Finance101

  Stimulus Check Update 2025 As of late 2025, there is no officially approved federal stimulus check or "fourth stimulus check" coming from the IRS or Congress. Widespread claims and social media rumors about a new $1,390 or $2,000 payment for 2025 have been refuted by the IRS . However, there are two key areas where payments are being issued: unclaimed pandemic-era funds (Recovery Rebate Credit) and state-level tax rebates . It's crucial for Americans to understand the difference. 1. The Real Payment: Unclaimed Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) The most concrete federal payment opportunity in 2025 relates to the Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC) . This is not a new stimulus check but a way to claim a missing payment from the 2021 third round of Economic Impact Payments (the $1,400 per person payments). Who is Eligible? Individuals who were eligible for the 2021 stimulus payments but did not receive the full amount may claim the missing funds by filing a 2021 tax return or an...

Bitcoin has a market value of more than $2 trillion.  (Dreamstime) Key Points Bitcoin decreased 0.8% over 24 hours to $111,722, accumulating a 4.6% loss over seven days and trading nearly 10% below its August peak. Other cryptocurrencies also experienced declines, with Ether falling 4.3%, XRP slipping 0.1%, and Solana down 2.7%. Investors are awaiting Friday’s personal consumption expenditure data, a key inflation measure, which could influence future interest-rate decisions. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies fell early Thursday as investors turned their attention to coming economic data following a flash crash earlier this week. Bitcoin   BTCUSD -3.35%  was down 2% over the past 24 hours to $111,513, according to CoinDesk data, bringing losses over the past seven days to 4.7%. It’s now trading nearly 10% off its record high of just above $123,000 in August. The second largest crypto by market value,  Ether   ETHUSD -5.80% , fell 4.2%, while Ripple’s  XRP ...

  Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) . In the ongoing digital transformation of money, a new and powerful player is emerging from the most traditional of institutions: the world's central banks. Forget volatile cryptocurrencies and decentralized platforms for a moment; the next frontier is the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) . While Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is built on a philosophy of "Code is Law," CBDCs are a vision of "Government is Money." They represent a direct response by central authorities to the rise of private digital currencies and the decline of physical cash. Countries from China to the Bahamas have already launched or are actively piloting their own digital currencies, and the debate is heating up globally. CBDC vs. Crypto: What's the Difference? At a glance, a CBDC might seem similar to Bitcoin or Ethereum—they're both digital forms of money. However, their fundamental nature is vastly different. Feature Central Bank Digital C...

Decentralized Finance (DeFi)   The financial world is undergoing a seismic shift, moving from traditional centralized institutions to a decentralized paradigm. At the heart of this revolution is Decentralized Finance, or DeFi . If you've ever felt limited by banks, high fees, or opaque financial systems, DeFi offers a compelling alternative. But what exactly is DeFi, and why should you, as an everyday investor, care? Understanding the Core: What is DeFi? Imagine a financial system where you are your own bank. No intermediaries, no lengthy paperwork, no single point of control. That's the promise of DeFi. At its core, DeFi refers to financial applications built on blockchain technology, primarily Ethereum. Unlike traditional finance (TradFi), which relies on institutions like banks, brokers, and exchanges to facilitate transactions, DeFi uses smart contracts to automate and execute financial agreements. These smart contracts are self-executing code stored on a blockchain, me...