Get smart with your money
Dear Liz: I wish to add a little more information for the retired individual who had trouble getting approved for a home equity loan because he had no regular income (although he had plenty of assets). I’d suggest consulting a mortgage broker, not a bank. An independent broker is not captive to one set of […]
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Dear Liz: I am trying to help my retired parents refinance their home. Currently they are paying over 8% interest. (This loan should be illegal.) The problem is their credit score, which is around 536. They had a tax lien in 2004 (it has been paid off for over four years) and some minor credit […]
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For every rule of thumb, there are hundreds of people who would quibble with it. We saw that just recently with a USA Today columnist who quantified exactly how much you need to save for retirement (his answer, via an analysis by T. Rowe Price: $82.28 a day). Lots of people didn’t like that the […]
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Today’s top story: What you need to save every day for a comfortable retirement. Also in the news: The three tax buckets, the 10 commandments of savings, and four boring but essential money conversations. $82 a Day Is the Average Savings for a Comfortable Retirement $82.28 to be exact. What Pre-Retirees Should Be Asking About […]
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Today’s top story: What to do if you made a mistake on your taxes. Also in the news: How to help a friend in financial trouble, money mistakes to avoid on your honeymoon, and what you need to take care of financially before your baby arrives. Help! I Did My Taxes Wrong Don’t panic! Helping […]
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Today’s top story: Protecting your 401(k). Also in the news: What to do if you have a large tax bill, rental mistakes to avoid, and the two legal documents you can’t live without. How To Spot A 401(k) Rip-off Don’t sell your retirement short. Big Tax Bill? IRS Offers Payment Options Taxes don’t have to […]
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In case you haven’t noticed, efforts to teach financial literacy in schools and elsewhere are a pretty big failure. As a nation we’re not getting much better at managing our money. Efforts to change that by teaching money skills in schools haven’t done much to improve the situation. Follow-up studies on people who took financial […]
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Today’s top story: The Heartbleed bug is worse than originally thought. Also in the news: How to get a tax extension, mistakes to avoid in your rush to file, and the best personal finance tools. Heartbleed: Why Changing Your Passwords Isn’t Enough Welcome to the web’s worst nightmare. How to get more time to file […]
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