One thing many aren’t thinking about is the opportunity that refunds present to ramp up their emergency savings. The IRS already makes it easy for filers by allowing them to deposit their refund into up to three different accounts. If people don’t save for emergencies, they cannot buffer themselves against unexpected shocks in the short term. Through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s “Start Small, Save Up” initiative, we work to increase opportunities for people to save and to empower t

A woman shops for clothing at the JC Penney store in the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York. While CEO Jill Soltau said she has been encouraged by Penney’s progress, particularly in its women’s apparel business, the department store operator is still expecting 2020 will bring further declines in same-store sales. Penney is now calling for same-store sales in fiscal 2020 to be down 3.5% to 4.5%, excluding any impact from the coronavirus outbreak. The Plano, Texas-based department store

A view of a Best Buy retail store on August 29, 2019 in San Bruno, California. Best Buy on Thursday reported fourth-quarter results that exceeded analysts’ expectations, driven by strong sales of headphones, appliances and other items over the holidays. Best Buy said revenue grew to $15.2 billion, from $14.8 billion last year, and was higher than the $15.05 billion analysts expected. Over the holiday season, Best Buy offered next-day delivery on thousands of items with no minimum purchase or mem

Brazil, Georgia, Greece, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan and Romania reported coronavirus cases over the last day, Tedros said. World Health Organization officials warned that member countries need to prepare for their first COVID-19 cases after seven new countries reported cases for the first time over the last 24 hours. “The epidemics in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Italy and the Republic of Korea demonstrate what this virus is capable of.” Health officials have said the respiratory disease

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group Ltd., speaks during an interview following Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc.’s initial public offering (IPO) on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 28, 2019. Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Thursday:Morgan Stanley downgraded the space company and said it’s waiting for the stock’s fundamentals to catch up with the recent rally. “We remain constructive on the long term potential of SPCE, medium-term fo

“Normally, if you are planning to go on a trip to China and something like this happens, you postpone your trip,” Montgomery said. However, in this case, “the hospitals are planning on this and we really want to go.” More from Personal Finance:How to make money if your flight is delayedThis app eases clearing U.S. customs, immigrationHow to pick the best travel rewards credit cardAs a precaution, “I instructed everyone to get travel insurance,” he said. In general, travel insurance will reimburs

Keith Block, co-chief executive officer of Salesforce.com Inc., speaks during the opening keynote at the DreamForce conference in San Francisco, Sept. 25, 2018. RBC Capital on Thursday outlined three of the most likely companies it thinks former Salesforce co-CEO Keith Block might join following his Tuesday departure as chief executive. Block is well positioned to join Workday, Oracle or Amazon Web Services, according to the analyst note. After more than 25 years with Oracle, Block left in 2013

Johannes Eisele | AFP | Getty ImagesIt’s no secret that coronavirus fears have infected the market and prompted concerns about a potential global economic downturn. Here’s what we know now — and what you need to think about before making any fearful knee-jerk moves that you could end up regretting. Your portfolioWhen it comes to your investments, the biggest questions to ask yourself are what your goals and time horizon are. “It should be a longer recovery for those airlines or travel-type stock

An SEC order said Seagal, who has agreed to pay $314,000 in disgorgement and penalties, violated anti-touting provisions of federal securities laws during the very brief amount of time he spent as “brand ambassador” for the “Bitcoiin.” That Feb. 13, 2018 press release said that, “The inspiration of Bitcoiin2Gen is to make a superior or more advanced version of Original Bitcoin.” The SEC said, “These promotions came six months after the SEC’s 2017 DAO Report warning that coins sold in ICOs may be

“We have been conditioned as investors for the last 10 years to buy the dip continuously,” Schlossberg said on CNBC’s “Trading Nation.” “If this is the year that breaks that behavior, that’s going to be very, very nasty for most investors,” he warned. “So, to me, that’s going to be the much more interesting trade all the way through the year. That outperformance is going to stop this year, and that’s going to be the trade to make.” Johnson agreed that the dollar could “be a major headwind” if it

Pending home sales in January rose 5.2%, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday, crushing analysts’ expectations of a 2% monthly gain. “This month’s solid activity — the second-highest monthly figure in over two years — is due to the good economic backdrop and exceptionally low mortgage rates,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. Pending sales measure signed contracts, not closings, so they are an indicator of future closings two to three months out. Very low mortgage rates sho

While travel-related stocks are taking very large hits, the entire global stock market has been taken down in recent weeks. International investors believe coronavirus is truly a global phenomenon: Stock markets around the world are all down 10% to 12% from their recent highs. “You don’t usually fall this fast from an all-time high,” he said. “They usually don’t throw in the towel until they see a failed rally, but this is a true black-swan event. Markets don’t like uncertainty, but this is the

The rapid spread of the new coronavirus is testing airlines and other travel companies with a risk that had been nearly unthinkable over the past decade: a broad decline in travel demand. Air-travel demand had been growing at twice the pace of the global economy, but that bright spot is now at risk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday advised the public to avoid all nonessential travel to South Korea. Delta slashed its service to South Korea, home to the largest outbreak

U.S. billionaire Charles Simonyi speaks at a press conference outside Moscow in Star City on April 10, 2009. Charles Simonyi is a 71-year-old billionaire who has been to space twice. And I think I’m working on something where I can contribute a lot, where I have a lot of experience, and I will continue it.” He said he’s been building an application called Microsoft Whiteboard, a digital version of a whiteboard where several people can draw and write. Is it important that we all do the most impor

Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg speaks during an event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland January 23, 2019. I think I’m a very fair boss. But I’m demanding,” Sandberg said in an interview with “Byers Market,” the new NBC News podcast that made its debut Thursday. “We don’t spend that much time worrying about our public image,” she added. Sandberg defended Facebook’s decision not to fact-check political advertising and talked about its efforts to c

PayPal on Thursday said the coronavirus outbreak could have a negative impact on its revenue expectations, and warned that revenue for the first quarter of this year would be toward the lower end of the guidance it gave when it reported earnings in January. The company said it now expects Q1 revenue to hit the lower end of its range of $4.78 billion to $4.84 billion. PayPal left its first quarter GAAP and non-GAAP EPS guidance the same. U.S. stocks have been plunging this week on renewed fears t

Food delivery service DoorDash announced Thursday it has taken a first step toward a public offering. DoorDash said it has confidentially submitted a draft S-1 filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). DoorDash has tapped Goldman Sachs as an underwriter for its IPO, according to a source familiar with the matter. The company became the leader in digital food delivery in 2019, capturing a third of all food delivery sales in the U.S., according to data from analytics firm Second Meas

(This story is for CNBC Pro subscribers only.) The coronavirus-driven narrative that people are less willing to leave their homes is playing out nicely in the stock market this week. Stay-at-home stocks are outperforming the broader market and companies that promote travel due to the threat of the spreading deadly virus.

“Current forecasts of crude oil demand have fallen off a cliff. “The demand outlook for the crude oil and refined products keeps taking hit after hit,” Again Capital’s John Kilduff said. “The entirety of the key Asian oil consumption region is reeling from the coronavirus outbreak, and oil prices are suffering the most of all asset classes,” he said. “In addition, manufacturing activity, industrial activity, transportation – all drivers of oil demand will return once the coronavirus runs its cou

Trader Michael Urkonis works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, January 28, 2020. (This story is for CNBC Pro subscribers only.) Goldman Sachs just put out a shocking call, predicting zero earnings growth for the S&P 500 companies this year due to the coronavirus. The bank is advising its clients to buy domestically-oriented companies and avoid those with big foreign sales. Here are the stocks they recommend.