Today’s top story: What to buy (and skip) in May. Also in the news: Early retirees share hard lessons learned, a student loan partial financial hardship calculator, and why you should research mortgage lenders the way you research restaurants. What to Buy (and Skip) in May It’s a good time for furniture shopping. Early Retirees […]
Recent Blog Posts
Income can peak before you’re ready
Most retirement calculators are optimistic to a fault. They assume our incomes will rise throughout our working lives, or at least stay roughly the same. In reality, our incomes are likely to peak years — and sometimes decades — before we retire. In my latest for the Associated Press, why saving early for retirement is […]
Monday’s need-to-know money news
Today’s top story: Make a home down payment without wrecking your finances. Also in the news: What could happen to your credit score when you close accounts, how to sidestep the potential pitfalls of travel credit cards, and why most teens don’t believe they’ll be financially independent from their parents by age 30. Make a […]
Q&A: Figuring homes’ adjusted basis
Dear Liz: In your response to a question about the adjusted basis of a residence after the death of a spouse, you state that the surviving spouse may add to the adjusted basis “any commissions or fees paid to purchase the property and the cost of improvements.” Your example adds $150,000 in “improvements over the […]
Q&A: His Social Security claiming decision could use a second opinion
Dear Liz: I retired in 2013 at 55. I purchased an annuity, which will pay $1,000 a month for life for me and my wife as well. That starts in February 2020. My retirement fund, meanwhile, was rolled into an IRA and I’m withdrawing about 10% of that annually. The balance is about $650,000. My […]
Friday’s need-to-know money news
Today’s top story: Are you robbing your parents’ retirement. Also in the news: When is your credit score high enough, when a cash back card is better than travel rewards, and how to pay for your pet’s healthcare. Are You Robbing Your Parents’ Retirement? Parents helping their adult kids at the expense of their future. […]