Ask Liz Weston

March 19, 2012 By Liz Weston

Moonjar winners: check your email!

All 12 winners of the Moonjar Money Boxes have been notified, but I’ve only heard back from 8 of you. If I don’t hear back from the other four, the prizes will be awarded to other entrants. So: SUZY, JENNIFER S., EMILY B. and KATHY L., check your email (and your spam filter) and get […]

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: giveaway, Moonjar

March 19, 2012 By Liz Weston

Could son’s unpaid bills harm parents’ credit? Maybe

Dear Liz: Our 24-year-old son lives with us. He failed out of college, has been fired from two restaurant jobs and is working part time at a grocery warehouse. He has neglected to pay his credit card for several months. He also waits until his cellphone carrier threatens to turn off his phone before he […]

Filed Under: Credit & Debt, Kids & Money, Q&A Tagged With: collection agencies, collections, Credit Bureaus, Credit Cards, credit freeze, Credit Reports, debt collection, Debts

March 19, 2012 By Liz Weston

Stepdaughter wants “everything”: what does she deserve?

Dear Liz: Your column from the person who wanted “heirlooms” from her stepfather is applicable to my situation. My husband’s daughter wants literally everything in my house, even though he and I commingled our assets 23 years ago and have been married more than 10 years. How do I access public records to see if […]

Filed Under: Estate planning, Q&A Tagged With: community property, estate, Estate Planning, estate plans, heirlooms, wills

March 16, 2012 By Liz Weston

Friday Follows: What’s interesting out there

Here are some recent, thought-provoking articles that are worth a look: “Get ready: inflation may hit 15%” from Kathy Kristof on MoneyWatch. Alarmist? Maybe, but there’s a lot of cheap money sloshing around in the economy right now. Once the economy heats up, that fuel could catch fire. If you don’t remember the 1970s, this […]

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: daily deals, financial crisis, Friday Follows, inflation, Kathy Kristof, Melissa Balmain, MoneyWatch, Success, USA Today

March 15, 2012 By Liz Weston

5 debit card don’ts

ShopSmart, the excellent magazine from the publishers of Consumer Reports, just came out with a list of ways you shouldn’t use your debit card. Among them: 1. Don’t use your debit card for big purchases or when you shop online. Credit cards can serve as a middleman in disputes, so you’re typically not out any […]

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: Credit Cards, debit cards, rewards cards, rewards credit cards, ShopSmart

March 14, 2012 By Liz Weston

New giveaway: Moonjars!

I’m giving away twelve (12!) Moonjar Moneyboxes. If there’s a child in your life who needs to learn about money, this is a great tool. The three-part cardboard bank allows kids to divvy their cash among three categories: save, spend and share. To enter to win, leave a comment here on my blog (not my […]

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: giveaway, Moonjar, piggy bank

March 13, 2012 By Liz Weston

Saving for college: what parents need to know

I’m giving a talk this morning to fellow parents about saving for college. I’ll be covering three important topics: why you need to save, how much you need to save and where you should put the money you’re saving. Why you need to save A college degree, or at least some post-high school training, is […]

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: 529 college savings plan, college, college costs, college students, college tuition, Student Loans

March 12, 2012 By Liz Weston

Want to save money on gas? Check out these cards

Credit card comparison site NerdWallet took a close look at gas cards offered by Gulf, BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell and compared them to 10 cards that offered rewards at any gas stations. Nerdwallet’s conclusion: it doesn’t pay to be loyal to one brand of gas. NerdWallet found the station-branded cards offered lower rewards and […]

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: Credit Cards, gas cards

March 12, 2012 By Liz Weston

Don’t buy life insurance if you don’t need life insurance

Dear Liz: I recently inherited around $200,000. I’m on track for retirement, so my broker is encouraging me to consider buying a policy for long-term care. He recommends a flexible-premium universal life insurance policy that requires a one-time upfront payment and provides a death benefit as well as a long-term care benefit. It does appear […]

Filed Under: Insurance, Q&A Tagged With: fee-only planners, life insurance, long-term care insurance

March 12, 2012 By Liz Weston

Prepaid cards aren’t a great choice for travel

Dear Liz: I have been granted a Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharge of all my debts. I’m now debt free and plan to stay that way. I’ve been saving like crazy and have enough to afford a cross-country driving trip to attend my son’s wedding. I’d like your advice on using prepaid debit cards to cover […]

Filed Under: Budgeting, Credit & Debt, Q&A Tagged With: Credit Cards, debit cards, prepaid cards

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