Forgiving Student Debt Would Boost Economy, Economists Say Democratic presidential candidates want to obliterate student debt. Economists say that could help with income inequality, but it would come with a big price tag and risks.Heard onToggle more optionsPresidential hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders want to tear up your student loans and set you financially free. That's popular among voters – especially those struggling to pay off this debt. Other Democratic candidates have more modest plans. But economists say the dramatic proposals from Sanders and Warren to free millions...…Forgiving Student Debt Would Boost Economy, Economists Say Democratic presidential candidates want to obliterate student debt. Economists say that could help with income inequality, but it would come with a big price tag and risks.Heard onToggle more optionsPresidential hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders want to tear up your student loans and set you financially free. That's popular among voters – especially those struggling to pay off this debt. Other Democratic candidates have more modest plans. But economists say the dramatic proposals from Sanders and Warren to free millions...WW…

$600 Weekly Unemployment Benefit Ends, Sparking Fears Of Evictions Housing advocates and landlords alike say if Congress doesn't extend or replace the extra payments expiring this weekend, millions of out-of-work Americans won't be able to afford to pay their rent.Heard onToggle more optionsMerry Collins lost her job as a home health aide in Dallas after the coronavirus outbreak hit. Before she started getting $600 a week in extra federal unemployment benefits, she got behind on the rent. And in June her landlord took her to court to evict her. "The first day the courts opened here in...…$600 Weekly Unemployment Benefit Ends, Sparking Fears Of Evictions Housing advocates and landlords alike say if Congress doesn't extend or replace the extra payments expiring this weekend, millions of out-of-work Americans won't be able to afford to pay their rent.Heard onToggle more optionsMerry Collins lost her job as a home health aide in Dallas after the coronavirus outbreak hit. Before she started getting $600 a week in extra federal unemployment benefits, she got behind on the rent. And in June her landlord took her to court to evict her. "The first day the courts opened here in...WW…

U.S. Orders Up To A Yearlong Break On Mortgage Payments The federal government is telling lenders to lower or suspend mortgage payments for up to 12 months for homeowners who have lost income due to the coronavirus outbreak.Heard onToggle more optionsUpdated at 2:49 p.m. ET Homeowners who have lost income or their jobs because of the are getting some relief. Depending on their situation, they should be eligible to have their mortgage payments reduced or suspended for up to 12 months. Federal regulators, through the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are ordering lenders homeowners...…U.S. Orders Up To A Yearlong Break On Mortgage Payments The federal government is telling lenders to lower or suspend mortgage payments for up to 12 months for homeowners who have lost income due to the coronavirus outbreak.Heard onToggle more optionsUpdated at 2:49 p.m. ET Homeowners who have lost income or their jobs because of the are getting some relief. Depending on their situation, they should be eligible to have their mortgage payments reduced or suspended for up to 12 months. Federal regulators, through the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are ordering lenders homeowners...WW…

Scared To Return To Work, Or Can't With Kids At Home? What You Need To Know As businesses reopen, many workers are worried for their health and would rather stay on unemployment. Many parents can't return to a workplace because they have no child care. What are your options?Heard onToggle more optionsAs businesses reopen, many Americans being called back to work say they don't feel safe — especially those who work in restaurants, hair salons or other high-contact jobs. "With people eating food, not having masks on, with servers having to touch their plates and their silverware, there's just...…Scared To Return To Work, Or Can't With Kids At Home? What You Need To Know As businesses reopen, many workers are worried for their health and would rather stay on unemployment. Many parents can't return to a workplace because they have no child care. What are your options?Heard onToggle more optionsAs businesses reopen, many Americans being called back to work say they don't feel safe — especially those who work in restaurants, hair salons or other high-contact jobs. "With people eating food, not having masks on, with servers having to touch their plates and their silverware, there's just...WW…

$1,200 Emergency Payments Are Starting To Arrive; Watch Out For Debt Collectors The federal government has begun sending $1,200 checks to millions of Americans. But some who need the money the most may have trouble actually getting it, and debt collectors may want it too.Heard onToggle more optionsUpdated on April 15 at 11:19 a.m. ET Those $1,200 federal payments to help Americans through the coronavirus crisis have started arriving in some people's bank accounts via direct deposit. But many people will have to wait longer — and there could be pitfalls, such as debt collectors grabbing the...…$1,200 Emergency Payments Are Starting To Arrive; Watch Out For Debt Collectors The federal government has begun sending $1,200 checks to millions of Americans. But some who need the money the most may have trouble actually getting it, and debt collectors may want it too.Heard onToggle more optionsUpdated on April 15 at 11:19 a.m. ET Those $1,200 federal payments to help Americans through the coronavirus crisis have started arriving in some people's bank accounts via direct deposit. But many people will have to wait longer — and there could be pitfalls, such as debt collectors grabbing the...WW…

Renters Are In A Much Tougher Spot Than Homeowners As Pandemic Dries Up Incomes The government ordered lenders to let homeowners skip payments if they lost income because of the coronavirus. But landlords can require renters to pay even if they've lost their jobs. And many are.Heard onToggle more optionsRent is due for the first time since millions of Americans lost their jobs or incomes as the coronavirus pandemic shut down large swaths of the U.S. economy. Many renters are in a tough financial spot because they received fewer protections out of the than homeowners did. Homeowners who lose...…Renters Are In A Much Tougher Spot Than Homeowners As Pandemic Dries Up Incomes The government ordered lenders to let homeowners skip payments if they lost income because of the coronavirus. But landlords can require renters to pay even if they've lost their jobs. And many are.Heard onToggle more optionsRent is due for the first time since millions of Americans lost their jobs or incomes as the coronavirus pandemic shut down large swaths of the U.S. economy. Many renters are in a tough financial spot because they received fewer protections out of the than homeowners did. Homeowners who lose...WW…

A Hairstylist Worries About Reopening Too Soon Amid Coronavirus Danger : Coronavirus Updates NPR's Chris Arnold sits down in the barber's chair as his 65-year-old hairstylist tells him about working 13-hour days, as he worries about catching the coronavirus.Toggle more optionsWhen you're a man of a certain age and you don't get a haircut for a few months, the thinning hair on top starts getting wispy and blowing around, the sides stick out all crazy. It is not a good look. And it seemed beyond the help of a YouTube haircut video. So when the stylist who cuts my hair, Vincent Cox, told me...…A Hairstylist Worries About Reopening Too Soon Amid Coronavirus Danger : Coronavirus Updates NPR's Chris Arnold sits down in the barber's chair as his 65-year-old hairstylist tells him about working 13-hour days, as he worries about catching the coronavirus.Toggle more optionsWhen you're a man of a certain age and you don't get a haircut for a few months, the thinning hair on top starts getting wispy and blowing around, the sides stick out all crazy. It is not a good look. And it seemed beyond the help of a YouTube haircut video. So when the stylist who cuts my hair, Vincent Cox, told me...WW…

Coronavirus Cancellations: Ditching A Dream Cruise Is A Painful Decision Thousands of people who booked vacation cruises are considering canceling. The federal government has taken the unusual step of advising people not to take a cruise given the coronavirus outbreak.Heard onToggle more optionsLinda Nalbandian is set to go on a cruise to Bermuda in April. Recently married, she and her husband are planning to take their five teenagers on their combined family's first big trip together. The kids were "super excited," she says. "It was a lot of buildup over the last couple of months, talking...…Coronavirus Cancellations: Ditching A Dream Cruise Is A Painful Decision Thousands of people who booked vacation cruises are considering canceling. The federal government has taken the unusual step of advising people not to take a cruise given the coronavirus outbreak.Heard onToggle more optionsLinda Nalbandian is set to go on a cruise to Bermuda in April. Recently married, she and her husband are planning to take their five teenagers on their combined family's first big trip together. The kids were "super excited," she says. "It was a lot of buildup over the last couple of months, talking...WW…

The Supreme Court Will Allow Evictions To Resume The court's six conservative justices said the CDC exceeded its authority by issuing the two-month pause on evictions in much of the country.Heard onToggle more optionsThe U.S. Supreme Court has blocked the Biden administration's to a large swath of the country, in a decision expected by both legal scholars and the White House. The ban on evictions, a two-month order, was . The pause covers parts of the United States that are experiencing what the CDC calls "substantial" and "high" spread of the coronavirus. The from the court was 6-3, with...…The Supreme Court Will Allow Evictions To Resume The court's six conservative justices said the CDC exceeded its authority by issuing the two-month pause on evictions in much of the country.Heard onToggle more optionsThe U.S. Supreme Court has blocked the Biden administration's to a large swath of the country, in a decision expected by both legal scholars and the White House. The ban on evictions, a two-month order, was . The pause covers parts of the United States that are experiencing what the CDC calls "substantial" and "high" spread of the coronavirus. The from the court was 6-3, with...WW…

Millions Of Americans Skipping Payments As Wave Of Defaults And Evictions Looms Hardship programs appear to be helping many people pause payments and survive the economic shutdown so far. But not everybody is getting the help, and advocates see big potential trouble ahead.Heard onToggle more optionsAmericans are skipping payments on mortgages, auto loans and other bills. Normally, that could mean massive foreclosures, evictions, cars repossessions and people's credit getting destroyed. But much of that has been put on pause. Help from Congress and leniency from lenders have kept impending...…Millions Of Americans Skipping Payments As Wave Of Defaults And Evictions Looms Hardship programs appear to be helping many people pause payments and survive the economic shutdown so far. But not everybody is getting the help, and advocates see big potential trouble ahead.Heard onToggle more optionsAmericans are skipping payments on mortgages, auto loans and other bills. Normally, that could mean massive foreclosures, evictions, cars repossessions and people's credit getting destroyed. But much of that has been put on pause. Help from Congress and leniency from lenders have kept impending...WW…