Get smart with your money
Remember those money books I recommended last week? I’m giving away one of them this week: Mary Hunt’s “The Smart Woman’s Guide to Planning for Retirement.” This is a terrific book filled with practical suggestions and plenty of encouragement for people who aren’t sure how to make their retirement dreams come true. To enter to […]
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Dear Liz: I will be inheriting around $300,000 over the next year. My instincts are to pay down debt with this money. I have two homes and for practical reasons need to keep them. One home has a $260,000 mortgage balance at 5%. The other has a $130,000 mortgage at 4%. We have $35,000 in […]
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Dear Liz: My 401(k) plan has grown exceptionally well this year. I think we all know that it can’t last. I just recently heard about self-directed IRAs. I was intrigued at the possibility of opening one by rolling over a portion of my 401(k) money directly. The problem is, my company’s 401(k) provider will not […]
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Today’s top story: Hidden taxes that can bust your budget. Also in the news: how to job hunt during the holidays, the fastest growing jobs in America, and how to make the most out of your year end charitable giving. Hidden Taxes That Can Bust Your Budget How to avoid being caught by surprise. 3 […]
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Today’s top story: How driving could affect your credit. Also in the news: The five C’s of credit, what you shouldn’t do this Christmas, and what we can learn about personal finance from three holiday classics. How Does Driving Affect Your Credit? Unpaid tickets could wreck your credit score. The 4 Judgments Every Lender Makes […]
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Donna Freedman was kind enough to include a couple of my books in her recent post, “The gift of personal finance,” which made me realize that there was an unusually good crop of money tomes that appeared this year. I’m delighted to recommend the following for anyone who’s interested in making the most of his […]
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Long-time readers know I’m a big fan of using state-run 529 college plans to save for higher education expenses. (Remember the mantra: if you can save for college, you should!) Money in these plans grows tax-free when used for qualified college costs and doesn’t have much impact on financial aid (which is going to be […]
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Today’s top story: Mythbusting your FICO score. Also in the news: Steps retiring entrepreneurs should take, tax moves Boomers should make right away, and how retailers trick you into spending money. 5 Myths About Late Payments & Your FICO Scores Mythbusting, FICO style. 10 Steps for Retiring Entrepreneurs Using your company as a cash cow […]
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