Dear Liz: I’m confused about required minimum distributions from my retirement accounts. I’d like to avoid taxes on my withdrawals, but it seems there is no way to avoid them. Please give me some guidance. Answer: If you got a deduction for contributing this money, and you want to keep the funds you’re required to withdraw, then […]
Recent Blog Posts
Q&A: How to avoid or reduce taxes on required minimum distributions
Q&A: Mistaken HSA withdrawal is fixable until April 15
Dear Liz: I need some help understanding health savings account distribution rules. I was injured and bought medical supplies with my credit card, then reimbursed myself from my HSA. When I didn’t need the supplies, I returned them for a refund. What now? It seems like the money should go back to the HSA, but it’s […]
Q&A: How do you force heirs to pay?
Dear Liz: My husband and his six siblings inherited a large family farm. No one lives there; it is used recreationally. Our limited liability corporation is set up so that only blood relatives can inherit. If they don’t want it, they can sell their share (only to family) for 40% of the value. The seven current […]
Q&A: Bank dragging its heels on reimbursement for forged checks
Dear Liz: I am a victim of check fraud where someone intercepted two checks made out to the U.S. Treasury and changed the payee name. These two checks were for $21,000 and $6,000, so it’s substantial. I made a police report and spoke with my bank at the end of August. Any advice on how to […]
Q&A: Unwanted timeshares granted back to developers
Dear Liz: I successfully granted back seven timeshare properties in different locations that my father had bought over the years. In several cases, the companies were very unhelpful over the phone, but responded once I wrote a letter explaining my father’s age and inability to travel and requested to grant back the deed. It seems all […]
Q&A: Will canceling a card permanently hurt my credit scores?
Dear Liz: My wife and I have excellent credit, pay our credit cards in full each month before the due date, and have no outstanding loans or debts. Our credit utilization is low, about 3-4%. Our total available credit is about $125,000 for six cards. One credit company keeps reducing our credit line every time they […]
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!