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 […]
Recent Blog Posts
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 […]
Q&A: What to do with a drawer full of unused credit cards?
Dear Liz: At 75 and 79, my husband and I have no plans to buy a new car or property. We own our home and cars. We have excellent credit ratings. We use one major credit card. I’m consolidating our financial life for our heirs. We have a drawer full of cards we never use. Is […]
This week’s money news
This week’s top story: Lousy customer service ‘designed for you to give up.’ In other news: What home shoppers need to know about the new buyer’s contracts, weekly mortgage rates tumble, and how to get your finances back on track for fall. Biden Official: Lousy Customer Service ‘Designed For You to Give Up’ New government actions target […]
Q&A: An update on the inheritor trying to stay below the poverty line
Dear Liz: I have an update about a recent question in your column. A reader wrote that they had been low income but had recently inherited $175,000. You noted that Medicaid has strict asset limits. Actually, that is no longer the case in California, where Medicaid is known as Medi-Cal. I just received literature from it […]