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This week’s money news

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This week’s top story: Smart Money podcast on what we learned about our money in 2022. In other news: Holiday travel chaos is coming and how to handle it, why 2023 could be a bit better for home buyers, and benefit from fed rate hikes with a high-yield savings account.

Smart Money Podcast: What We Learned About Our Money in 2022
In this week’s episode, Sean and Liz hear from listeners about the best thing that happened to them this year, what they struggled with and what they are most looking forward to in the new year.

Holiday Travel Chaos is Coming: How to Handle It
From packing light to skipping the lines, here’s how to navigate the busiest holiday travel season in years.

For Home Buyers, 2022 Was Brutal. Why ’23 Could Be a Bit Better.
After enduring three difficult years from 2020 through 2022, home buyers might find a slightly more hospitable housing market in 2023.

Benefit From Fed Rate Hikes With a High-Yield Savings Account
The recent federal rate increases have been great for savers with high-yield savings accounts. It is not too late to take advantage.

Sharing a roof, and money, with adult kids

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When Amanda Claypool was 28, she left a government contracting job in Washington, D.C., and moved back to her parents’ house in upstate New York while she figured out her next step. Then the pandemic struck, and her temporary return lasted longer than she’d planned.

Living with her parents for several months “helped give me more flexibility to pivot to a new career,” says Claypool, who is now a content creator in Asheville, North Carolina. Her parents covered her expenses related to food and housing. In return, she helped them declutter and sell about $10,000 worth of vintage toys and collectibles online.

Claypool’s decision to return home is increasingly common. The Pew Research Center found that one quarter of U.S. adults ages 25 to 34 lived with parents or other relatives in 2021 and that the portion of young adults who do so has steadily climbed over the past 50 years.

Stefanie O’Connell Rodriguez, host of Real Simple’s “Money Confidential” podcast, has noted the trend. “Even prior to this latest round of inflation, we saw a greater share of millennials moving back in with parents and staying at home longer. The pandemic accelerated that,” she says.

While moving back home can provide a financial safety net for young adults, it can also negatively affect their parents’ finances and stymie their own growth toward becoming financially independent. In Kimberly Palmer’s latest for the Associated Press, learn how to navigate intergenerational living so it benefits everyone involved.

This week’s money news

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This week’s top story: Smart Money podcast on rising interest rates, and budgeting with apps. In other news: How the Airbnb ‘gold rush’ could impact the homebuying market, avoiding 5 banking mistakes to earn more interest, pay less in fees, and co-buying a house.

Smart Money Podcast: Rising Interest Rates, and Budgeting With Apps
This week’s episode starts with a discussion about who is hurt the most by the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes.

How the Airbnb ‘Gold Rush’ Could Impact the Homebuying Market
A swoon in short-term rentals could result in a glut of properties in some areas, but make room for home buyers in others.

Avoid 5 Banking Mistakes to Earn More Interest, Pay Less in Fees
You might not know you’re making these common banking mistakes. Find out what they are and how to easily avoid them.

Co-Buying a House: How Platonic Partners Make It Work
Platonic partners are affording homes by combining their purchasing power. Here’s what to know if you’re considering this route.

Make the most of new rules for charitable giving

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Most people no longer get a tax deduction when they donate to charity. That shouldn’t keep you from making donations, but you may want to change your approach.

Typically, only taxpayers who itemize deductions can write off charitable contributions. The vast majority of taxpayers instead take the standard deduction, which was nearly doubled by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. (Temporary provisions in pandemic relief legislation allowed taxpayers to deduct $300 of their donations in 2020 and 2021 without itemizing, but those provisions have expired.)

It has never made sense to donate solely to get a deduction. If you’re in the 22% federal tax bracket, for example, you save only 22 cents in taxes for each dollar you give away. If you’re charitably minded, however, there may still be ways to get a tax break for your generosity with some planning, or you could reconsider how you give money away. In my latest for the Associated Press, learn new rules for charitable giving.

This week’s money news

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This week’s top story: Smart Money podcast on end of credit card rewards, and luxury credit cards. In other news: December mortgage rates, how high-interest ‘rent-a-bank’ loans sidestep state rate caps, and lifetime income.

Smart Money Podcast: The End of Credit Card Rewards, and When to Cancel Luxury Credit Cards
This week’s episode starts with a discussion about the potential end of credit card rewards.

December Mortgage Rates May Seek Calm After Turbulent Year
Interest rates on fixed-rate mortgages could stabilize or even drift lower in December.

How High-Interest ‘Rent-a-Bank’ Loans Sidestep State Rate Caps
Rent-a-bank loans are online loans that may charge triple-digit APRs in states that cap interest rates on small loans.

Save for ‘Retirement’? Generate Lifetime Income Instead
Money News & Moves: Also, Google pays for tracking us, and crypto isn’t broken.

Holiday survival tips from 5 financial pros

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For Ryan Decker, surviving the holiday shopping season is all about planning ahead. In fact, if he sees a gift for one of his two young sons in March, he’ll go ahead and buy it, instead of rushing through his shopping list in December.

“It very much eases the burden,” he says, making his December bills more manageable because he spreads holiday costs throughout the year.

Decker, a certified financial planner and director of the Center for Financial Literacy at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, says that without that kind of advance planning, the costs this time of year can quickly overwhelm budgets. “Inflation is eating away at our purchase power, so once you throw in the holiday season, it’s a very stressful time.”

Financial educators like Decker are often busy during the holiday shopping season, sharing tips with their audiences about how to avoid debt and save money while still being festive. In Kimberly Palmer’s latest for the Associated Press, learn holiday survival tips from 5 financial pros.