Monday’s need-to-know money news

Today’s top story: How today’s low taxes can nurture your nest egg. Also in the news: 4 questions to ask before you DIY, how a single mom masterminded a $700K swing from debt to savings, and how the new UltraFICO credit score will work. How Today’s Low Taxes Can Nurture Your Nest Egg New tax […]

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Q&A: Small firms have special Medicare Part B rules

Dear Liz: You recently answered a question about whether someone 65 or older with employer-provided health insurance needs to sign up for Medicare Part B, which covers doctors’ visits and requires paying premiums. Your answer was correct for an employee of a large employer. If the employer has 20 or more employees on a typical […]

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Q&A: A surviving spouse gets a pension surprise

Dear Liz: I have a question about my late husband’s pension. He was with a company for 25 years and retired early with a defined benefit pension of about $3,700 per month. When he died four years ago, the pension stopped. The company said it was a “single life” pension, but when I tried to […]

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Q&A: The payments aren’t late, but the debt collectors are calling. What does it mean?

Dear Liz: In the last few months, I have received collection calls and emails for payment, sometimes before I even got the invoice and in every case before payment was due. For example, on Sept. 25 I was emailed for the second time for payment on an invoice with an Oct. 17 due date. Some […]

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Friday’s need-to-know money news

Today’s top story: 3 ways to pay for Airbnb with credit card rewards. Also in the news: A cheapskate’s guide to shopping for credit cards, Black Friday price matching, and how much you’ll actually take home if you win the billion dollar Mega Millions jackpot. 3 Ways to Pay for Airbnb With Credit Card Rewards […]

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Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

Today’s top story: How to pay for college when you haven’t saved enough. Also in the news: How credit cards are fueling bigger gas savings, how to see the world in your 20s without racking up debt, and what rising mortgage rates will cost you if you’re looking to buy a home. How to Pay […]

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Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

Today’s top story: 4 ways to save on housing costs in your 20s. Also in the news: Billions in free college money went unclaimed this year, the complications of putting plastic surgery on your plastic, and how being lazy can actually help you save money. 4 Ways to Save on Housing Costs in Your 20s […]

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Should you pay off mortgage before you retire?

Most people would be better off not having mortgages in retirement. Relatively few will get any tax benefit from this debt, and the payments can get more difficult to manage on fixed incomes. But retiring a mortgage before you retire isn’t always possible. Financial planners recommend creating a Plan B to ensure you don’t wind […]

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Monday’s need-to-know money news

Today’s top story: How to see the world in your 20s without racking up debt. Also in the news: How a single mom masterminds $700K swing from debt to savings, 6 places to shop on Black Friday, and how to find out what your Social Security check will be in 2019. How to See the […]

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Q&A: A reader’s college funding rules

Dear Liz: I’d like to share with other parents how my husband and I paid for college for our two daughters. We had three rules. 1. If an out-of-state or private college was chosen, then they would be required to pay us back the difference compared to an in-state public school. They both did opt […]

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