Today’s top story: Why your financial aid may plummet after freshman year. Also in the news: 3 tricks to help you shop less, how FICA tax and other withholding taxes work on your paycheck, and why you should plan to retire even if you don’t plan on retiring. Why Your Financial Aid May Plummet After […]
Recent Blog Posts
Let’s get real about health costs in retirement
You won’t pay for health care in retirement with one lump sum. That’s the way these expenses are often presented, though, and the amounts are terrifying. Fidelity Investments, for example, says a couple retiring in 2019 at age 65 will need $285,000 for health expenses, not including nursing home or other long-term care. The Employee […]
Monday’s need-to-know money news
Today’s top story: The average credit score is rising. Also in the news: 3 money-saving tips for buying a washer, a statute of limitations on student loans, and why you should always buy airfare on a credit card. Credit Scores Are Rising — Is Yours, Too? Every little bit matters. Want to Clean Up? 3 […]
Q&A: Here’s a case where taking retirement funds early might make sense
Dear Liz: My wife and I are both retired and receiving annuity payments. In addition, we have about $1.3 million in traditional IRAs and $350,000 in another annuity that will pay us each about $1,000 per month. We are moving from Texas to Arkansas sometime in the next year. Texas has no state income tax […]
Q&A: Bad Social Security math
Dear Liz: Regarding when to begin receiving Social Security payments: I would think that people should begin taking payments as early as possible if they can invest it rather than spend it, as a lot of money is “left on the table” between ages, say, 62 and 70. Your thoughts? Answer: That argument was more […]
Q&A: Tax take on inherited house
Dear Liz: In a recent column, you quoted an attorney saying that if an inherited home in a trust is sold for its value at the date of death, the trust won’t owe capital gains. We sold our family’s house in 2007 within a month of my mother’s death and the government took half. Fortunately […]