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financial
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2020-04-23
St. Mary's C.A.R.E.S
Many students from the start of the pandemic have had to turn to governmental assistance from the CARES act to help pay for their tuition or college-related expenses. This item showcases one of the most prominent government relief programs that were available to STMu students and college students nationwide. This funding was essential for many college-aged students who may not have qualified for the stimulus package or unemployment but who were facing the negative financial effects of the pandemic. -
2020-04-20
Jobkeeper notification - HIST30060
After losing my job the prior month I attempted to find financial support through the Jobkeeper program that was being run by the Victorian Government at the time. Unfortunately as a result of being terminated the prior month as well as having a casual status at the job I was unable to receive support from the government or the company that I worked for. This meant that I was out of work and money for a period of 6 months in 2020 before finally being able to find another job. Personal information relating to myself and the business have been marked out in order to protect privacy. -
2020-06-06
"Art Basel Has Canceled the 2020 Edition of Its Flagship Swiss Fair, Citing ‘Tumultuous and Challenging Times’"
The Artnet article discusses the trepidation in decisions to resurrect in-person events, specifically annual international art fairs. Businesses and institutions prematurely made plans for the reopening of in-person events in the summer of 2020 in hopes of recouping money lost during the initial lockdown in the spring. Art fairs are premier money making events and networking opportunities in the contemporary art world that are ultimately economically beneficial for gallerists, art advisors, fine arts shipping companies, local restaurants and businesses, and hotels alike. Organizations such as Art Basel rake in enormous sums of money each year through their hosting of mega-art fairs in various international locations. The article focuses on Art Basel’s announcement of yet another change in the program for Art Basel as the art world grapples with the decision of public health versus economy. The fair looked to digital alternatives as a way to sustain in the interim. -
2021-10-17
The Covid Disconnect
The story and my experience are an example of the many ways in which the pandemic affected individuals in different ways. It goes without saying that each person was impacted in varied ways due to Covid-19, however, not all of them were either explicitly negative or an outcome that is easily defined as being either beneficial or harmful. During the height of the pandemic in the United States, I was employed as an Assistant Warehouse Manager in Green Bay, WI. My workload and responsibilities were already a little taxing, but once things got in full swing with Covid they became even more so. I went from working an average of 60 hours a week to over 75. This was mainly due to about a third (or more) of our employees being out of work due to quarantine-type measures or actual illness. This went on for months at the beginning. Many weeks out of that time period there were as few as about a dozen of us running three shifts in a warehouse that normally employed roughly 40 workers. Also at this time, my wife became unemployed because her place of employment shut down. Others around me were losing their jobs in droves and facing financial hardship. But due to my position and the nature of the job, I had never had more job security and we never faced any kind of financial difficulties. On the contrary, during the entire pandemic, my wife and I never went without or struggled. This gave me a surreal feeling and one that I almost felt guilty for living through. Aside from some minor changes in my daily life, I barely noticed any personal changes due to Covid. All in all, it was an extremely odd time to live through; the pandemic wasn't necessarily bad for my wife and me, but I know it was for countless others. And that made it all the more strange. -
2020-05-17
Coronavirus is taking a financial toll on Colorado’s houses of worship. But religious leaders still have faith.
During the pandemic, many places of faith are on the verge of closing their doors permanently. As people lost jobs, giving obviously declined. Because houses of worship rely entirely on giving, this has created a crisis for many churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples. These houses of faith still have bills to pay, they have employees to pay, and the vast majority of these houses of faith contribute significantly to their community. This article speaks to the uphill battle being faced specifically by places of faith in Colorado during the pandemic. -
2021-01-30
Promising COVID-19 Vaccine News Has Some Itching To Travel Again
COVID-19 has led to many restrictions on travel, both domestic and international. Some families have already started planning for their next trip after the pandemic. The travel industry has taken a major financial hit due to the pandemic and many are hoping that regular travel will resume this year. -
2020-08-08
Self Expression in a Pandemic
The media above is a picture sent to me by a close friend whose mom’s friend was making these masks and selling them to people during quarantine. This means a lot to me because since the pandemic had already been around for a while, people began to find ways to express themselves and their culture through our required masks. Not only that, but it also proves the financial crisis many people were in and the small ideas they have in order to make some extra money to make ends meet. Although the government did send financial aid out, for many it wasn’t enough. These masks show both our insistence to express ourselves during a crisis and the inability for the government to provide proper aid to the citizens. -
2020-07-03
NO FAIR
I might not get to attend school next term, and it's only a little bit my fault. It would be easier for me to accept that I might not get to go to school next term if it was, actually, my fault. But in order to explain exactly why this is happening to me, specifically, I have to go back to a single moment in 2018. I took a break from school for 3 terms-- or, one and a half years. I took classes here and there at the University of Maine to earn some basic credits. When I initially filed my tax return, I owed about $60. Immediately after filing my tax return, I went back and realised that I needed to fill out the 1098-T. Suddenly, the US government owed me about $900. I probably would have remembered if I was paying for my tuition myself. Technically the funds are in my name, but my dad's the one who does all the re-arranging and finagling when we pay my tuition. During that time off I paid my student loans by myself just fine, but he does some jiggery pokery with investment accounts I can't understand. I remember getting a bunch of warnings. ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT COMMITTING FRAUD, ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT LYING, ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT A THIEF, etc etc., when I filed for an amendment. It took the government months and months to process the amendment, and begrudgingly admit that they owed me money. When I finally did get a check sometime in August, I laughed about it and put it in my (very healthy) savings account. This year, I was late to the game. I believe I completed the FAFSA on time, though I'm not sure. I'm not even sure it would have made a difference. I kept getting notifications that I hadn't completed my forms. I looked online and the FAFSA seemed OK. Things came to a head one afternoon in mid-May. We received a bill where I had no financial aid, at all. I called my advisor, freaking out and crying in these huge, gross sobs, because nothing upsets me like money. She reassured me we would figure it out. What I did figure out is that because I filed an amended tax return, I had to get a tax transcript. Before I could get a tax transcript, I had to get my student loan number, because I didn't have any of the other things that they asked for-- no auto loan, no credit card. I'm still not entirely sure what my student loan number is. I have 3 different numbers that I rotate on the IRS site when I'm absent-mindedly trying to get my transcript, again. None of the numbers that I cried over finding work. I always get an error message. I don't think there's any student loan number associated with my account, even though I've paid student loans before. I've tried so many times that if I was doing something wrong, I probably would have done something right by now. You can try 3 times every 24 hours before they lock you out for 'fraud prevention' or something. The financial aid office at my school told me I have to wait until an IRS office opens. My local office is located in a strip mall. It has a 1.8 star rating on Google. There is no indication whether they've re-opened or not. In the meantime, I don't know what to do. I feel lost, and physically sick to my stomach. I'm not unfamiliar with being forced to take a break from school. I'm unfamiliar with having so much I desperately want to do next term, but with the looming threat of that being taken away. I feel helpless. I try to act like nothing's up, but talking about the situation is a fast way to reduce me to tears. I keep wanting to yell NO FAIR, even though other people are in a worse situation. The people I've talked to at school have reassured me that they'll find a way. It's really hard to believe them. I just want the IRS to open back up, and to get my damn transcript. Then everything will be OK. -
2020-03-28
Empty financial office during quarantine - Boston, MA
Photograph of an abandoned desk at an unnamed financial office after two weeks of quarantine, with a vase of dead flowers and an ironically cheerful post-it note. -
2020-05-05
Quarantine in Lemoore, California
This journal entry illustrates my experiences throughout the pandemic while living with my family in Lemoore, California. -
2020-04-19
Filipino sentiment on the Php 8000 stimulus
The image is a satire of how the 8,000 peso stimulus check is not enough for most Filipino families' needs and so I have been asked by my friend to create this meme to show that it really is not enough because we think the same thing. -
2020-04-05
Jobs
Personal Reflection