Womack Investment Advisers

Originally posted on Yahoo! Money by Denitsa Tsekova Americans who got a first stimulus check would likely get a second one under the GOP’s new proposal. In several instances, some individuals would get more money. The Republican plan unveiled on Monday proposes sending a second wave of stimulus checks of up to $1,200 to Americans, plus an additional $500 for any dependent — a key departure from the first round. That means parents of older high schoolers and college students claimed as dependents would get the bonus, as well as those taking care of elderly loved ones who are dependents. In the first wave of payments, parents of child dependents under 17 were the only ones who got the extra $500. “We also include, in the additional $500 for each dependent, some people that we didn’t intend to leave out last time, but we did,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said from the Senate floor on Monday. “So regardless of age, some of these dependents will now be helped.” The...

During 2020, the United States government has spent more than $13 billion on Operation Warp Speed (OWS), which is focused on accelerating the development of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, according to The Economist . The United States is not alone. Governments around the world are funding similar research. The Economist reported, “…with the eagerness of the pharma sector to find treatments, along with the broad range of investments made by OWS (as well as other governments), there has been a lot of progress in the search for tests, drugs, and vaccines…Even the master of caution on vaccines, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, thinks a signal of vaccine efficacy might arrive in September.” Any progress on treatments and vaccines is welcome news. Last week, there were more than 4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States, and the number of deaths rose above 1,000 a day, reported Joe Murphy and colleague...