Dear Liz: My husband passed away 10 months ago. I applied for widow benefits. The Social Security Administration sent me a letter that said they cannot pay because my Social Security benefit would equal two-thirds of the amount of my pension. Please help me with this. Answer: This is known as the government pension offset, and it […]
Recent Blog Posts
Q&A: Missing the paperwork on your IRAs? All is not lost
Dear Liz: I have four daughters, now in their late 30s and early 40s. When they were very young, I started investing for them. As they began to earn their own money, I started Roth IRAs for them as well. A decade ago, due to an unexpected divorce, a 30-day escrow and a move, I lost […]
This week’s money news
This week’s top story: State and local minimum wage hikes kick in around U.S. In other news: July mortgage rates could follow house prices downward, corporations want you to rent, not own, and 7 states where will pump up gas taxes on July 1. State and Local Minimum Wage Hikes Kick In Around U.S. Minimum wage earners […]
Q&A: A remarried military widow navigates Social Security survivor benefits
Dear Liz: My wife of 15 years is now 58 and I am 62. She is a military widow who was married for 17 years before her previous husband’s death. I believe she is ineligible to collect on her deceased spouse’s Social Security record because she married me. Is that right? Instead, can she collect her […]
Q&A: A greedy friend eyes a suitcase of (suspected) drug money
Dear Liz: A person I know who is in his 80s and very wealthy recently described having a suitcase of old cash. The bills date from the time before the electronic strip was introduced. He said, “I don’t know what to do with this.” Long ago he sold marijuana. I immediately thought that this should pass […]
Q&A: When using payment apps, confirm before hitting send
Dear Liz: You’ve recently written about Zelle and other payment apps. I had a neighbor pay an amount to the wrong phone number. Uh-oh. When I needed to pay someone recently, I asked them to request the amount using my phone number on Zelle. In this way, granting their request would assure that my payment would […]