$20,000 in credit card debt and a negative bank account: The cost of one woman’s wait for unemployment benefits during Covid-19
Jeanne Flynn, 34, has accumulated thousands in credit card debt while waiting for unemployment benefits to arrive in New Jersey.Jeanne FlynnJeanne Flynn used to worry about money. But never like this.Flynn, 34, lost her restaurant job in March as the coronavirus pandemic raged.Months of waiting for unemployment benefits and little savings forced Flynn, who has two young children and is still out of work, to use credit cards to live.Nine months later, the damage has been substantial: $ 20,000 in new debt, a negative bank-account balance and a plummeting credit score, records show.More from Personal Finance:12 million Americans set to lose unemployment benefits by year's endMoney may be tight during the holidays. How to prepare your kidsFor families of color, the pandemic brings an outsized...
