How to manage your personal finances during a pandemic

A wallet with money in it.
In a coronavirus-induced economic crash, more Minnesotans are turning to unemployment insurance to pay their bills.
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Roughly 20 million Americans are still waiting for the stimulus check from the CARES Act to hit their wallets.

The money was targeted at individuals who made less than $75,000 or couples making less than $150,000 on their 2019 tax filings.

Since that bill passed in late March, the unemployment rate has climbed to 14.7 percent.

Half of respondents in a recent NPR, PBS Newshour and Marist poll said at least one person in their household has either lost a job or had work hours cut.

In April alone, the American economy lost 20.5 million jobs, according to a jobs report the federal government released last week.

Wednesday on MPR News with Kerri Miller, two finance experts took listener calls and questions on how to manage your money during a period of economic uncertainty.

Guests:


Jill Schlesinger is a business analyst for CBS News, a certified financial planner and the author of the book, “The Dumb Things Smart People Do With Their Money: Thirteen Ways to Right Your Financial Wrongs.”

Sandra Block is a senior editor for Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above. 

Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts , Spotify or RSS

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