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Monday’s need-to- know money news

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mortgage2Today’s top story: What happens to your mortgage when you die? Also in the news: 3 things more important than a bank’s savings rate, 5 times when you shouldn’t use a credit card, and how to curb your impulse spending.

What Happens to Your Mortgage When You Die?
Who will continue the payments?

3 Things That Matter More Than a Bank’s Savings Rate
Properly managing your savings is more important.

5 times you shouldn’t use a credit card
There are cheaper methods of financing.

Curb Impulse Spending by Focusing on the Space Between a Stimulus and Your Response

Secrets of next-door millionaires

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The way most Americans build wealth is no secret: Save, invest, repeat. How average people keep their wealth, though, gets a lot less attention.

It boils down to how they handle risk. It’s hard to accumulate wealth without taking some risks, but there are perils that “next-door millionaires” seem to avoid.

Next-door millionaires weren’t born into wealth. They haven’t invented killer apps or won the lottery, exercised a pile of stock options or played professional sports. They’re the majority of millionaires, and they include teachers, small business owners and professionals who accumulate wealth gradually over time. They’re often in their 50s or 60s before their net worth ticks over to seven digits.

In my latest column for the Associated Press, how to apply the secrets of next-door millionaires to your own finances.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

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155403-425x282-Mortgage-LateToday’s top story: Bouncing back after foreclosure. Also in the news: How to piece together the perfect bank, handling the financial consequences of millennials living at home, and a parents guide to insurance for college students.

How to Bounce Back After Foreclosure
Getting through a trying time.

How to Piece Together the Perfect Bank
Ticking all the boxes.

How to Handle the Financial Consequences of Millennials Living at Home
Don’t sacrifice your retirement.

A parents guide to insurance for college students
Evaluating your insurance needs as your child goes to college.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

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currencyToday’s top story: Why you’ll always need cash. Also in the news: Must-know tips for selling your home, nontraditional ways to fund your retirement, and why people with low checking account balances pay high fees.

Why You’ll Always Need Cash
We’re not going all-digital just yet.

5 Must-Know Tips for Selling Your Home
How to get your asking price.

10 Nontraditional Ways to Fund Your Retirement
Thinking outside the box.

People with low checking account balances pay over $500 a year in fees
Overdraft fees can pile up quickly.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

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Student-LoansToday’s top story: Avoiding a costly student loan mistake. Also in the news: How a marijuana DUI could raise your insurance rates, why the new “good” payday loans are still awful, and how to resell a canceled event or trip.

Don’t Make This Student Loan Mistake
It could be quite costly.

A Few Hundred Good Reasons to Avoid a Marijuana DUI
You could see a big insurance hike.

‘Good’ Payday Loans Still Very, Very Expensive
Don’t fall the “kinder and gentler” approach.

How to Resell a Canceled Event or Trip
Your money may not be a lost cause.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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imagesToday’s top story: Simple ways to teach your kids about money. Also in the news: Investing tips for those in their 20s, the best things about buying a house in the fall, and why you should look at frugality as a method instead of a lifestyle.

Simple Ways to Teach Your Children About Money
It’s never too early to start.

5 Investing Tips for Your 20s
Taking the longview.

The 7 Best Things About Buying a House in the Fall
Timely tax deductions.

Think of frugality as a method, not a lifestyle, to avoid wasting your time
It’s not just about saving money.