news

A collection of 50 posts

eidl Featured

SBA Increases EIDL Loan Limits Dramatically

Today, just a few days after SBA Administrator Isabel Guzman [https://helloskip.com/blog/isabel-guzman-is-sworn-in-as-sba-administrator/] was sworn in, the SBA announced major changes [https://www.sba.gov/article/2021/mar/24/sba-increase-lending-limit-covid-19-economic-injury-disaster-loans] to the

small business Featured

Isabel Guzman is Sworn In as SBA Administrator

Since January, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the agency responsible for handling the PPP, EIDL, and many other aid programs, has been run by a temporary, acting administrator. Today, however, the new head of the SBA, Isabel Guzman, officially began her role. Guzman was confirmed by the Senate

stimulus Featured

Millions of Families Will Receive Monthly Payments From the IRS Soon

Childhood poverty is a longstanding issue in the U.S. and social distancing protocols have exacerbated the issue, as parents struggle to balance employment with fewer childcare options and many children still in distance learning. Included in the recently-passed stimulus bill [https://helloskip.com/blog/whats-in-the-stimulus-

news Featured

These 7 Places Are Offering Incentives for Remote Workers to Relocate

With more than half of all workers in the U.S. working remotely, some people are considering relocating [https://helloskip.com/blog/here-are-the-top-5-states-people-are-leaving-and-where-they-are-going/] to be closer to family or have a lower cost of living (or just

eidl loans Featured

How Landlords Can Get Relief During the Pandemic

Throughout the last year of the pandemic in the U.S., people have turned to government aid for help. However, many of the stimulus relief programs in the US are focused on small business owners, rather than property owners. Although the current federal eviction moratorium is necessary to keep renters

news Featured

Which States Are Lifting Restrictions?

As cases fall and the vaccine rollout continues, some states are lifting social distancing restrictions and mask mandates despite concerns from public health officials over a fourth wave. President Biden said today that relaxing restrictions right now is a “big mistake", but as deaths and hospitalizations continue to drop

tsa Featured

TSA is Hiring Thousands of Officers to Prepare for Summer Travel Surge

After a year like no other for travel, both internationally and domestically, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), has had to make changes [https://helloskip.com/blog/tsa-urges-holiday-travelers-to-enroll-in-tsa-precheck/] to keep up. But after a year of social distancing that reduced travelers passing through

news

Will the Federal Minimum Wage Increase to $15 an Hour?

Labor advocates have been fighting for years to increase the U.S. federal minimum wage, and they might finally succeed. The current federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour (although the minimum wage for workers who collect tips is only $2.13). The federal minimum wage has not increased

news Featured

What to Know About Biden's First Day

President-Elect Joe Biden was just sworn in as the next president of the U.S. Although inauguration day looks very different than it has in the past (with fewer events in order to comply with social distancing and increased security), Biden still has ambitious plans for his first day.

stimulus Featured

Are $2000 Stimulus Checks on the Way?

As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office on January 20th, he has outlined several plans for his presidency, including his plans for an expanded stimulus proposal which will provide $2000 stimulus checks. Biden released his full, $1.9 trillion dollar plan this evening, called the American Rescue Plan.

stimulus package Featured

What You Should Know About Rental Assistance in the New Stimulus Bill

Among the provisions in the $900 billion historic pandemic relief bill [https://helloskip.com/blog/complete-details-of-the-new-900-billion-stimulus-package/] is billions of dollars in rental assistance, which will provide much-needed support to the nearly 20 million Americans [https://www.businessinsider.com/millions-of-americans-

news

Daily Covid Briefing - Monday December 14

Here's your evening update on the latest coronavirus news: As of Monday evening, there are over 72.6 million coronavirus cases and over 1.6 million deaths worldwide from the virus. The US has over 16.4 million cases and over 300,000 deaths. Currently there are over

vaccine Featured

Vaccine Distribution Timeline in Maps

As of Saturday December 12th here is the latest vaccine distribution timeline and information including when the Pfizer vaccine will begin shipping, how it will be shipped, when we can expect the first shots, and who will get them. On Friday evening, the FDA gave the green light [https://helloskip.

vaccine Featured

Pfizer Granted Emergency Approval by FDA

The FDA granted emergency use authorization this evening, December 11, to Pfizer and BioNTech to begin distribution of their COVID-19 vaccine. The approval followed on the heels of urging from the White House and threats from the White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, to demand FDA commissioner Stephen

stimulus Featured

The Case For $3,000 Stimulus Checks

Here's today's quick stimulus and stimulus package update for Friday December 11. In today's video we talk about three big pieces of news: 1. The emergency 1 week government spending extension that was passed today 2. The current sentiment that Senator McConnell is to

news

Vaccine Update: Moderna Files for FDA Authorization

Moderna announced [https://abcnews.go.com/Health/moderna-seek-fda-emergency-authorization-covid-19-vaccine/story?id=74454936] that they will be filing for emergency FDA approval for their COVID-19 vaccine today. Moderna is the second company to do so, after Pfizer, increasing the chances of  COVID-19 vaccine

news

What You Need to Know About the New U.S. Citizenship Test

The citizenship process in the U.S. is continuing to change in the last few months of Donald Trump’s presidency. In mid-November, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced [https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship/2020test]that the test to become a U.S. citizen is expanding significantly

news

Stock Market Update: Stocks Hit Record Highs with Biden Treasury Pick

News broke yesterday that President-Elect Biden will be nominating Janet Yellen [https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/11/23/bidens-pick-treasury-secretary-will-be-janet-yellen/] for Treasury Secretary. The news buoyed the U.S. stock market to record highs, with Wall Street confident that Yellen’s

passports

Latest Travel News: Passport Operations Resume On Limited Basis

After months of slow processing due to State Department office closures and remote working, the U.S. State Department is ramping up passport processing [https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/passports/passport-covid-19.html] . For the first time since March, in-person appointments for passport services are

covid-19 Featured

More Positive Vaccine News

Early data shows that Moderna's vaccine is 94.5% effective. This positive news, released on Monday, follows last week's similarly positive vaccine news from Pfizer [https://helloskip.com/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-pfizers-coronavirus-vaccine/?ref=SkipBlog] . Although mass distribution may still be

covid-19 Featured

Daily Pandemic News Updates - Monday November 16

We'll be publishing the latest COVID-19 news and information updates. 📌 Want critical daily COVID updates as the winter months approach? Sign up for daily email alerts here [http://helloskip.com/vip-invite/?ref=SkipBlog]. Daily Hello Skip News Updates Covering the PandemicDaily Pandemic Brief for Monday November

covid-19 Featured

Everything You Need to Know About Pfizer's Coronavirus Vaccine

Amidst surging COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and Europe, the world got a bit of good news on the pandemic this week: early research from the pharmaceutical company Pfizer shows that their vaccine is very effective [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/health/covid-vaccine-pfizer.html]

news

Is Now a Good Time to Rent or Buy a New Home?

With millions of people continuing to work remotely during the pandemic (as of this summer, over 40% [https://news.stanford.edu/2020/06/29/snapshot-new-working-home-economy/#:~:text=We%20see%20an%20incredible%2042,working%20on%20their%20business%20premises.] of the U.S. workforce was working from home), people

knowledge

Here are the Top 5 States People Are Leaving, And Where They Are Going

The coronavirus pandemic has transformed how people work, with the largest shift (both temporary and permanent) to remote work ever. Now that millions of people have a remote-work option, many are rethinking where they live. For people who've lost jobs, they're also rethinking their living

elections

The Last Battleground Polls Before Election Day: Tuesday November 3

With 0 days left before the US election day, we are summarizing the most important polls you should be tracking — all of the battleground states that will determine whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden win the presidential election. We're updating this page multiple times a day as new