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Thursday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: The mental health risks of retiring. Also in the news: Prepare your business finances now in case of natural disasters, a new episode of the Smart Money podcast on achieving your dreams, and why you should switch to online invoicing.

The Mental Health Risks of Retiring
Retiring can pose challenges.

Prepare Your Business Finances Now in Case of a Natural Disaster
Insurance, disaster loans and a business continuity plan can help you weather a natural disaster.

Smart Money Podcast: Make a Plan to Achieve Your Dreams
A pilot with sky-high ambitions gets some help figuring out how to launch his dreams.

4 Reasons to Switch to Online Invoicing
Small businesses can better manage cash flow, be more efficient and get paid faster with online invoicing.

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: 5 ways businesses can get ahead of stalled supply chains. Also in the news: What you need to know about Medigap Plan A, traveling without a vaccine, and questions to answer before buying a house with a friend.

5 Ways Businesses Can Get Ahead of Stalled Supply Chains
Virtually no small business has been spared from recent supply chain disruptions.

What Is Medigap Plan A? What You Need to Know
Medigap Plan A offers all of the “basic benefits” included in every Medicare Supplement Insurance plan without any extras.

Ask a Travel Nerd: Can I Travel Without a COVID Vaccine?
Traveling while unvaccinated, whether domestically or internationally, will introduce some challenges.

Answer These Questions Before Buying a House With a Friend
Make it through the process with your friendship intact.

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: 5 things small businesses need to know about the Metaverse. Also in the news: Grads left behind $3.7B in free college aid in 2021, buying your next used car online, and why you should teach your kid to invest while they’re still a kid.

What Is the Metaverse? 5 Things Small Businesses Need to Know
The metaverse is coming — eventually. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime.

Grads Left Behind $3.75B in Free College Aid in 2021, Study Says
An estimated 813,000 Pell-eligible high school graduates didn’t submit the FAFSA in 2021, a college access nonprofit found.

Buy Your Next Used Car Online
Learning how to navigate online car dealerships can help you find your next used car from the comfort of your home.

Why You Should Teach Your Kid to Invest While They’re Still a Kid
Teaching them to save is good; teaching them to invest might be even better.

The mental health risks of retiring

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The late Pamela Hixon of Leipsic, Ohio, was eager to retire from her job running a hospice agency. Soon after she quit, however, Hixon spiraled into depression and anxiety. She sought help from counselors and her pastor, but it wasn’t enough. Six months after retiring, she took her own life.

“She lost purpose, she lost significance, she lost a sense of meaning in her life,” says her son Tony Hixon , a Findlay, Ohio-based wealth manager who wrote about the experience and how it transformed his financial planning practice in a book, “Retirement Stepping Stones: Find Meaning, Live with Purpose, and Leave a Legacy.”

Overall, retirees are a contented bunch and many report being happier in retirement than they were at the end of their careers. Older adults are less likely than younger people to experience major depression, says Brent Forester, president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

In my latest for the Associated Press, how to manage the challenges of retirement and how to get help.

Monday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: How to crush your holiday debt. Also in the news: A new episode of the Smart Money podcast on paying for Covid tests, needing booster shots before you travel, and small business trends that are here to stay.

How to Crush Your Holiday Debt
Here’s what you can do to take control of your holiday debt.

Smart Money Podcast: COVID Tests, and Reversing a Credit Score Drop
This week’s episode starts with a discussion about how to get COVID-19 tests right now.

Will You Need a COVID-19 Vaccine Booster to Travel?
Travel rules remain in flux, so be sure to check your destination’s requirements.

These Small-Business Pandemic Trends Are Here to Stay
Virtual services, social media and online sales will continue to be key to small business success in 2022 and beyond.

Friday’s need-to-know money news

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Today’s top story: How to get more joy while giving to good causes. Also in the news: How a financial therapist can help shift your money mindset, a new episode of the Smart Money podcast on making your dream life, and 6 options for when you buy now and can’t pay later.

How to Get More Joy While Giving to Good Causes
Research shows that spending money on others is more likely to make us happy.

How a Financial Therapist Can Help Shift Your Money Mindset
A financial therapist can help you challenge your money fears and make progress in your investing journey.

Smart Money Podcast: Making Your Dream Life
Sean and Liz chat with travel Nerd Sam Kemmis about how he made his dream life possible.

6 Options for When You Buy Now and Can’t Pay Later
If you’ve taken on more buy now, pay later debt than you can handle, here are some options for easing the burden.