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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: Foreign tax credit delays substantial IRS refund

November 24, 2025

Q&A: Early Social Security start doesn’t affect survivor benefits

November 24, 2025

Q&A: What do you do when an ex takes out a credit card in your name?

November 24, 2025

Q&A: What does a successor trustee do?

November 17, 2025

Q&A: Closing a long-held credit card didn’t have much impact

November 17, 2025

Q&A: IRS tax payment problem can be frustrating to fix

November 17, 2025

More Q&A Posts

Recent Blog Posts

November 24, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Q&A: Foreign tax credit delays substantial IRS refund

Dear Liz: My tax professional submitted amended tax returns for 2023, 2022 and 2021 a year ago. I’m supposed to receive a nice refund for those years but I have heard nothing from the IRS and cannot get any information from its website. I asked my tax professional about it and she said the foreign tax […]

November 24, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Q&A: Early Social Security start doesn’t affect survivor benefits

Dear Liz: I started collecting my Social Security at age 62 because I had cancer and could not work. My husband is now ill and will pass on soon. Will I still be able to get my husband’s Social Security, which is much higher than mine, when he passes on? Answer: Yes. Surviving spouses get the larger […]

November 24, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Q&A: What do you do when an ex takes out a credit card in your name?

Dear Liz: My ex-husband took out a credit card in my name without my knowledge. By the time I discovered it on a credit report, he had over $14,000 in charges on the card. I was able to close the credit card, but cannot remove my name and Social Security number from the account. My ex […]

November 17, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Q&A: What does a successor trustee do?

Dear Liz: My older brother and his wife recently told me they made me the executor of their living trust. I have no experience with this. They live in Maryland and I’m in California. Can you please let me know what I can do now to make the process simpler when the time comes? Answer: Your brother […]

November 17, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Q&A: Closing a long-held credit card didn’t have much impact

Dear Liz: I just read your column about cardholders being fearful of canceling a card. Here’s my story. I made an online purchase with a credit card I’ve had since 1981. The purchase turned out to be a scam. I spent hours trying to resolve this. When I finally got a human, she was extremely hard […]

November 17, 2025 By Liz Weston Leave a Comment

Q&A: IRS tax payment problem can be frustrating to fix

Dear Liz: In a recent column, you advised people to pay IRS tax bills online. Have you done this yourself? The wording of the choices to click on can be confusing. I tried to help my son pay online last year. We evidently chose the wrong type of tax and it went to “la la land.” […]

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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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