Get smart with your money
In a few minutes I’ll be answering your questions about how to deal with your debt on Experian’s #CreditChat, which starts at 3 p.m. Eastern/noon Pacific today. Topics include how to balance savings and paying off debt, which debts to tackle first, how to handle student loans and what to do if you’re drowning in debt. Easy ways to follow the conversation include Twubs or tchat.
Please join us!
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The Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate the Defense of Marriage Act means that gay married couples will have access to the federal benefits now enjoyed by other marrieds.
These benefits include tax breaks, Social Security benefits and estate planning advantages that until now were denied gay couples, even if their marriages were recognized under state law.
Among other things, gay marrieds will now be able to:
These gains may come with a cost: as NerdWallet puts it, “federal income tax brackets are in fact easier on high-income individuals than they are on most high-income married couples.” NerdWallet figured that same-sex couples earning more than $146,000 may see their tax bill go up by over $1,000.
One of my gay friends, a financial planner, just posted to her Facebook page that her taxes are likely to go up by several thousand dollars. But she was happy, as she put it, to “take one for the team.”
I’ll be featured as the guest expert on Experian’s #CreditChat at 3 p.m. Eastern today. I’ll be tweeting advice and tips about a bunch of important issues, including:
· When to focus on savings and when to pay down debt
· What debts to tackle first and which can wait
· What to do about your student loans
· What you should know before applying for a mortgage or auto loan
· What to do if you’re drowning in debt
So come chat with me! Easy ways to follow the conversation include Twubs or tchat. I’ll look forward to hearing from you.
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Mortgage rates may be headed up, but many of us locked in crazy-low interest rates while we could. So should we just enjoy our good fortune, or is there an argument for paying off even super-cheap debt? I discuss what my husband and I decided to do in “When to pay down your mortgage.”
Online financial advice is finally coming into its own, with two predominant models: the computerized portfolio, which offers diversifed investing at very low cost, and the virtual human, which uses technology plus contact with a real advisor. The first model could be a great fit for the DIY-er who understands how fees can hold back your returns, while the second works on both the high and low ends, providing advice and a personal touch at a lower cost than you might find elsewhere. Read more at “Investing sites give planners a run for their money.”