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Liz Weston

Friday’s need-to-know money news

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mortgageToday’s top story: How to know you’re mortgage pre-approval worthy. Also in the news: AmEx doubles your rewards at small businesses until the end of the year, where the savviest shoppers live, and the most common money schemes people still fall for.

How to Know You’re Mortgage Preapproval Worthy
Don’t be caught by surprise.

AmEx Doubles Rewards at Small Businesses Till End of 2016
A win-win all around.

Study Finds Where the Savviest Shoppers Live and What They’re Buying
What’s happening in your area?

The Most Common Money Schemes People Still Fall For
Don’t get duped.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

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22856641_SAToday’s top story: How new grads should handle their student loans. Also in the news: 7 in 10 people would boycott a bank that rejected them for a credit card, why medical crowdfunding campaigns are rarely successful, and how to pick the right Medicare Part D plan.

New Grads Owe New Debts in November. How to Handle Yours
Your grace period is over.

Rejected for a Credit Card? 7 in 10 Would Boycott the Bank, Survey Finds
Taking it personally.

Just 11% of Medical Crowdfunding Campaigns Are Fully Funded, Study Finds
Taking desperate measures.

5 Steps to Picking the Right Medicare Part D Plan
Working through the open enrollment maze.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

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Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: Staples becomes the latest employer to start paying student loans. Also in the news: Places with the highest and lowest credit scores, why you can’t always bring your cell phone to a new carrier, and the pros and cons of paying for travel over time.

Staples Jumps on Hot Employer Trend: Paying Student Loans
Better than a discount on office supplies.

Places With the Highest and Lowest Credit Scores
Where does your area rank?

Why You Can’t Always Bring Your Phone to a New Carrier
Deciphering the maze of rules.

Should You Pay for Travel Over Time?
Is the immediate gratification worth the expense?

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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shutterstock_101159917Today’s top story: How to start married life with extra cash. Also in the news: Credit counseling for new grads, how your brain tricks you into using the wrong credit cards, and the retailers that reward you for recycling your unwanted junk.

5 Ways to Start Married Life With Extra Cash
Giving your marriage a strong financial start.

Credit Counseling for New Grads
Getting your post-college financial house in order.

3 Ways Your Brain Tricks You Into Using the Wrong Credit Cards (And What You Can Do About It)
Keeping the right cards at the top of your wallet.

The Retailers That Reward You for Recycling Your Unwanted Junk
Better for the planet and for your wallet.

Book Giveaway – The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

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unnamedI’m giving away a copy of “The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated,” written by my friend Helaine Olen of Slate.com and Harold Pollack. These two cut through the hype and clutter to tell you what you really need to know about money.

To enter to win, leave a comment here on my blog (not my Facebook page). Make sure to include your email address, which won’t show up with your comment, but I’ll be able to see it.

All comments are moderated, so it may take a little while for your comment to show up.

The winners will be chosen at random Friday night. Over the weekend, please check your email (including your spam filter). If I don’t hear from a winner by noon Pacific time on Monday, his or her prize will be forfeited and I’ll pick another winner.

Also, check back here often for other giveaways.

The deadline to enter is midnight Pacific time on Friday. So–comment away!

When Social Security Turns You Into a Zombie

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If the Social Security Administration thinks you’re dead, you might wish you were.

People who accidentally wind up on the agency’s Death Master File have seen their bank accounts frozen, credit cards closed, health insurance cut off and benefit payments canceled or even pulled back from checking accounts.

One California man told me his 97-year-old mother nearly had her utilities shut off after her bank froze her account and all her checks bounced, including a birthday gift to a grandchild. A retired professor in Massachusetts wasn’t allowed to get his prescriptions filled and found that all his medical appointments had been canceled, according to a recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine. A woman in New Hampshire told CNNMoney couldn’t get her driver’s license renewed for months.

In my latest for the Associated Press, what to do when Social Security thinks you’re dead.