ESSENCE over 50 years celebrating Black women
After the 2020 election, phrases like “listen to Black women” were oft repeated, but not a reality for Black women in politics or business. The Women’s Right movement in America has been tied to the emancipation of Blacks and civil rights. To defeat talks of emancipation or Read More …
Hip-hop’s impact on Black businesses
The 50th anniversary of hip-hop coincides with the national Black business month in August, and the former has been a driver of growth and empowerment for the latter, according to leaders in the music genre’s industry. Hip-hop is an industry with an economic impact of $16 billion and has launched Black-owned Read More …
Nasdaq celebrates hip-hop’s 50th
LL COOL J rang in hip-hop’s 50th anniversary this month at the Nasdaq’s opening bell, underscoring how influential and profitable the genre has become. The bell-ringing at Nasdaq was last week, but today, August 11, is the official anniversary. An industry with an economic impact Read More …
Juneteenth: High on the Hog
Honored to co-host Yahoo’s Juneteenth interview of Stephen Satterfield, host of Netflix’s High on the Hog docu-series. Part One: The meaning of “high on the hog” Part Two: America’s culinary tradition – Hercules and James Hemmings Part Three: The power of food to unite and teaser Read More …
Escrow shortages causing increased mortgage payments
In September, Caroline Hernandez, a Florida homeowner, got a notice from her mortgage lender that her escrow account that held funds to pay her homeowners insurance and property taxes was short by $3,522 because her insurance premiums had increased. The shortage meant that Hernandez’s mortgage Read More …
When women lead businesses thrive
As Women’s History Month comes to a close, Nasdaq had women leaders at Monday’s closing bell. With only 10% of Fortune 500 companies led by women, the symbolism of having some of the most innovative women at the intersection of finance, funding, and founding at Read More …
Tax policies have disparate racial impact
Tax breaks and tax enforcement are not agnostic when it comes to race, according to a pair of recent studies. White taxpayers disproportionately benefit from five studied tax breaks versus Black Americans, in many cases when adjusting for income, according to a Treasury study from the Read More …
Student Loans: Resources for borrowers
President Biden’s up to $20,000 in student loan forgiveness is on hold as the Supreme Court deliberates. As a result, the federal forbearance pause has been extended until June 30. If litigation has not been resolved by then, payments will begin 60 days after that. Read More …
Student Loans: Borrowers in default
Around 7.5 million borrowers were in default before the COVID-19 pandemic and more than 50% of all student loan defaults were borrowers who attended for-profit schools. Once the federal forbearance pause is lifted, on June 30, 2023, the average borrower will experience a 17% jump Read More …
Student Loans: One-time IDR payment adjustment
Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans were considered a fix to a broken student loan system, offering borrowers monthly payments based income, unlike standard payment plans. An additional benefit of IDR plans was that after 20-25 years of repayments, the remaining balance would be discharged. However, over Read More …
Student Loans: Income-driven repayment plans
Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans base monthly payments on the borrower’s income, unlike standard payment plans. An additional benefit of IDR plans is that after 20-25 years of repayments, the remaining balance is discharged. Payments borrowers made on loans while in Chapter 13 bankruptcy or through Read More …
Student Loans: Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Borrowers who have been in repayment for at least 10 years and work in public service jobs with federal, state, local, or certain non-profit organizations are eligible for loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. PSLF was started in 2007 as an Read More …