Liz Weston

Charitable giving can help keep tax deductions steady

March 17, 2014 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: Regarding the reader who was worried about not having sufficient tax deductions: I recommend charitable giving. As our mortgage interest per payment fell, I augmented it with charitable giving to maintain the same annual total for income tax deductions (interest plus charity). As the years go by, our interest decreases and charity increases. Payments to charity accomplish a social benefit, while interest payments just line the pockets of bankers. We give to a broad variety of charities: national, local and international organizations, religious and secular, health and social care, care for children at risk, veterans, Red Cross, etc. The great thing about charitable giving is that we get to choose whom we wish to help. When asked, most organizations will keep your demographic information private so that you are not inundated with requests via the sale of donor lists.

Answer: Thanks for sharing your approach, but people should understand that it requires paying out more money over time to maintain the same level of itemized deductions.

Mortgage payments typically remain the same over the life of the loan, with the amount of potentially deductible interest shrinking and the amount applied to the principal increasing with each payment. So as the amount of deductible interest declines, you would have to increase your contributions to charity in addition to making your mortgage payment each month if you wanted to keep your itemized deductions unchanged.

How should couple with age gap tap Social Security spousal benefits?

March 17, 2014 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: I am 55 and my wife is 65. She only worked a few part-time jobs as she spent most of her working years raising our nine beautiful children. My question is, since she does not have enough credits to collect Social Security on her own work record, can she claim spousal benefits on my work history? If so, at what age and how will it affect my benefits?

Answer: Your wife can receive spousal benefits based on your work record, but those checks can’t start until you’re old enough to qualify for benefits at age 62 (when she’s 72).

If you apply at 62, however, you’re typically locked into a check that would be about 30% smaller than what you’d get if you waited until your “full retirement age” to start. Full retirement age used to be 65, but it’s now 66 and will gradually increase to 67 for people born in 1960 or later.

At your full retirement age, you have the option to “file and suspend,” in which you file for retirement benefits and then immediately suspend your application. Your wife can start receiving spousal benefits, but because you aren’t actually receiving checks, your benefit can continue to grow until it maxes out at age 70.

For many couples, it makes sense for the higher earner to delay starting benefits as long as possible. Given your big age gap, however, you may be better off with a hybrid approach: starting your own benefits (and your wife’s spousal benefit) at age 62 and then suspending your benefit when you reach full retirement age, said economist Laurence Kotlikoff, a Boston University professor who created the site MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com to help people analyze their claiming options. Your benefit would grow 8% a year from the time you suspend to the time you restart at age 70. Your wife would continue to receive her spousal benefit in the interim.

Because your wife will be older than her own full retirement age of 66 when she starts receiving checks, she will be entitled to half of the benefit you’re scheduled to get at your full retirement age. What she gets doesn’t diminish what you get. Spouses who haven’t reached their full retirement age when they apply for spousal benefits have to settle for a discounted check.

Clearly, claiming decisions can be complicated, especially for married people and even more so when there’s a big gap in their ages. AARP has a free calculator that can help most people understand their options. T. Rowe Price also has an easy-to-use calculator, but it doesn’t work for married couples with more than a six-year age gap.

For a more detailed and customizable calculator, you may want to pay $40 to use the software at sites such as MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com or SocialSecurityChoices.com, co-developed by economist (and Social Security recipient) Russell F. Settle.

Monday’s need-to-know money news

March 17, 2014 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: The pros and cons of couples keeping their finances separate. Also in the news: What you need to know about deducting mortgage interest, how paying old debt will affect your credit score, and when to have the retirement talk.

Should Couples Keep Their Financial Assets Separate?
The pros and cons.

Deducting Mortgage Interest: What You Need to Know
Getting the most from your mortgage deductions.

Will Paying an Old Debt Hurt My Credit Scores?
What you need to consider before writing a check.

Tips for couples: How to have the retirement talk
One of the most important conversations you’ll ever have.

Un-budgeting: When Your Household Budget Has Gone Too Far
You know what they say about too much of a good thing.

Who offers real chip-and-PIN cards in the U.S.

March 14, 2014 By Liz Weston

Most of the rest of the world has adopted more secure chip-and-PIN credit cards–which can cause some problems for Americans traveling overseas.

When we were in Italy two years ago, we found our old-school magnetic-stripe cards wouldn’t work in automated kiosks. That included our British Airways card, which had a chip, but no PIN. Without a personal identification number to punch in, it was useless.

Unfortunately, many articles about where to get chip-and-PIN cards in the U.S. make the mistake of thinking chip-and-signature cards are the same thing. They’re so not.

Because we’re going to Europe again soon, I hit up Bill Hardekopf of LowCards.com for a list of U.S. issuers that offer the real deal. The few organizations on this list have many members that travel overseas. And here they are:

United Nations Federal Credit Union.. If you don’t actually work for the UN, you can become a credit union member by joining United Nations Association ($25 membership fee).

USAA. You must be a member of this financial services organization for active-duty military, veterans and their families.

Andrews Air Force Base Federal Credit Union. “You can join by becoming a member of the American Consumer Council which is open to all so essentially is open membership,” Hardekopf said. Membership is $5.

State Department Federal Credit Union. Same deal: you can join by becoming an American Consumer Council member.

Pentagon Federal Credit Union. You can join this credit union is you’re a member of one of a host of associations. If you’re not already a member of one, you can join Voices for America’s Troops for $15.

Or you can just wait, if you don’t have an overseas trip planned. True chip-and-PIN cards should be here by October 2015, when merchants without the terminals to process the cards and banks that have failed to issue them will have to pay for fraud. As Ron Lieber of the New York Times put it, “It’s an elaborate game of chicken, fitting for an industry where the major players spent years embroiled in a lawsuit.” Ultimately, though, more secure cards will benefit banks, merchants and consumers.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

March 14, 2014 By Liz Weston

Today’s top story: How the habits of early retirees could lead you to retirement. Also in the news: Things to consider when saving for a mortgage, easing financial worries with smartphone apps, and what to do when your friends are big spenders.

5 Essential Habits of Early Retirees
Retire early by picking up these habits.

Saving for a House: It’s More Than a Down Payment
What to consider when you’re saving for a mortgage.

Face Your Retirement Fears With These Free Financial Tools
Reassurance is just a smartphone app away.

How to Keep but Not Go Broke with Expensive Friends
Balancing your friends and your budget.

5 Ways to Pick the Perfect Time to Sell Your House
As they say, timing is everything.