Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

Liz Weston

Today’s must-read: Run–don’t walk–out of this store

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Everybody knows that renting-to-own furniture, televisions and electronics is an expensive way to buy. What you may not know are all the other ways these transactions can hurt you. It’s not just ruined credit and aggressive collection tactics. In some states, you can even go to jail.

NerdWallet’s investigative reporting team exposes the horror stories behind the largest rent-to-own chain, which has expanded into stores serving middle-income customers. The stories include “Kicking in Doors and Crushing Credit,” “Rent-to-Own Slip-Up Can Land You in Jail,” “Rent-to-Own: Be Informed Before You Sign” and “Why Would Anyone Rent-to-Own?”

Read the full coverage here.

 

 

Q&A: Saving for retirement can’t wait

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Dear Liz: I have a family member who at 57 has no savings, a house whose value is 58% mortgaged and debt from a family member of $180,000.

This person is just starting a new job that will cover expenses with about $1,000 left over each month. The job offers a 401(k) but doesn’t allow contributions until employees have been with the company for eight months.

This person has paid into Social Security so that will be there (hopefully!) at retirement. What would be the best way for this person to start saving toward retirement?

Answer: Your relative shouldn’t wait to be eligible for the 401(k). People 50 and older can contribute up to $6,500 annually to a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA, which is $1,000 more than the usual limit.

If your relative didn’t have a previous job that offered a workplace plan in 2017, then this year’s contributions to a traditional IRA should be deductible.

Next year, when your relative is eligible for the 401(k), the deductibility of contributions will depend on that person’s income. In 2018, deductibility begins to phase out when modified adjusted gross income reaches $63,000 for singles. If IRA contributions aren’t deductible, after-tax Roth contributions typically are a better deal, but the ability to contribute to a Roth begins to phase out for singles at $120,000 in 2018.

Encourage your relative to save and to delay starting Social Security for as long as possible. When Social Security makes up the majority of one’s income in retirement — as it will for your relative — it’s important to maximize that check.

It’s not clear why your relative has been saddled with a family member’s debt, but any retirement plan needs to include options for paying off, settling or even erasing (through bankruptcy) such a substantial amount. Your relative should talk to a credit counselor and a bankruptcy attorney to better understand the options.

Q&A: Free credit monitoring won’t prevent identity theft

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Dear Liz: I thought I would share some information in light of the Equifax disaster.

Two of my credit card issuers provide free credit monitoring. Capital One scans my TransUnion file and Discover uses Experian. Both send email and text alerts about new activity and a monthly “reassurance” email when no such activity turns up in the previous 30 days.

Along with the credit freeze I placed at Equifax, I feel pretty secure at the moment. I’m sure that other credit card issuers have similar programs in place, and perhaps people should ask their financial institutions if such monitoring is available to them as account holders.

Answer: Free credit monitoring can certainly be helpful, but understand that it can’t prevent identity theft. At best, credit monitoring alerts you after the fact if someone has opened a new account in your name. Only credit freezes at all three bureaus can prevent those accounts from being opened in the first place.

Unfortunately, credit monitoring and freezes can’t help you with the most common type of identity theft, which is account takeover. That’s when someone makes bogus charges to your credit cards or steals money from your bank accounts.

Financial institutions use different types of software to detect fraud, but nothing replaces vigilance on the customer’s part. We should be reviewing transactions on our accounts at least monthly if not weekly. Online access to accounts can help you better monitor what’s going on.

You also can set up alerts that will email or text you if large or unusual transactions happen. (Just beware of a common scam where you’re texted an “alert” that your account has been frozen, along with a link that encourages you to divulge your login information.)

Even if you do everything in your power to avoid identity theft, you still can’t prevent scammers from using your information to file bogus tax returns, get medical care or commit criminal identity theft (by giving your name to the police when they’re arrested, for example). As long as Social Security numbers are used as an all-purpose identifier by businesses and government agencies alike, you can’t make yourself completely secure.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: Rent-to-Own: Be informed before you sign. Also in the news: How Rent-A-Center torments customers, the pros and cons of subscription meal boxes, and how to “credit surf” to score huge reward bonuses.

Rent-to-Own: Be Informed Before You Sign
Reading the fine print.

Kicking in Doors and Crushing Credit: How Rent-A-Center Torments Customers
Renter beware.

Are Those Subscription Meal Boxes Right for You?
The pros and cons.

How to “Credit Surf” to Score Huge Rewards Bonuses
Racking up points.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: 3 questions couples should ask before getting a dog. Also in the news: 4 Black Friday facts retailers don’t want you to know, what to buy and skip this Black Friday, and the number one financial fear for most Americans.

3 Questions Couples Should Ask Before Getting a Dog
A financial commitment.

4 Black Friday Facts Retailers Don’t Want You to Know
Black Friday secrets.

What to Buy (and Skip) on Black Friday 2017
Start making a list.

Financial fears? This is No. 1 for most Americans
Money monsters under the bed.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: 5 Halloween hazards and how insurance can help. Also in the news: The secret to optimizing credit card rewards, how to make money driving for Amazon Flex, and why Millennials may end up saving more for retirement than their parents’ generation.

5 Halloween Hazards and How Insurance Can Help
Don’t get tricked.

The Secret to Optimizing Credit Card Rewards? Be Disloyal
Loyalty is overrated with credit card rewards.

Make Money Driving for Amazon Flex: What to Expect
Make money driving for Amazon that you can then spend on Amazon.

Millennials May End Up Saving More For Retirement Than Their Parents’ Generation
What has changed.