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by HopeI found a church I like here in Austin earlier in the summer. Although I continued to visit other churches that were closer to me, I really fell in love with this church. And now I can’t stand to miss a service.And the best thing to me, or two best things to me, are 1) it’s super casual. I don’t have to even think about what I wear. Outside of them keeping the building freezing cold, I can wear whatever and no one looks at me sideways. This has always been a HUGE thing for me. Since I was…
Compatible Echo devices have been blasting ads and encouraging users to try Alexa Plus for free for months. It was a simple opt-in, but only if you wanted to. Now, the Amazon Alexa Plus upgrade is being forced on users with no opt-out. You do still have a choice though. Alexa Plus Upgrade With No Warning Many Amazon Prime members recently got a major surprise. Their Echo devices suddenly upgraded to Alexa Plus, the new Amazon AI assistant, with zero prompt or permission from the user. I’ve seen the ads pop up on my own Echo display. I just had…
Key PointsThe U.S. Department of Education reports 734,221 income-driven repayment (IDR) applications pending as of December 31, down sharply from November.Loan forgiveness resumed in December, but only under the older Income-Based Repayment plan; other plans remain paused until at least February.Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Buyback backlogs grew again, with more than 83,000 applications waiting and processing far slower than new demand. The Education Department’s latest court-ordered status update shows some progress on one front of the student loan system — and continued delays on another.In a court filing submitted January 14 (PDF File), the department detailed activity from December…
Use our free student loan calculator to estimate your monthly student loan payment under the various student loan repayment plans: Standard, Graduated, Extended, IBR, PAYE, and ICR. Check out this calculator for the proposed Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). Note the SAVE plan will likely be ending in the next 6-12 months. You can still see what your payment would have been under this now expired plan.To use the student loan calculator, you do need to have some basics of your loan or loans – including the interest rate and payment amounts. Take the total of all your loans and the…
Socially responsible investing is growing in popularity as investors seek to positively impact the environment or community. Beyond investing, the socially conscious may look for other ways to make a difference—including where they bank. Opting for a socially responsible bank is one more way to consciously make your dollars work for something you believe in. If you’re shopping around for your first bank account or want to switch, you won’t have to sacrifice a quality banking experience when choosing a socially responsible bank. We’ve outlined eight socially responsible banks and a few runners-up as well. These banks have different missions, but they…
Free tax software is elusive. The biggest tax companies tend to keep their free options hidden, while companies that advertise free filing usually have major limitations.As we review the best online tax preparation software every year, we keep an eye out for budget-friendly filling options. Because most companies offer extremely limited free tiers, many filers need to eventually upgrade to a paid tier due to report things like HSA contributions, child care expenses, student loan interest, and other deductions. Even adding more 1099s can force you to pay for those forms and features. Active cryptocurrency and stock traders, landlords, side hustlers, and full-time…