The Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network recently enacted a Geographic Targeting Order aimed at stopping money laundering by Mexican drug cartels. The new order requires money service businesses located in 30 Zip codes in California and Texas across seven counties along the Mexican border to report and retain records of all transactions of more than $200 as well as verify the identity of the people doing such transactions. The new regulation goes into effect on April 14 and remains in force until Sept. 9, 2025 although it may well be extended. In January, President Trump issued an…

The Trump administration has released several major updates on the processing of income-driven repayment plan requests, providing borrowers who are pursuing affordable payments and eventual student loan forgiveness with critical new insights on what to expect in the coming weeks. The Department of Education took down applications for income-driven repayment plans in February and suspended all processing following a ruling by a federal appeals court in a legal battle over the SAVE plan. SAVE is one of four current income-driven repayment options that offer borrowers affordable monthly payments tied to their income and family size, historically with the possibility of…

What Student Loan Borrowers Could Lose If The CFPB Is Gutted The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been a watchdog for student loan borrowers since its inception. The agency’s future is in doubt amid political and legal threats, raising the question: What happens to student loan borrowers if the CFPB is eliminated or severely weakened? This isn’t a hypothetical. President Donald Trump’s administration had already taken steps to dismantle the agency, including closing the CFPB’s headquarters, ordering employees to cease most work, and terminating over 100 probationary and term employees. While a district court judge had issued a temporary injunction…

I am asked all the time, “What is the best state in which to form my LLC.” My answer is usually the same, which is the best state to form your LLC is the one that you are in. Today we have yet another good example of why this is so, as found in the opinion of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Arrowhead Capital Finance, Ltd. v. Seven Arts Entertainment, Inc., 2025 WL 551357 (S.D.N.Y., Feb. 18, 2025). We pick up this case after a judgment for about $2.5 million has been entered…

Who Is Still Eligible For The $1,400 Stimulus Check IRS Payment? With only a few days remaining, those eligible for the $1,400 stimulus check IRS payment must act fast. As I wrote in a previous Forbes post, most eligible individuals have already received their payment; however, you may still be eligible if you meet two conditions. First, you qualified for the $1,400 third stimulus check back in 2021. Second, you have not yet received the payment either as a stimulus check, a payment from the IRS, or a credit on your taxes. For those who qualify, claiming the $1,400 now…

Diversification is one of the most important principles in investing. It reduces risk and increases the likelihood of more stable, long-term returns. While no strategy can eliminate risk entirely, diversification helps protect your portfolio from being overly affected by the poor performance of any single investment. This article outlines core diversification strategies every investor should understand and apply. Together, these approaches form a comprehensive framework for building a more resilient and adaptable portfolio. Diversification Across Asset Classes Investing across asset classes is a fundamental principle that helps reduce portfolio risk and smooth returns over time. Different asset classes—such as equities,…

Student loan payments may dramatically increase next month for millions of people, after the Trump administration suggested in a legal filing on Friday that the Department of Education will change how it treats married borrowers in income-driven repayment plans. The declaration was submitted as a new lawsuit against the Trump administration for blocking access to income-driven repayment plans enters its next phase. Income-driven repayment programs are congressionally-mandated repayment options that offer borrowers affordable student loan payments tied to their income and family size, with eventual student loan forgiveness after 20 or 25 years. The American Federation of Teachers, a national…

Tax Day isn’t anyone’s favorite holiday—but if there’s one bright side to filing, it’s the growing list of freebies and food deals meant to take the sting out of April 15. Restaurants nationwide are getting in on the action, from $0.01 cheeseburgers to BOGO cookie cake slices and stress-busting carbs. Whether you’re treating yourself after hitting submit or still waiting for that refund, here’s where to score a bite without spending a fortune. National & Regional Food Deals for Tax Day 2025 Burger King: Royal Perks members can get a cheeseburger for just $0.01 with any $1+ purchase via the…

House Passing GOP Budget Plan Is Likely Horrendous News For Student Loan Borrowers The U.S. House of Representatives approved a Republican budget framework that fulfills a key priority of President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda. The 216-214 vote advances a budget plan that paves the way for extending Trump-era tax cuts and enacting deep spending reductions. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) pledged at least $1.5 trillion in federal spending cuts over the next decade​ to secure support from conservative holdouts, according to a Forbes article. What could those massive cuts mean for Americans with…

It’s been a couple of days since the Trump administration performed an about-face on its reciprocal tariff plans. The announcement sent the stock market into a giggling dance of delight. Major indices that had fallen into a major pothole climbed back up. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained nearly 2,963 points; the S&P 500, almost 492; the Nasdaq, more than 1,800. Some have argued that this was masterful manipulation and negotiation by Trump two days after he had said that the reciprocal tariffs were absolutely going into place and wouldn’t be paused, as Politifact documented. Tariff Impacts Now The good…