Intuit Dome was alive with energy as hundreds of students from the LA school district gathered for the launch of this year’s Hour of Finance Challenge by Intuit For Education, kicking off Financial Literacy Month on April 1. It is part of the company’s nationwide Financial Literacy Forum series which began during Super Bowl Week in New Orleans last February, with previous stops in San Francisco and Washington D.C. This time, it was hosted in partnership with the L.A. Clippers. Engaging Young People The event started around 9:30 AM with students filing in, eager to take part in the day’s…

The Trump Administration has cut by more than 40 percent the staff that oversees critical federal programs for older adults and younger people with disabilities who live at home. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the staffers who manage and review federal grants to state and local governments and community-based organizations for programs such as Meals on Wheels. It also eliminated regional office positions, along with those who evaluate the benefits of those programs and communicate the office’s work to grantees and the public at-large. Those staff reductions came just four days after Kennedy abolished the…

If you’re experiencing whiplash from the tariff announcements flying back and forth, you’re not alone—especially if you’re a small business owner. On 17 of the past 72 days, the U.S. has either imposed new tariffs, faced retaliatory measures, or negotiated last-minute tariffs delays. With the White House now promoting today as “liberation day” and promising even more tariff actions, Main Street entrepreneurs are struggling to keep up with the dizzying pace of trade policy changes. Proponents of tariffs have said that opposition boils down to differences in political ideology, which likely causes many conservative economists to bristle. In fact, The…

The U.S. Department of Education formally reopened a critical student loan forgiveness program for borrowers with medical impairments last week, paving the way for people to apply after a temporary hiatus. The Total and Permanent Disability discharge program can wipe out the federal student loan debt for borrowers who are unable to work (or can work only minimally) due to a medical condition. Nelnet, an external loan servicer contracted with the Department of Education, had operated the TPD discharge program for years. But as part of a long-planned transition, the program has now been moved to a new portal at…

SOAR Act Tries To Save The SAVE Plan For Student Loan Borrowers A new bill introduced by Senate Democrats aims to rescue key provisions of the Biden administration’s student loan repayment strategy after the centerpiece of that plan—the SAVE income-driven repayment program—was blocked by the courts earlier this year. The proposed SOAR Act would codify critical borrower protections into law, effectively trying to save the SAVE Plan. The stakes are high: With student loan repayment resuming after a three-year pause and delinquency rates soaring, millions of student loan borrowers are struggling to afford payments. The SOAR Act, short for Savings…

Bureau of Prisons Under Pressure To Cut The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is currently facing significant pressure to operate within its $8.3 billion budget, which remains unchanged from the previous year due to a continuing resolution. As a result, the BOP is grappling with the challenge of managing its resources amid understaffing and deteriorating facilities. In light of these constraints, the BOP has decided to limit the prerelease custody period for inmates under the Second Chance Act to a maximum of 60 days, significantly reducing the time eligible inmates can spend in halfway houses or home confinement. While the…

Interpol, the International Criminal Police Organization, coordinates law enforcement efforts among 195 member countries’ police forces around the world to combat transnational crime. Between November 2024 and February 2025, in a joint effort with the African Joint Operation against Cybercrime, it coordinated an investigation into cybercrime including mobile banking scams, investment scams and messaging app scams throughout Africa that culminated in the arrests in the African countries of Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Togo and Zambia as announced by Interpol on March 24. Contributing to the efforts of Interpol and AFJOC were private security companies Group-IB, Kaspersky and…

Unless you’ve got a large financial cushion and have bet against the economy, you likely have no reason to rejoice in the idea that gross domestic product growth is slowing. Crashing Economy? The disturbing news is that it could be slowing far faster than the overall Federal Reserve expected, potentially into the realm of contraction that could set the stage for a recession. The Atlanta Fed’s GDP growth predictor’s estimate on March 28 was that the first quarter would see -2.8% growth. Somewhat more optimistically, a small group of 14 economists polled by CNBC estimated that first-quarter growth will only…

The federal student loan system remains mired in turmoil due to multiple legal challenges and major changes proposed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. But there are several important dates that student loan borrowers should be aware of as they try to access affordable repayment plans and federal student loan forgiveness programs amid all of the ongoing disruptions. While the landscape is more confusing than ever and can sometimes seem like it is changing by the day, understanding these important milestones for 2025 may help student loan borrowers navigate their options. Here’s a breakdown. Three Key Dates For Income…

Student Loan Wage Garnishment Looms For Millions Federal student loan borrowers are facing a harsh new reality: the pandemic-era reprieve is over, and student loan wage garnishment looms as a real threat. Delinquency rates on student loans have skyrocketed since payments resumed, roughly doubling in just a few months​. Education Department data from February showed more than four million borrowers were already behind on their payments. A new study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York now estimates that close to 10 million student loan borrowers became past due on their student loan bills after the pandemic payment pause…