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bryantlibrary · 4 years

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What’s New About New York State Unemployment Insurance Benefits and The Federal Recovery Rebate?

The rising number of people applying for unemployment insurance benefits over the last few weeks put a tremendous strain on the online system New York State workers use to apply for employment benefits. To remedy the situation, last week New York State transitioned to a new system. File a new claim by going to https://unemployment.labor.ny.gov/login. If you used the old system and were told to follow up by phoning the call center, DO NOT DO IT. Instead, someone will call you, if they have not already. If you want to review your claim information or have to make your weekly certification go to https://applications.labor.ny.gov/IndividualReg/.

New York State also increased their hours. They are now open on Sundays. The hours are Monday through Friday from 8 am to 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 7:30 am to 8 pm. When filing a claim for benefits, you should do it based on the first letter of your last name:

● A-F: Monday

● G-N: Tuesday

● O-Z: Wednesday

● Missed your day? File Thursday-Sunday

There’s also good news if you’re waiting for your Recovery Rebate (aka Stimulus Check). The IRS reports that the first batch of direct deposits went out on April 11. Check the bank account you used when you filed your 2018 or 2019 taxes to see if it has landed there yet. They hope to have all direct deposits for those who filed taxes in 2018/19 out by April 15. Paper checks will be sent in early May. For this to happen, the IRS needs to have your bank account information or an address to mail your check. If you did not file taxes in 2018 or 2019 and don’t receive Social Security retirement, disability (SSDI), or survivor benefits, or Railroad Retirement and Survivor Benefits, provide direct deposit information to this IRS Portal.

The IRS also has another tool coming soon (mid-April)! Those who filed a tax return in 2018/19 can use Get Your Payment, to check their payment status, confirm their payment type, and enter bank account information. Please check the IRS Economic Impact Payments Page for information about both the tool for non-filers and the one for filers. Please see How the CARES Act Helps American Workers, written by our career specialist Dawn Rosenberg McKay, for more information.

Article by Bryant Career Specialist Dawn Rosenberg McKay

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bryantlibrary · 4 years

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FINANCIAL NEWSPAPERS & MAGAZINES AT THE BRYANT LIBRARY

Need help staying up-to-date with rapidly changing financial news? The Bryant Library can help. While the appearance of certain publications, such as The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) or Barron’s, may be altered from what you see with a personal digital subscription, much of the same content is available to you through the Library’s institutional subscriptions to both publications.

Winner of numerous Pulitzer Prizes for outstanding journalism, WSJ is a business-focused daily newspaper that provides national news coverage including politics, government, economy, health care, education and more. To access it, go to the Library’s homepage and click on the Online Databases icon to reach an alphabetical list of databases, including Wall Street Journal. When prompted for your library barcode enter all 14 digits of your library card number (no spaces or dashes). To view articles for the current day, click on the “Advanced Search” tab on the grey bar at the top of the search page, choose the “On this date” option from the drop-down menu next to “Publication date” and enter the month, day and year.

Barron's, a weekly publication, is a leading source of financial news, providing in-depth analysis and commentary on stocks, investments and how markets are moving. Each issue provides a summary of the previous week's market activity as well as news, reports, and an outlook on the week to come. Access Barron’s from the Library’s homepage as described above for the WSJ. Once you are in Barron’s, scroll down to the bottom of the search page where you will find a list of specific issues by date. Just click on the “+” icons until you arrive at a particular issue. Want to see an article the way it appeared in the print version of Barron’s? Just click on the “Full text – PDF” option beneath the article you want to read.

Looking for business and finance magazines? Then checkout RBdigital. From the Library’s homepage click on the Use the Library from Home icon to reach a list of digital resources. Select the RBdigital icon and use the “Genres” drop-down menu at the top of the page to select “Business & Finance.” You are now ready to choose from a selection of magazines including The Economist, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Entrepreneur and more. To checkout a magazine, sign in or create an account using your library card number. RBdigital mobile apps are available for viewing on iOS, Android or Kindle Fire.

Need help with any of this? Click on the Chat with a Librarian link on the left-side of the Library’s homepage any time between 9 AM to 5 PM to ask a librarian for assistance.

Article by Reference Library Beth Mezick

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bryantlibrary · 4 years

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What is Kanopy...and how does it work?!

Welcome to Kanopy, the library's free video streaming service that gets you any one of 30,000 films, documentaries, and educational videos simply by entering your library card number.

For those who missed any of the major classical films, such as "Charade," a tour de force for a mellowing Gary Grant and a delightful Audrey Hepburn, or "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" which showcased the lovely Catherine Deneuve, or the madcap adventures of Rosalind Russell in "His Girl Friday" this may be the ideal time to catch these fabled films all available through the Criterion Collection, an inventory of the best of American and European movies.

Along with watching these films to pass the "staying home" hours, there are free educational and informative items to check out with your library card. The vast inventory of the Great Courses provides more than just foreign language learning, mathematical instructions, or cooking lessons but tours of Italian cathedrals, French wineries, and British museums.

Media Education Foundation is ready to help schools along with families make the transition to online learning. The MEF works collaboratively with librarians, teachers, and parents to offer alternative solutions and deliver the information needed to provide instructions in math, science, history, sociology, and literature, as well as art and music, to everyone involved in learning and teaching adults and children. All Kanopy streaming videos are available free using just your library card number. Go to the Bryant Library in Roslyn's website and click on the Kanopy app near the bottom of the page.

Kanopy provides free streaming of a variety of movies, documentaries, children's programs, along with educational and instructional videos including your favorite classics. For example: the Academy Award-winning Frederico Fellini's black and white foreign language film, 8-1/2, the movie described by film critics as a fantastic journey through a dreamscape that starred Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale.

While we are on the Frederico Fellini film works, the famous vehicle for Anthony Quinn and Fellini's wife, Guilietta Massina, "La Strada" is available on Kanopy. Both movies won Academy Awards for foreign language films.

If the glitz of the James Bond series does nothing for you, the grittier side of spycraft is exposed in British writer John Le Carre's initial success, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold." While not Le Carre's first work of fiction, it became his first big hit and put him on the map as a writer of the cloak and dagger genre. Richard Burton was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of the not-so-debonaire George Smiley. Burton lost to Oscar Weiner who played the evil East German agent.

Closer to home, some American favorites that are readily available on Kanopy include: Teacher's Pet, starring Clark Gable and Doris DayTerms of Endearment, Shirley Maclaine and Debra Winger The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin's takeoff on Adolph Hitler and possibly himself.

Back to the Italian award-winning hits:Marriage Italian Style with Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, watch the award-winning couple again inYesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, the1956 film that paired the two actors playing the leads in three separate stories.

There are plenty of fun flicks to stream free for adults and children in every category. For kids, there are cartoons to classics, including some Disney favorites, and tons of animal features.

Article by Reference Librarian Patricia Murphy

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bryantlibrary · 4 years

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Do You Hoopla?

Looking for the right book to read or listen to? A good movie to watch while you're stuck at home? Would you like to listen to some of your favorite music to lift your spirits? Hoopla can be your solution and it is absolutely free.

The possibilities are endless. All you need is your library card and an email address to watch, read, and listen. Hoopla is your passport to, download or stream movies, read eBooks, or listen to audiobooks and music. The best of all, content is always available without waitlists, there will be no late fees and the items will be automatically returned.

For example, a simple search for the title “Separation Anxiety” results in both ebook and the audiobook formats.

On browsing, television series “Doc Martin” feel free to binge watch, the episodes, same with Movies search “Star wars” and enjoy watching the resulting titles.

It was magical to be able to do a search “Josh Groban’s Bridges, borrow it and listen to the magic on my computer within minutes” I love Hoopla.

Click on the link below and get started!

https://www.hoopladigital.com/

Questions? Ask a Librarian at [email protected] .

Happy Hoopla"ing"!

Submission by Nirmala Bhattacharya

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bryantlibrary · 4 years

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Light on Snow by Anita Snow

Are you getting bored? Feeling stressed? I am a reference librarian at The Bryant Library, and I have a perfect book for you to read: Light on Snow by Anita Shreve. According to this review by ReadersGroupGuides.com, “This’s a book to read when a blizzard is coming, you’re fixed cozily under a quilt, and you know there’s enough milk in the house for a couple of days...”

Writing with all the emotional resonance that has drawn millions of readers around the world to her fiction, Anita Shreveport unfolds in Light on Snow a tender and surprising novel about love and its consequences.

Book Review by Reference Librarian Saroj Gupta

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bryantlibrary · 4 years

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USE MORNINGSTAR TO IMPROVE FINANCIAL LITERACY

While Value Line may be considered the granddaddy of investment research companies, since 1984 Morningstar has been a respected and reliable source of independent investment analysis for diverse levels of investors, ranging from inexperienced beginners to sophisticated experts. Today it is a leading source for information on mutual funds, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), market analysis, and portfolios.

If you’re new to investing, click on the Help & Education tab at the top of the Morningstar page for insights into smart investing and staying ahead of the market. With numerous courses on stocks, funds, and portfolio building, you’ll find everything you need to know about investing.

From Morningstar’s homepage, you can also screen stock exchanges, mutual funds, ETFs, and access portfolio tools. To quickly search for a company or fund, enter the name of the stock or fund in the search bar and then click the correct company or fund in the drop-down list that appears. Morningstar will retrieve a current report, which includes an in-depth company profile, historical stock graphs, stock analysis, and more.

Within the Portfolio tab, you’ll find a comprehensive suite of planning tools and investment advice. Use the X-Ray tool to interpret your assets and compare your holdings, or dig into video seminars under Asset Allocation.

To access Morningstar go to the Library’s homepage and click on the Online Databases icon to reach an alphabetical list of databases, including Morningstar. When prompted for your library barcode enter all 14 digits of your library card number (no spaces or dashes).

Don’t forget to download the new guide at the top of the home page, Using the New Morningstar Quote Pages - Mutual Funds and ETFs. It will show you how to navigate and interpret the data presented in the new interactive version of the Morningstar Quote Pages for mutual funds and EFTs.

Article by Beth Mezick

#financialliteracy

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bryantlibrary · 4 years

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Get Smart...

With this month's focus on Financial Literacy, it's a good time for everyone to take control of their financial life. The Senate designated April as financial literacy month in 2004, as part of an effort to help more Americans improve their understanding of financial issues such as credit management, savings, and home ownership. Basic understanding of the financial world can allow anyone, no matter their background, to prepare for a financially-stable future.

Financial literacy is an ever-growing need for Americans of all ages, from high school students to retiring seniors. Value Line, one of The Bryant Library’s many online databases, is a great resource to help you further your financial education and make more informed investment decisions.

To begin or continue your journey toward financial literacy and financial confidence go to the Library’s homepage and click on the Online Databases icon to reach an alphabetical list of databases, including Value Line. When prompted for your library barcode enter all 14 digits of your library card number (no spaces or dashes).

And don’t forget to click on the Investment Education link at the top of the Value Line page for an extensive library of materials, including articles and a collection of “how to” guides, that can help you raise your financial literacy levels.

Submission by Beth Mezick

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bryantlibrary · 4 years

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Nick Dunne comes home one day to find his wife gone with evidence of a struggle. The author proceeds to weave a story of how this golden boy struggles to prove that he has nothing to do with his wife’s disappearance, even as the proof stacks up against him. Well worth a read, and available now on Libby as an e-book and audiobook!

Click here to get started:

https://nassau.overdrive.com/

Bryant Book Corner Recommendation Submitted by Nirmala Bhattacharya

#bookrec goodreads askalibrarian

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bryantlibrary · 4 years

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The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer

The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer is an evocative and beautifully written historical fiction.

In this book, the author offers a poignant look into the hearts of one woman and two men, whose lives come together during six months in San Francisco.

Book Recommendation Submitted by Saroj Gupta

#goodreads bookrec referencelibrarian askalibrarian

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bryantlibrary · 4 years

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The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act: How It Helps American Workers

By Dawn Rosenberg McKay, Career Development Specialist, The Bryant Library

4/1/2020; UPDATED 4/2/2020

For the most up-to-date information on these issues, please visit: https://bryantlibrary.org/adults/job-search

During the 20+ years I have spent as a career development specialist my job has been to help people earn a living. There are two components to this. One is to help individuals find work that is enjoyable and fulfilling. The other is to make sure they can get paid for that work. If we didn’t need money, we wouldn’t have to worry about that second component.

Everyone has to be able to at least put food on the table, have a place to live, and pay the bills. Suddenly, with the arrival of coronavirus, away went the ability of many of us to earn a living. Businesses laid off or became unable to pay their workers, many people couldn’t work because they were ill or had to take care of a sick family member, and others had to be on quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19. Unfortunately, you still need to be able to put food on the table and pay at least some of your bills.

That’s where the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) comes in. President Trump signed this bipartisan law on March 27, 2020 after it was passed by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

The primary intent of CARES is to help lessen the financial hardship that many Americans are already facing and will continue to deal with during this pandemic. Among its provisions are a stimulus payment for which most people are eligible, expanded student loan relief, and expanded unemployment benefits. We’ll take a look at each of those provisions here. To learn more about CARES, here is the complete text of the law.

The Recovery Rebate

The recovery rebate, more commonly called the stimulus payment, is possibly the part of The CARES Act with which Americans are most familiar. It consists of a one-time payment of $1200 that most people will receive. Here are some things you should know about it.

How Much Will You Get?

The IRS will use your 2019 tax return, or if you didn’t file it yet, your 2018 return, to calculate how much your stimulus payment (aka recovery rebate) will be. Individuals with adjusted gross incomes* of up to $75,000 will get $1200 and married couples filing a joint return with a total adjusted gross income of up to $150,000 will get $2400.

Families will get an additional $500 for each child under 17 years of age. Payments to individuals who earned over $75,000 but no more than $99,000 will receive a reduced payment calculated on a sliding scale. The same goes for married couples who earned over $150,000 but not more than $198,000.

Individuals who file taxes as heads of household, for example single parents, will get the full amount as long as their adjusted gross income is no more than $112,500 a year. Anything above that, but only up to $136,500, will be calculated at a reduced rate on a sliding scale.

According to a decision made by the Treasury Department late on April 1, Social Security recipients who have not filed a tax return do not have to file one to receive a payment. A direct deposit will automatically be made to the account where they receive their monthly benefits.

Find out how much you’ll be getting. Use this calculator from the Washington Post.

*To find your adjusted gross income, look at Line 8b of your 2019 Federal Income Tax Return or Line 7 of your 2018 return.

Who Isn’t Eligible for the Recovery Rebate?

Not everyone will receive the stimulus payment. The CARES Act deems some people ineligible. That includes nonresident aliens, estates and trusts, and adults who can be claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer. Sorry! If your parents claim you as a dependent on their tax return, which includes most people between the ages of 18 and 23, you won’t be getting a check.

If You Are Eligible, How and When Will You Get Paid?

You don’t have to do anything to apply for a payment. If you filed a 2019 tax return and provided direct deposit information, the IRS will send your money to the bank account you indicated. If you didn’t give that information, you will get a check in the mail. The IRS has announced plans to build a web-based portal that will allow taxpayers to enter updated banking information. As of this writing, it is not yet available.

Didn’t file your 2019 return yet? The deadline for filing tax returns for 2019 has been postponed from April 15 to July 15, but you can file one right now if you wish. Those with income that is below $69,000 can use a free online filing tool from the IRS. Free fillable tax forms are available for higher earners.

The IRS can also use your 2018 return to determine where to send your check. If you changed your address or bank information, try to complete your 2019 return now in order to update that information or enter it on the web-based portal when that goes live. Keep checking the IRS Coronavirus Relief page for an announcement but keep in mind that the government, even in calmer times, moves at a glacial pace. You will probably be able to get your 2019 return filed faster than the IRS will get that tool up and running.

As for when you will see your payment, Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin has said that most people can expect to receive their direct deposits by April 17. The IRS has also stated it will mail a paper notice to recipients a few weeks after payment is made.

Expanded Unemployment Insurance Benefits

While getting your recovery rebate requires little effort on your part, accessing the expanded unemployment insurance (UI) benefits provisions of the CARES Act will be more of an endeavor. You will have to apply to receive benefits, but if you are eligible, you’ll receive them.

What is Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)

Pandemic Unemployment Assistant expands unemployment insurance benefits to individuals who are not entitled to regular UI benefits such as independent contractors, have a limited work history, or are self-employed, as well as others. Anyone who meets the following criteria qualifies for PUA:

Has the illness or has a household member who does

Is caring for someone with COVID-19

Can’t get to work because of a quarantine related to the public health emergency

Has children who can’t attend school or another facility because of closures due to COVID-19

Quit their job because of COVID-19

Has become the major breadwinner because the head of the household died from COVID-19

Can’t start a new job as scheduled because of the COVID-19 public health emergency

Can’t work because their employer is closed due to the COVID-19 public health emergency

Workers who employers will pay to do their jobs remotely or who are on sick leave or other paid leave do not qualify for PUA.

What You Need to Know About UI Benefits

Your regular benefit amount will be based on your recent earnings but in New York State will not exceed the maximum amount of $504.

Everyone who qualifies for UI benefits or PUA will receive $600 per week in addition to their regular benefit amount until July 31, 2020.

All UI benefits recipients, including those who qualify for PUA, will receive an extra 13 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits beyond the normal 26 weeks. This means you can receive a total of 39 weeks of benefits. Anyone who exhausted their benefits after July 1, 2019 can apply for the extra weeks of coverage.

If you qualify for PUA, there will be no waiting period after you are approved to receive UI benefits. You will begin receiving them as soon as they are processed.

Partial benefits may be available to workers whose hours were reduced due to COVID-19, as well as to part-time workers. You must work less than four days a week and earn $504 or less.

How to Apply for UI Benefits in New York State

As you might imagine, many people are trying to apply for UI benefits right now. If you are currently receiving benefits, you don’t have to do anything other than continue to certify weekly. The NYS Department of Labor requests that you DO NOT CALL since it will tie up the lines for those who are filing initial claims. You are automatically eligible for the expanded benefits as provided by the CARES Act.

Those who are not currently receiving benefits will have to file a claim. Remember that this is also for individuals who are not eligible for traditional UI benefits. Please read the section on PUA above to see if you are eligible and check the PUA page on the Department of Labor website.

File your claim online by going to labor.ny.gov/signin/. This is preferable to calling but if you don’t have internet access, call 1-888-209-8124. There are reports that it takes quite a while to get through. The NYS Department of Labor is taking calls six days a week: Monday through Saturday. Patience is required.

Those filing a claim may do so based on their last name as follows:

A-F: Monday

G-N: Tuesday

O-Z: Wednesday

Missed your day? File Thursday-Saturday

People who live in New York but worked in another state should file their claims in the state where they were last employed. While New York was fairly quick to put a plan in place to help people file PUA claims once The CARES Act went into effect, other states have been slower to respond. If you worked in multiple states, please contact the NYS Department of Labor for help with filing. Be prepared to wait a long time for assistance if you call. Please see careeronestop for links to unemployment benefit information in other states.

Expanded Student Loan Relief

Student loan payments are often a burden for both recent and not so recent college grads during normal times. It’s the last thing you want to have to worry about during this crisis. The legislators recognized this when writing the CARES Act. If you are paying back a federal student loan, you can breathe a sigh of relief. Your loan won’t be among your worries for now.

There will be automatic payment suspensions until September 30, 2020. Remember, this doesn’t apply to loans from state or private lenders although they may have similar suspensions in place. You will not accrue interest on your federal student loan during the suspension period. Keep an eye out for a notice from your loan servicer. You will also receive additional notices after August 1 as the suspension period draws to a close.

Sources and Additional Information:

The following sources were consulted for compiling information for this article. They are also excellent resources for further information.

H.R. 748: CARES ACT

Still, Ashlyn, et al. “Calculate How Much You’ll Get From the $1,200 (or more) Coronavirus Checks.” The Washington Post. March 27, 2020.

Nevius, Alistair M., JD. “CARES Act Tax Provisions Aim to Stabilize Pandemic-ravaged Economy”). Journal of Accountancy. March 25, 2020 (Updated March 27, 2020)

Bernard, Tara Siegal & Lieber, Ron. “F.A.Q. on Stimulus Checks, Unemployment and the Coronavirus Plan.” The New York Times. March 31, 2020

NYS Department of Labor. What You Need to Know and Do About the Cares Act, Unemployment Insurance Benefits: Updated FAQs, and Relief for Workers Affected By Coronavirus Act: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)

US Department of Treasury. Press Release: Social Security Recipients Will Automatically Receive Economic Impact Payments. April 1, 2020.

I am a career development specialist who assists clients with their career planning needs at The Bryant Library. Even though the Library is closed now, you can still get help with your resume. I am offering virtual resume reviews. Send me an email at [email protected] to find out how to set up an appointment.

#careerhelp coronavirus relief

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