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Erika Beras

Reporter

SHORT BIO

Erika Beras is a former reporter at Marketplace. She has covered wealth & poverty, aging and other beats for Marketplace's programs.

Latest Stories (345)

Urban Institute analyzes reach of social safety net

Feb 6, 2019
A new analysis by the Urban Institute finds that a quarter of Americans living in poverty don’t receive public assistance such as food stamps, subsidized housing, child care or cash benefits.
A sign in a New York City market window advertises the acceptance of food stamps.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Foreign workers with advanced degrees from American schools may have an easier time getting work visas

Feb 1, 2019
The Trump administration is retooling the lottery for H-1B visas.

Congress to examine drug price hikes

Jan 29, 2019
Prescription drug prices have been rising over the past few years.
jorgeantonio/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Tax season expected to be full of unknowns

Jan 28, 2019
The IRS started processing taxes on Monday, the first full work day for IRS workers after a temporary measure halted the government shutdown.
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service building is seen on the first work day for furloughed federal workers following a 35-day partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C., Jan. 28, 2019.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

How the shutdown is affecting child support payments

Jan 24, 2019
The potential loss of another paycheck adds another complication for federal workers who pay child support.
Social worker Pam Harrison holds a sign protesting the government shutdown at the James V. Hansen Federal Building on January 10, 2019 in Ogden, Utah.
Natalie Behring/Getty Images

What the partial government shutdown could mean for FBI agents

Jan 23, 2019
A new report looks into the long-term impact.
FBI Agents Association member Thomas O'Connor holds up an FBI report 'Voices From the Field' giving examples of how the government shutdown is undermining their work on drug and gang enforcement, security, and counter-terrorism, as he speaks during a press conference in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2019.
JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

AT& T to resume advertising on YouTube

Jan 21, 2019
AT&T has announced it’s putting ads back on YouTube. A couple of years ago, the telecom giant pulled their ads off the platform because of concerns that its messages were running alongside videos containing hate speech or touting terrorism. AT&T says it’s satisfied that the Google-owned platform has improved screening of video content. So what’s […]

With financial distress, come fraudsters

Jan 21, 2019
As the partial federal shutdown continues with no visible end in sight, banks and creditors have offered the up-to-800,000 affected workers loans and payment deferments so they can keep up with their finances. At the same time, fraudulent agencies may be targeting these workers. Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

Money may matter more than age when it comes to teen drivers

Jan 17, 2019
As the cost of cars, insurance and drivers ed has climbed, the number of teen drivers has fallen.
"It's much harder for a teenager to be able to afford a car or pay for the costs of driving than was the case 20 years ago,” said Robert Foss, director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at the University of North Carolina.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Direct listings bypass traditional IPO process

Jan 14, 2019
Slack hopes it can repeat the success of Spotify's unusual public offering.
When Spotify went public last spring, it scrapped the traditional IPO process and began directly trading existing shares.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP/Getty Images