Happy Wednesday MarketWatchers. Don’t miss these top stories:
My wife has homeschooled our son and our best friends’ son since September due to COVID-19. Is it too late to bring up money?
‘She’s putting in about 15 to 20 hours each week. The two families have shared the costs of the curriculum, school supplies and art supplies.’
Planning to take a cruise in Pandemic Year 2? You won’t be allowed on board without a COVID-19 vaccination
Some 85% of people said they would take a cruise if people were required to be inoculated against COVID-19 in advance.
My husband and his ex-wife agreed that he could claim their kids on his taxes, but now she’s ‘demanding’ half their stimulus
‘I believe she didn’t adjust her budget when the alimony ended, and now she is looking for ways to receive more money from him.’
Equal Pay Day: How paid-leave and child-care policies failed to close the gender pay gap
Women typically need at least one extra degree to earn as much as their male colleagues.
My wife had a baby 3 months ago. She has $ 160,000 in student loans — and just asked for my ‘blessing’ to work part time
A timely life lesson on Equal Pay Day.
‘Help is here’: Biden is releasing $ 81 billion of stimulus funds to help schools reopen ‘immediately’
Another $ 41 billion will become available after states submit plans for reopening their schools safely.
My stepmother got nothing when my father died, per their prenup. She asked me to buy her a home. What should I do?
‘What would be some ways I could help her financially or otherwise without giving her a house?’
‘I feel un-American’: I was broke in my 20s, and live in fear of debt. My wife wants to upgrade our home and life. What do I do?
‘During my 20s, I was broke. I bought my first house and lived alone, stretched to my limits. I had three maxed-out credit cards and lived paycheck to paycheck.’
7 things you really shouldn’t be buying with that $ 1,400 stimulus check
‘It would be sad and painful to see people end up losing this money that was designed to prop up the economy and get us out of COVID-induced recession.’
There are new tax-credit rules for lower-income households — you may qualify now, even if you didn’t before
President Biden’s ‘American Rescue Plan’ made some temporary changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit. Taxpayers don’t have to have children to qualify.
Elsewhere on MarketWatch
Gig workers face tax change from Democrats’ $ 1.9 trillion stimulus package
Gig workers are set to see a tax-related change due to Democrats’ $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package.
Kamala Harris and Bill Clinton are holding a talk about women’s empowerment — cue the critics
Some people are bringing up the former president’s history with women
Here’s what we need to do to avoid a K-shaped global recovery
The rich countries have spent a lot to support their economies; they should help the rest of the world do the same.
10 highest-yielding dividend-stock ETFs for a low-rate world
Exchange traded funds are an easy way to boost your income.
Powell and Yellen’s game plan is evocative of the World War II playbook. Here’s what happened then.
Federal spending surging and monetary policy loose? We’ve been here before.