Dear Liz: My wife and I will be receiving a sizable amount of money. We want to put the money into a high-yield joint savings account. We don’t want to exceed the FDIC protection. Can we each open joint accounts at the same bank and have each account covered up to the $250,000 limit? Answer: That’s not […]
Recent Blog Posts
Is your ex alive? It matters when calculating these Social Security benefits
Dear Liz: You say that people can receive divorced survivor benefits while remarried but only if they married at 60 or later. I am 75 and getting married soon. I hoped to continue to receive my deceased ex-husband’s benefits. We were married for 30 years. When I finally connected with an actual live person in the […]
An aging father chafes at a daughter’s request for financial safeguards
Dear Liz: I am 88. My wife who is 81 has Alzheimer’s but not so bad that we cannot do most things together as before. My younger daughter, an attorney, wants me to sign an agreement that will make it a little more problematic for me to access my substantial financial accounts. She thinks somehow I […]
This week’s money news
This week’s top story: Things are getting better for home buyers. In other news: Full FAFSA launch by Dec. 1, all the fuss about tips and taxes, and weekly mortgage rates cool. Buying a House in 2024: What’s Changed? Things are (finally) getting better for home buyers. Here’s your playbook to navigate the remainder of an unpredictable […]
Q&A: To lease or to buy a car, that is the question
Dear Liz: You recently answered a question about whether to finance a car purchase. I bought a car in 1963 whose wheels couldn’t stay in alignment. By the time I had driven it 20,000 miles, I was on my third set of new tires. My next car had other repeated problems. Solution? Since then I have […]
Q&A: Eyeing a second divorce and the first ex’s Social Security
Dear Liz: I was married for 12 years and have remarried. If I divorce again, am I eligible for my first husband’s Social Security? Answer: People who were married for at least 10 years and who are currently unmarried may be eligible for divorced spousal benefits based on their ex’s work record. So if you divorce, you […]