Helen Reis
Helen Reis is a senior editor overseeing personal finance coverage at The Messenger. She's been a financial journalist for over 15 years and previously worked for Dotdash Meredith, Bloomberg News, and American Banker.
- By Helen Reis|Student Loan Servicers That Sent Late Bills to 758,000 Borrowers Get Slapped by the Feds
The three servicing companies will be docked payment, the Education Department said
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|Frustrated College Aid Applicants, Take Heart: FAFSA Site Should Be Open All Day Thursday and Friday
Many families haven’t been able to access the new financial aid form during the soft launch this week
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|Families Stressed About College Aid Lose Patience as Outages Add to Application Delays
The new version of the online FAFSA form was supposed to be available by Dec. 31 — already three months later than normal — but the government is still working out the kinks
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|Starbucks, Sephora and Target Gift Cards Are the Best of the Bunch This Christmas
Disney, Chick-fil-A, iTunes and Fandango cards are the other top choices in a WalletHub ranking
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|You’re Paying 25% More for Your Groceries. We Break Down What’s Still Crazy-Expensive
From margarine to roast beef, prices remain much higher than before the pandemic. Here’s what’s still up the most, and what’s come down to earth a bit
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|This High School Class Has Red and Blue States on the Same Page
A wave of bipartisan support means personal finance will soon be a graduation requirement in about half of all states
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|Biden Forgives Another $4.8 Billion in Public Service Student Loans
Reforms of existing forgiveness programs are all the more important since the Supreme Court struck down plans for a massive expansion
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|Biden Floats $10,000-$20,000 in Student Loan Forgiveness Again, Just Not for Everyone
The Education Department has released new details on the Plan B the president has been pursuing since June, when the Supreme Court killed his signature relief measure
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|Return-to-Office Movement Lost Its Momentum This Year, Survey Shows
The recurring survey run by Stanford and MIT suggests working from home will just be a fact of life — forever
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|8 Numbers You and Your Wallet May Want to Give Thanks For This Year
As hard as it may feel to stay positive about your financial picture these days, there are things to be grateful for. Here are eight numbers that may give you a new perspective.
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|Are You Giving Up Hope for Lower Mortgage Rates? You May Not Be the Only One
Many US homeowners have been waiting for mortgage rates to improve to sell their homes, but that may be changing, according to Zillow’s chief economist
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|Biden Administration Touts 60% Increase in SAVE Plan Enrollment for Student Debt
The SAVE Plan has become more central to Biden’s agenda since the Supreme Court struck down his attempt at widespread forgiveness
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|Mortgage Rates Dive, Erasing Some of the Recent Spike
The sharp decline is good news for anyone waiting for it to get less expensive to buy a house with borrowed money
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|More Credit Card Users Can No Longer Make Their Payments
Credit card delinquencies were bound to go up in the absence of pandemic-era subsidies, but some groups are falling behind more than they were even before 2020.
By Helen Reis| - By Helen Reis|‘Fat Finger’ Typos, Ridiculous Bills and Long Hold Times Mar Return of Student Loan Payments
After more than three years, 28 million student loan borrowers owe the government money again. An Education Department memo reveals about 10% got late, inaccurate or surprise bills in the first month
By Helen Reis|
