Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

Liz Weston

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: Ace back-to-school shopping with six smart moves. Also in the news: How to prepare for the next recession, how a remodeling project changes your property tax bill and adding more cash investments to your portfolio.

Ace Back-to-School Shopping With 6 Smart Moves
Avoiding the splurge trap.

How to Get Ready for the Next Recession Now
Making your finances recession-proof.

How a Remodeling Project Changes Your Property Tax Bill
Upgrades mean an uptick in home value.

Interest rates are going up. Is it time for more cash investments in your portfolio?
The appeal of cash investments is growing.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: 5 wrong ideas you might have about financial planning. Also in the news: Bringing retirement savings goals closer, tips for back-to-school shopping, and how to kick your adult child out of the house.

5 Wrong Ideas You Might Have About Financial Planning
It’s not just for rich people.

If You Can’t Picture Retirement, Bring Savings Goals Closer
Saving for freedom.

Cross Items Off Your Back-to-School List With These Tips

How to Kick Your Adult Child Out of the House
Placing limits on your generosity.

What do colleges want? It’s hiding in plain sight

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The college application process can seem pretty mysterious to the uninitiated.

But what colleges want from their applicants isn’t a secret. Schools telegraph what they’re after in the form of big data that’s available online to anyone.

High school students can use that data to apply where they will be strong candidates, boosting their chances of admission and financial aid.

In my latest for the Associated Press, here’s what to look for.

Monday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: Insurers turn to technology to woo drivers. Also in the news: Beemers, Benzes and other luxury used-car bargains, 7 tactics to help car-buying newbies bargain like a boss, and credit cards still charge interest after you die.

Insurers Turn to Technology to Woo Drivers
Gadgets that can keep your rates down.

Beemers, Benzes and Other Luxury Used-Car Bargains
Luxury for less.

7 Tactics to Help Car-Buying Newbies Bargain Like a Boss
Don’t let them see you sweat.

Credit Cards Still Charge Interest After You Die
Inescapable interest.

Q&A: Do credit scores punish you for not carrying debt?

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Dear Liz: I am fortunate to be able to afford homeownership without having to obtain a mortgage. The same is true of owning cars without a car loan. I pay my credit card bills in full each month. In short, I do not carry any debt.

However, it seems to me that I am being “punished” by not carrying a load of debt. My credit score is reduced by this lack of debt and I am wondering why this is.

Answer: The most commonly used credit scores don’t “know” if you’re carrying credit card debt or not. The balances used in credit score calculations are the balances the card issuers report to the bureaus on a given day (often your statement balances). You could pay the balance off the next day, or carry it for the next month, and it would have no impact on your scores.

A small part of credit scoring formulas measure your mix of credit, or whether you have both revolving accounts (such as credit cards) and installment loans (mortgages, car loans, student loans, etc.) You may get higher scores if you added an installment loan to your mix. If your scores are low, it can be worth adding a small personal loan to boost them. If your scores are good, though, it may not be worth the effort and interest expense.

Q&A: Social Security spousal benefits

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Dear Liz: In a recent article, you mentioned spousal benefits. If someone started her own Social Security benefit at 62, is there no way of drawing a spousal benefit at a later date?

Answer: When you apply for Social Security now, you’re “deemed” (considered by the Social Security Administration) to be applying for both your own benefit and any available spousal benefit. If a spousal benefit is larger, you’ll get that, and you can’t switch back to your own benefit later.

You may be able to switch from your own benefit to a spousal benefit, however. Let’s say that when you applied at 62, your spouse had not yet applied for his or her own benefit. When he or she does apply, you’ll be automatically switched to a spousal benefit if it’s larger than your own.

Before Congress changed the rules, it was possible for one spouse to “file and suspend” — file and immediately suspend an application for retirement benefits, which was enough to allow a spouse to collect a spousal benefit. Today, a spousal benefit is typically only available if the primary earner has started his or her own retirement benefits.