The beautiful thing about fine art, specifically music, is that it speaks to the issues of the time. Often, those songs are made to address certain historic moments but end up being a case study of sorts for the future. It can be seen across genres in songs such as Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” or Walter Hawkin’s “Thank You Lord,” where in one of the verses he sings, “economies down, people can’t get enough pay.” Although some of these songs were produced well before the issues of today, they are perpetual concerns that society has found itself facing again and again. Those same messages are on par with the pain points many people feel and are going through. One of those pain points is the economy’s impact on the job industry, and it has now impacted what is known as the happiest place on Earth. According to The Wall Street Journal, Disney is part of the long list of employers recently announcing layoffs. The Florida-based company eliminated its entire Metaverse division. At its...

Make no mistake, the pandemic has forced a major shift in all day-to-day processes—one being the school system. After months of debate whether sending kids back to school is safe, in many states, kids have continued distance learning . This new practice—carried over from many students’ previous school year—has introduced a heap of new ridiculous expectations for kids and their parents. A Bankrate survey of about 600 parents with children enrolled in pre-kindergarten through high school courses says 61 percent of parents believe they’ll spend more money on remote learning this fall. Among the mandatory costs are school uniforms, meals, and new technology. In short, the negative impact distance learning has on families financially is glaring. I told y'all it's all about compliance because WUTTICEDIS?! pic.twitter.com/GygaHcKY1g — Angela 👩🏾‍💻👩🏾‍🏫 (@wokeSTEMteacher) September 6, 2020 This fall, some Southern California school districts still require private school kids to wear uniforms in the...

Since the start of COVID-19, the U.S. has been rocked to its core as unemployment continues to rise while displacing many Americans from their jobs — specifically those a part of disinvested communities who have especially felt the effects of the pandemic. Over 100 days later and the country is still in search of answers to our socioeconomic issues as they relate to unemployment. However, thanks to these nonprofit organizations, we can expect to see a change on the horizon. XPRIZE —  a nonprofit organization that uses global competitions to crowdsource solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges — and New Profit — a nonprofit venture philanthropy organization that backs breakthrough social entrepreneurs in America — have joined forces. The two have announced a competition called XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling — powered by XPRIZE and MIT Solve — that aims to reinvent job training methods for displaced workers and get people back to work. The XPRIZE Rapid Reskilling Prize contest...

The CARES Act stimulus checks may offer some relief to taxpayers amid the coronavirus outbreak, but distribution may pose a problem for the millions who don’t use direct deposit to receive their tax refunds. In 2019, 19.8 million taxpayers waited longer for their tax refunds to arrive via paper check. Today, these same taxpayers will have to wait longer again — potentially up to an additional three months — for their stimulus checks. MagnifyMoney looked at the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S. to determine where taxpayers used direct deposit the most (and least) to receive their 2018 tax refund. Cities with the highest percentages of check-receiving taxpayers are where people will likely wait longer for financial relief to arrive. In this review, we’ll cover: Key findings Where taxpayers may have to wait longer for their stimulus checks What to do if you didn’t use direct deposit File your 2019 tax return as soon as possible Provide your banking information to the IRS online Open...

Many employees have been laid off and suddenly found themselves jobless due to the coronavirus outbreak. According to the Washington Post , The Labor Department reported 281,000 people have applied for layoff benefits as of Thursday, and the figure is expected to worsen in the coming weeks. In efforts to combat the nation’s coronavirus induced financial crisis, many mainstream companies are stepping up to the plate and providing financial assistance to their employees. Walmart The country’s largest retailer, Walmart, announced Thursday that the corporation will be providing a cash bonus to their hourly employees at stores, clubs, offices, and supply chains for their hard work during the outbreak. Bonuses include $150 for part-time employees and $300 for full-time employees. The bonuses will tally up to more than $365 million with a payout date of April 2, 2020. PepsiCo PepsiCo is providing additional compensation for its 90,000+ frontline employees who work at their North American...