Dear Liz: My husband agreed to serve as successor trustee for his brother’s living trust several years ago. My brother-in-law also added me as a backup. My brother-in-law’s financial situation has gotten very complicated and we would like to be removed as trustees. How do we go about this removal? My husband has asked his brother […]
Recent Blog Posts
Q&A: Bowing out of trustee duty
Q&A: No more windfall elimination provision and government pension offset
Dear Liz: My husband worked for the postal service for over 30 years and retired with a pension. He does not have enough years working in the private sector to qualify for Social Security. Since we now have the Social Security Fairness Act, is he eligible to receive a percentage of my Social Security? I know […]
Q&A: Do retirement accounts affect survivor benefits?
Dear Liz: I was 36 with two young children, ages 6 and 2, when my husband died. We are collecting Social Security survivor benefits. I work only part time since my kids are so young. He left two IRAs: one that named me as a beneficiary and one that didn’t name anyone. I understand I can […]
Q&A: How to handle cash savings of deceased parents
Dear Liz: My mother passed away a little over a year ago, and my father about 18 months prior to her. I discovered that my parents saved up quite a lot of cash (in the six figures), and I’m afraid to deposit it without triggering the IRS. My parents routinely saved anywhere from $5,000 to […]
Q&A: Spouse gets the larger of two Social Security benefits, not both
Dear Liz: Your recent column on the divorced couple where the ex-wife can apply for Social Security benefits has me wondering about my own benefits. I’m 60 and my husband is 79. Can I get his Social Security benefits, and if so, when should I apply? I am working and have worked all my adult […]
Q&A: Reverse mortgages can be a boon, but come with potential risks
Dear Liz: Please write about the issues people can face when they have a reverse mortgage and need to move out to get long-term care. My mother, who is now 94 and lives on a small teacher’s pension, got a reverse mortgage in her late 60s to donate to charity because she was sure she […]
Books
Some of the links below are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission.
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Your Credit Score: How to Improve the 3-Digit Number that Shapes Your Financial Future (5th edition)
Improve your credit score, for real, with the #1 best-selling guide you can trust! Today, a good credit score is essential for getting credit, getting a job, even getting car insurance or a cellphone. Now, best selling journalist Liz Pulliam Weston has thoroughly updated her top-selling guide to credit scores, with crucial new information for protecting (or rebuilding) yours.
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Deal with Your Debt: Free Yourself from What You Owe
Struggling with debt? Get realistic help that's actually useful.
In this extensively updated guide, you can discover how to control and manage debt effectively. You'll learn which debts can actually help build wealth over time, and which are simply toxic. You'll find up-to-date, real-world strategies for assessing and paying off debt, money-saving insights on which debts to tackle first, and crucial information about everything from debt consolidation loans to credit scores and credit counseling. Weston offers practical guidelines for assessing how much debt is safe -- and compassionate, realistic guidance if you've gone beyond the safety zone. If you've ever worried about debt, you'll find the new edition of Deal with Your Debt absolutely indispensable.
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There Are No Dumb Questions About Money: Answers and Advice to Help You Make the Most of Your Finances
There’s a myth in our society that some people are just naturally “good” with money. So naturally, everybody else must be “bad”--or at least, dumb--if they’re not sure what to do.
The reality is, no one is born a money expert. Those who are “good” with money had to learn: by reading, asking questions, and consulting people who know more than they do. No one knows everything, and the only dumb questions are the ones you don’t ask.
This collection of money questions and answers can help you solve your most pressing concerns about your finances. You can buy this ebook on iTunes or on Amazon.
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The 10 Commandments of Money: Survive and Thrive in the New Economy
From the #1 personal finance columnist on the Internet (Nielsen/NetRatings)-a clear prescription for financial health in the 2010s and beyond.
For previous generations, living within your means was a simple formula. Now, with the staggering rise in education, health care, and housing costs, millions of people find themselves skating from paycheck to paycheck with no idea how to move forward.
As the most-read personal finance columnist on the Internet, Liz Weston has heard the questions and has the answers. Her 10 Commandments of Money will help readers avoid critical mistakes, survive the bad times, and thrive in the good ones.
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Easy Money: How to Simplify Your Finances and Get What You Want Out of Life
Common sense. Easy solutions. Plain English.
Best selling author, Liz Weston, takes on the problem everyone has, and nobody talks about: the sheer hassle of managing your money! Weston offers practical guidance and easy checklists for every decision: investments, credit cards, insurance, mortgages, retirement, college savings, and more! Discover how to consolidate, delegate, and automate your finances…save time and money…and live a more rewarding, secure life!