Dear Liz: I didn’t pay much into Social Security and started drawing it at age 62. As a result my check wasn’t very much. If I start working now, will it increase my monthly benefit over the years? Answer: Yes, but the effect depends on a lot of factors. Social Security determines your benefit using […]
Recent Blog Posts
Q&A: Going without health insurance isn’t wise
Dear Liz: You recently wrote about early retirees going abroad for their pre-Medicare years in order to get more affordable healthcare coverage. Why did you not bother to even mention the COBRA option that is often available to workers upon retirement? And by the way, some of us prefer to self-insure in our pre-Medicare years […]
Friday’s need-to-know money news
Today’s top story: Getting by on the average retirement income. Also in the news: Tips on back-to-school shopping, how to profit from someone else’s financial mistake, and how to decode your credit card bill. Could You Get By On the Average Retirement Income? Where does that income come from? Cross Items Off Your Back-to-School List […]
Thursday’s need-to-know money news
Today’s top story: Intern with a 401(k)? Here’s how to make it pay. Also in the news: 6 big ways credit can affect your life, helping your kid start a business, and a new game show pays off winner’s student loans. Intern With a 401(k)? Here’s How to Make It Pay Make long-term gains from […]
Tuesday’s need-to-know money news
Today’s top story: This could be the biggest blow to your retirement. Also in the news: How one couple ditched their debt, why good credit is essential when remodeling a home, and how to apply for a credit card with no credit. This Could Be the Biggest Blow to Your Retirement The battle with healthcare […]
Can you afford to help your kid start a business?
Amazon. Chipotle. GoPro. These household-name businesses were launched thanks to investments by the founders’ parents. But parents also have sunk plenty of money into their offsprings’ doomed enterprises, sometimes endangering their retirements and family relationships in the process. In my latest for the Associated Press, how not to offer money you can’t afford to lose.