $12.8 billion in charitable donations, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Bezos, Lauren Sánchez, Deronda Metz, ” Metz, Amanda Andere, “, can’t, Andere, Sánchez, Jacklyn Bezos, Miguel, Fred, Dolly Parton, José Andrés, Van Jones Organizations: Fund, Salvation Army, Greater Charlotte, Girls, Urban Institute, National Coalition for, Homeless, Housing, Urban Development, Amazon, CNN, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Associated, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Puerto Rico, Seattle, Maui

☆ Why credit scores for 27 million Americans are surging
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Last year, the three major credit bureaus announced changes to medical debt reporting. They started removing unpaid medical debts of $500 or less from credit reports. A new Urban Institute report found the changes improved credit scores for 27 million Americans. AdvertisementAdvertisementA year ago, the three major credit bureaus announced they would change how they report medical debt on credit reports. "Removing 70% of past-due medical debt from credit reports is a step in the right direction, and much more needs to be done.

Persons: —, TransUnion, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Sanders Organizations: Urban Institute, Service, Consumer Financial, Democratic Locations: United States of America

☆ Why working longer is a bad retirement plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Daniel Gonzalez | Moment | Getty ImagesWorking longer is among the best ways to ensure you don't outlive your retirement savings. When it comes to retirement age, there's a big gap in expectations versus reality. But the actual retirement age was 62, on average. watch nowThose who target a retirement age past 61 end up making it about half as far as expected, he found. Social Security's full retirement age has gradually been pushed back, to as late as age 67 for anyone born in 1960 or after.

Persons: Daniel Gonzalez, Gallup, Blanchett, Richard Johnson, —, EBRI, Johnson Organizations: Gallup, Urban Institute . Pensions, Urban Institute

A new documentary “Uncharitable,” from “Paris Trout” and “Losing Isaiah” director Stephen Gyllenhaal, wants to change that. For almost twenty years, researchers and nonprofits have warned about the negative consequences of starving nonprofits of general operating expenses, also known as overhead. In part by emphasizing efficiency, those donors continue to pressure nonprofits to decrease their standing costs, using a slightly different vocabulary. Similarly, more donors understand the value of granting unearmarked funds, which allow nonprofits to change plans or simply to invest in their staff or improve their infrastructure or technology. ___Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Persons: Izzy Smith, ” Smith, Isaiah, Stephen Gyllenhaal, Dan Pallotta, Pallotta, Darren Walker, ” Pallotta, ”, “, Michael Thatcher, ” Elizabeth Organizations: Ford Foundation, Urban Institute, Candid, Navigator, Alliance, University of Texas, Associated, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: The Massachusetts, Dallas

☆ America’s Debt Crisis Burns While Congress Fiddles
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Tim Smart | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

Last month, the Penn Wharton Budget Model from the University of Pennsylvania came out with an analysis of the debt crisis entitled “When Does Federal Debt Reach Unsustainable Levels?”Their answer? The concern is that punting the problem into the future, continuing to raise debt even as interest rates rise further or hold at higher levels for longer, the debt will grow even faster in a “snowball” scenario. Similar proposals have been offered over the years but at the same time they seem to lack political support – indeed, Republicans have recently voiced the idea of cutting Social Security. The debt crisis is rapidly worsening at a time when the bond market is having its own set of problems. A recent government auction of debt, an occurrence that is becoming more common as the U.S. borrows more, saw weak demand.

Persons: Dick Cheney, Richard Neal, Democrats –, Blu Putnam, Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke, Jerome Powell, ”, Gene Steuerle, Richard B, Fisher, probity, Kevin McCarthy, Kent Smetters, Boettner, Smetters, Richard Robis, Donald Trump Organizations: Capitol, Democratic, Massachusetts, The New York Times, Federal Reserve, Partisans, Democrats, Fed, CME Group, Social Security, Medicare, Urban Institute, California Rep, Penn Wharton Budget, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Wharton, Social, Republicans, Treasury, Hamas, BCA Research, White House Locations: U.S, United States, Washington, China, Japan, Israel

☆ Longer Commutes, Shorter Lives: The Costs of Not Investing in America
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( David Leonhardt | More About David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The stagnation of investment does not stem only from the size of government. But the United States has effectively starved programs focused on the future at the expense of those focused on the present. For decades, incomes and wealth have grown more slowly than the economy for every group other than the very rich. Net worth for the typical family shrank during the first two decades of the 21st century, after adjusting for inflation. The trends in many noneconomic measures of well-being are even worse: In 1980, life expectancy in the United States was typical for an industrialized country.

Persons: Eugene Steuerle, “, —, Biden, Eisenhower Organizations: Republicans, Democrats, Social Security, Urban Institute, Democrat, Republican, Republican Party Locations: United States, Washington, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Greece, China

☆ If Social Security benefits were cut, here's how much more you'd need to save for retirement
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In order not to run out of money in retirement, she'd need to save $375 a month in her workplace 401(k) plan — if the Social Security program remains fully in place. "The old-age poverty rate would soar if Social Security benefits were cut," said Richard Johnson, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. The future of Social Securitywatch nowThe Social Security program has been weakened by a rise in people retiring and the fact that people are living longer. As a result, without any action from lawmakers, the trust fund that supports Social Security benefits for retirees is estimated to run dry in 2033. Workers would continue to pay Social Security payroll taxes, and those collected funds would still be payable to retirees.

Persons: Araya Doheny, Douglas Boneparth, Boneparth, Clifford, Cornell, Biden, Richard Johnson Organizations: Michell, Steel, Getty, Social, Security, CNBC, Workers, Clifford Cornell, Social Security, Finance, IRS, Center, Budget, Urban Institute, Social Security Administration Locations: Cypress , California, New York

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