Forget the goblins of Halloween or even the fact that many of the big stock market crashes occur during the month. Now there is yet another reason to dread the spooky month of October—it’s time to complete the dreaded the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA form. Of course I am only slightly exaggerating, but as of October 1, families will be able to start the process of applying for college funding for students attending school in academic year 2018-2019. FAFSA is the gateway document because it is used to determine how much students and their families will receive in terms of college grants, scholarships and loans.
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Non-professional family caregivers shoulder a huge burden. According to research from the Transamerica Institute, many “are providing care at their own risk.” Across a diverse population, 55 percent of respondents “say that their own health is taking a back seat to the health of their care recipient,” while a whopping 69 percent gave “little or no consideration to their own financial situation when deciding to become a caregiver.” While the vast majority of caregivers (87 percent) are caring for a family member, the demographic breakdown of the group is changing: 53 percent are women and 47 percent are men, spread across a variety of age groups and income levels.
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Senate Republicans are expected to unveil their tax plan this week and while we don’t yet know the details, the rumors are that there will be $1.5 trillion in tax cuts over the 10-year budget window. Even days before the announcement, lawmakers are divided on some key issues. In a surprise move, Republicans are reportedly considering maintaining the top income tax bracket of 39.6 percent, which applies to ordinary income above $470K for married filing jointly (MFJ) and $418,400 for single filers. Earlier this month, the President said, “the rich will not be gaining at all with this plan…the wealthy will be pretty much where they are…If they have to go higher, they’ll go higher, frankly.”
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The fall out from the Equifax data breach is mounting. Frustrated consumers, who can’t access web sites or get a human being on the phone, are angry and bewildered, are left wondering: How can these companies have so much power with so little accountability?
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