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This week’s money news

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This week’s top story: 8 ways to personalize your rental and get your deposit back. In other news: Life insurance for small business, how couples can share the mental load of money management, and how to plan for retirement.

8 Ways to Personalize Your Rental — and Get Your Deposit Back
Cosmetic upgrades can help personalize a rented home, but you will likely pay out of pocket and have to return the home to its original state when you move out.

Do You Need Life Insurance for Your Small Business?
Life insurance is an important part of business planning to protect your family, team and clients.

How Couples Can Share the Mental Load of Money Management
There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’ — but there are some of them in ‘weaponized incompetence.’

Retirement Could Come Sooner Than You Think — How to Plan for It
Take these steps to strengthen your retirement plan in case you have to stop working sooner than you would like.

How to escape from a money rut

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Sometimes, climbing out of a money rut starts with a pep talk — to yourself.

“I like affirmations and speaking out loud,” says Giovanna Gonzalez, a financial educator and author of “Cultura & Cash.” Her favorite affirmations are statements like, “I am not a reflection of my money mistakes,” “I can improve my financial situation,” and “My finances are within my control.”

If you find yourself repeating frustrating money patterns, such as overspending or struggling to pay off debt, that kind of attitude shift can help get you on a different path, Gonzalez says. “Mindset is so important, and sometimes we end up being very hard on ourselves for making bad money choices. If we don’t forgive ourselves, it can be a barrier to doing better.” In Kimberly Palmer’s latest for the Washington post, learn how to escape from a money rut.

This week’s money news

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This week’s top story: What student loan borrowers should know if MOHELA is your servicer. In other news: Pregnant workers must get time off for birth, abortion, what not to do during mortgage preapproval, and 5 questions to ask when helping an older parent with money.

MOHELA Senate Hearing: What Student Loan Borrowers Should Know
If MOHELA is your servicer, you’ll continue to make student loan payments as usual. But in the long run, lawmakers could step up scrutiny of MOHELA and other federal servicers.

New Rules: Pregnant Workers Must Get Time Off for Birth, Abortion
Regulations under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act include time off for childbirth, abortion, miscarriages and more.

What Not to Do During Mortgage Preapproval
You could hurt your home loan application by taking on new debts, changing jobs or otherwise calling your financial stability into question.

5 Questions to Ask When Helping an Older Parent With Money
Credit still matters as we age. Here’s how you can help parents or other older adults check in on theirs.

This week’s money news

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This week’s top story: How to make sure you have enough auto insurance coverage. In other news: Limited gender markers add hurdles for nonbinary people, consider paying workers more often to retain them, and why adding a child as an authorized user might not help their credit.

How to Make Sure You Have Enough Auto Insurance Coverage
Rising medical, auto repair and vehicle costs now mean drivers could be underinsured. Here’s how to be sure you’re fully covered.

Limited Gender Markers Add Hurdles for Nonbinary People
Conflicting federal and state rules leave many nonbinary and transgender people with mismatched IDs, which complicates everyday tasks.

To Retain Workers, Consider Paying Them More Often
You can test out a more frequent payroll schedule or offer on-demand access to earned wages as an employee benefit.

Why Adding a Child as an Authorized User Might Not Help Their Credit
Here’s what to know about the potential limitations of adding your kid as an authorized user and alternative ways they can build credit.

What college students need to know about payment apps

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For college students, sending money to friends has never been easier thanks to peer-to-peer payment apps like Venmo, PayPal and Cash App. But that convenience poses risks, including vulnerability to errors, fraud and the tendency to overspend.

As a result, payment apps can contribute to financial stress at a time when young people are learning how to manage their finances on their own. “Peer-to-peer payment apps are cash on steroids because they’re a straw stuck into your bank account,” says Anne Lester, author of “Your Best Financial Life.”

Not only does that make spending easier and more “frictionless,” Lester explains, but it also means “if you trust the wrong person, then you’re in big trouble,” because it can be difficult or impossible to get the money back. In Kimberly Palmer’s latest for ABC News, learn what college students need to know about payment apps.

This week’s money news

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This week’s top story: April mortgage rates will be stuck in neutral as inflation idles. In other news: Certain borrowers should consolidate their federal student loans by April 30 to get forgiveness, defaulting on a car loan, and what a Kroger-Albertsons merger could mean for grocery shoppers.

April Mortgage Rates Will Be Stuck in Neutral as Inflation Idles
Mortgage rates shouldn’t change much in April, as inflation remains stubbornly elevated.

Do This by April 30 if You Want Loan Forgiveness This Year
Certain borrowers should consolidate their federal student loans by April 30 to get forgiveness — or move a lot closer to it.

What Happens If I Default on My Car Loan?
Defaulting on a car loan can lead to late fees, a dip in your credit and even vehicle repossession.

What a Kroger-Albertsons Merger Could Mean for Grocery Shoppers
Antitrust experts fear the deal, which would be the largest grocery merger in U.S. history, would harm workers and consumers alike.