Good News for Consumers

• Those who rely on insulin to live will finally be getting a break, as Eli Lilly capped copays at $35 for those with and without insurance. (NYT)
• Consumer Reports contacted 20 companies offering auto insurance to see how they were helping customers with rebates or payment deferrals.  
• Check to see if your favorite publications have free versions/newsletters with coronavirus updates. (WaPo) (NYT) (LA Times) (WSJ “free” update hasn’t been updated since March 30, but keep checking if interested.)
• Many streaming services are also being offering free/longer trial periods during the pandemic. (CNBC)

Updates on details of the CARES Act

• CARES Act and retirement account withdrawals (Marketwatch)
• CARES Act and 403(b) Distributions: Key Issues Now (403bwise)
• CARES Act: $14 billion for higher education—half designated as emergency funding for students. (Inside Higher Ed) (letter from the Education Secretary)
• The IRS has a tool for non-filers to apply for their CARES payment. (Don't Mess With Taxes)

Corporate Winners in the Pandemic Economy

• Amazon (no surprise) is hiring like crazy. (WSJ)
• Grocery Delivery Apps (Apptopia)
• Netflix (Motley Fool)
• Flour and yeast producers (bread baking is a huge pandemic craze). (The Economist)

Economics

• Jobless claims totaled a whopping 6.6 million last week, following 6.9 (revised up from 6.6) and 3.3 the previous two weeks. That totals 10% of the US workforce in three weeks! (yahoo finance)
• Federal Reserve unveils details of $2.3 trillion in programs to help support the economy. The Fed is pulling every tool out of its toolbox. (CNBC)
• Vox explains the $349 million paycheck protection program to help small businesses.
• In a survey of likely voters, 73% of Americans say their income is being impacted by the pandemic. Digging into the differences across socioeconomic sectors is interesting. (Financial Times)
• Not surprising, but the percentage of renters skipping April's rent payment jumped from 18% (March) to 31%. (CNN)

Mathematics

• If you need a quick math lesson, Visual Capitalist has a great infographic on the math behind social distancing.

Estate Planning

• Do you cover wills in your class? Are you set personally? You don’t need to go to a lawyer, and if you don’t have wills (and advanced directives), now would be a good time to remedy that. (WSJ)

Checking in on our emotional health

Coronavirus is taking a toll on workers' mental health across America (CNBC), and most everybody. Your reaction to the pandemic should be treated as you would the grieving process for a loved one. Everyone will be reacting differently and going through the stages of “grief “at different times. It can be overwhelming just to keep yourself together, but adding on the stresses of the new work environment and on your family and students, where can you turn for help?

• CDC general guide to handling the stress
• Johns Hopkins resource
• List of free mental health services from Life Hacker

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