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Money Questions? Just Ask Liz!

Award winning and nationally recognized personal finance columnist Liz Weston wants to help you get smarter about money. First time visitor? Start Here.

Recent Q&A

Q&A: Survivor benefits from spouse’s higher Social Security check

May 12, 2025

Q&A: Should I borrow to boost my credit scores?

May 12, 2025

Q&A: Time to move, but what about the capital gains?

May 12, 2025

Q&A: Bankruptcy may be best option for indebted widow

May 4, 2025

Q&A: Required withdrawals could change Social Security taxation

May 4, 2025

Q&A: Future mate hasn’t filed tax returns. Am I liable?

May 4, 2025

More Q&A Posts

Recent Blog Posts

May 12, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Q&A: Survivor benefits from spouse’s higher Social Security check

Dear Liz: My Social Security is much higher than my husband’s. He started taking his at 62 and I started at my full retirement age of 67. If I die before him, can he start taking my Social Security at some reduced rate? My current payment before any Medicare premiums is about $3,700 and his […]

May 12, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Q&A: Should I borrow to boost my credit scores?

Dear Liz: I’m one of the beneficiaries named in my late relative’s will, and plan to use the money to buy a new car. Should I pay cash up front and avoid the interest charges on a loan, or set up monthly payments to help enhance my credit score (currently just under 800)? Answer: A […]

May 12, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Q&A: Time to move, but what about the capital gains?

Dear Liz: My husband and I built a home on a hillside over 30 years ago in a desirable neighborhood with a beautiful view. We thought it would be our retirement home, but life had different plans. Now seniors, dealing with age, stairs and progressive health issues, we have been advised that selling and moving […]

May 4, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Q&A: Bankruptcy may be best option for indebted widow

Dear Liz: I am an 82-year-old widow with a disabled daughter in a desperate financial situation. Payments on my credit cards and a personal loan eat up half the income I get from Social Security, my late husband’s pension and my IRA. My total debt is over $100,000 and my only assets are a car […]

May 4, 2025 By Liz Weston 2 Comments

Q&A: Required withdrawals could change Social Security taxation

Dear Liz: Is it true that when you start your required minimum distributions from 401(k) and 403(b) plans, you give up your monthly Social Security payment? I plan to start RMDs next year at age 71 thinking I will get less money for more years. Answer: Your withdrawals from retirement plans won’t reduce your Social […]

May 4, 2025 By Liz Weston 1 Comment

Q&A: Future mate hasn’t filed tax returns. Am I liable?

Dear Liz: I’m engaged to someone who just confessed that they have not filed tax returns for the last several years. How do we fix this? If they owe a lot of money, could the IRS come after me if we’re married? Answer: Technically, debts incurred before marriage are considered separate. But there are many […]

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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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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!

Speaking

"Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed hearing you speak last night. I have been a big fan of yours for years and couldn't wait to see you live...Thanks for so generously sharing your time and expertise with us last evening. I gained much from your presentation." -- Barbara R. Peter, Michigan

"It has been our pleasure to have Liz speak on various panels over the years at numerous conferences Bankrate has hosted. She’s an entertaining and engaging speaker, besides being an expert on saving money, budgeting and other money topics. She’s a preeminent source of expertise for today’s consumer, as well as a wealth of knowledge for those in the industry." -- Tara Bauries, Marketing Manager at Bankrate, Inc.

"My organization had the opportunity of hosting Liz for two financial presentations. She was extremely knowledgeable, articulate and personable. I would strongly recommend her for any event." -- Trenton M. Smiley, Community Relations Officer, Genesee District Library System

"Liz makes financial presentations easy to understand and relatable to real life experiences. She brings great energy to event programs!" -- Suzanne Patrick-Lawrence, Financial Planning Association, San Gabriel Valley Board Chair and President & CEO of Advisor Business Solutions

Would you like to have Liz speak to your convention, professional group or other large gathering? Liz is an expert on many financial and economic topics, including credit and credit scoring, retirement saving and investing, college savings strategies and student loans, women and money, and how economic trends can affect your investments.

Contact Liz regarding a speaking engagement. Please let us know the details—which group, when and where—along with the expected number of attendees.

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