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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.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: College degrees can be a bargain abroad. Also in the news: Open enrollment time, how to finance a car at 0% interest, and 3 ways to protect your retirement savings from a market crash.

College Degrees Can Be a Bargain Abroad
Considering international universities.

Open Enrollment at Work: Get Ready to Get Choosyst
Finding the best plan.

How to Finance a Car at 0% Interest
Getting the best rate.

401(k) uncertainty? 3 ways to protect your retirement savings from a market crash
Protecting your future.

Monday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: The best time to buy plane tickets. Also in the news: Deciding between options and stocks, everything we know so far about the Tesla Model 3, and how to calculate how much it will cost you to move to a new city.

When Is the Best Time to Buy Plane Tickets?
Timing is everything.

Options vs. Stocks: Which Is Right for You?
Choose wisely.

The Tesla Model 3: Everything We Know So Far
Elon is at it again.

How to Calculate How Much It Will Cost to Move to a New City
Relocation expenses.

Saving money makes you happier – here’s proof

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The argument over whether you should invest or pay off debt usually focuses on financial numbers, such as rates of return and interest charges. Maybe happiness should be part of the equation as well.

Studies in several countries, including the U.S., Norway, Ireland and Spain, have found high levels of financial satisfaction among elderly people. Happiness with our money situation tends to rise with age, even though our income peaks in midlife and then generally declines.

Why is that? Further studies show that what we own and what we owe make a difference. One study of 3,751 U.S. adults ages 30 to 80 found that increases in assets and decreases in debt over time “contribute substantially to the life course pattern of financial satisfaction.”

Fair enough. But then two Texas researchers looked into which of those two actions — paying down debt or building up investments — was the bigger contributor. In my latest for the Associated Press, find out which one makes you happier.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: Plug in 3 numbers to plan your financial future. Also in the news: 10 questions to ask a financial advisor, how to stop scammers from stealing your down payment, and shopping around for car loans.

Plug in 3 Numbers to Plan Your Financial Future
A retirement calculator can help.

10 Questions to Ask a Financial Advisor
Finding the best match.

Stop Scammers From Stealing Your Down Payment

Don’t Forget, You Can Shop Around for Car Loans
You don’t have to accept the first offer.

How to buy the last house you’ll ever buy

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My husband and I bought what we thought was a starter home 20 years ago. Now we think of it as our “forever” home, where we plan to retire and live out the rest of our days.

We got lucky, because most of the features that make our place good for “aging in place” — the single-story layout, open design, wide doorways — weren’t on our must-have list when we were newlyweds.

We’re not the only people who didn’t think far enough into our future. The vast majority of homebuyers and remodelers don’t consider what it might be like to grow old in their homes, says Richard Duncan, executive director of the Ronald L. Mace Universal Design Institute, a nonprofit in Asheville, North Carolina, that promotes accessible design for housing, public buildings and parks. In my latest for the Associated Press, what you should take into consideration for the future when buying a home.