This may seem unexpected advice coming from this editorial page, but if you are in a good financial situation right now, the last thing you should do with your federal stimulus check is to put it in savings.
Search for ways to spend it that would do the most good for someone in need.
We have long stood for financial prudence and the need to save against a rainy day. The truth is it’s raining hard for a lot of people right now, and the best thing you could do is to spend a little at a small business or for a struggling contractor to perform a service, getting money circulating again into the economy. Granted, this may be hard to do at a time when many businesses are, at least temporarily, closed, but we urge you to search for opportunities among people you know.
Of course, if you are out of work, the stimulus check — which will be $1,200 for individuals making less than $75,000 and $2,400 for couples earning less than $150,000, with an additional $500 for each dependent child age 16 and under — should be spent for immediate needs, such as groceries or rent. The money is meant to help the great mass of Americans suddenly displaced by the novel coronavirus to get by, even though for the hardest hit among these, it probably won’t be enough.
News about unemployment is painful to digest at the moment. On Thursday, the Labor Department said another 6.6 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits during the prior week. Add that to the 6.9 million (a revised figure) who applied the week before that, and the 3.3 million the week before that, and you get an idea how many people suddenly are without the means to pay rent or otherwise sustain life.
Even if many of these losses are only temporary, they have an immediate and real impact. And the word “temporary” has an uncertain meaning in this context. No one knows when the economy will reopen. Some experts predict it will happen gradually, with certain social distancing rules remaining in effect and likely slowing the normal flow of commerce. Small businesses, in particular, are in danger of closing for good.
So think carefully about how to spend the extra money. Here are some suggestions:
- Give it away. If you have a relative or other close friend you know is struggling, and whose personal stimulus check won’t go far enough to cover expenses, think about gifting your check to them.
- Put the money in a checking account where it easily can be accessed. Experts say you’re more likely to spend money when it’s accessible.
- Try to spend locally. This shouldn’t be a hard and fast rule. Employees at large national retailers live locally and need money just as much as anyone else, but small businesses are particularly vulnerable right now.
- If you can’t spend money right now on small businesses because they are temporarily closed, consider buying gift cards from them for later use. A gift card purchase acts as an interest-free loan to a business owner, providing needed cash now.
- If you are uncertain about the status of your employment for the weeks to come, then by all means save some of the money and earmark it for future rent or bills. That remains a sound strategy.
Congress did the right thing by approving this emergency money. Millions of individuals can decide how best to spend this cash much better than a few government experts ever could. Just bear in mind that the greatest good right now will come from thinking of others, first.