Ask Liz Weston

This week’s top story: Mortgage rates will not fall in March. In other news: Rental housing prices 2024, why some millennials don’t want kids, and managing credit cards when you grew up in a cash-only household. When Will Mortgage Rates Fall? Probably Not in March Mortgage rates are expected to go down sometime in 2024, but […]

Q&A: Is it possible to have too many credit cards?

Dear Liz: I have accumulated too many credit cards, sometimes to get bonus frequent flier miles. The frequent flier miles cards all have annual fees. I always pay cards in full each month. My credit score is 800-plus every month. I have heard that your credit score is dinged when you close credit accounts. Is that […]

Q&A: Determining a house’s value

Dear Liz: I understand that as a widow, if I sell my house I get the stepped-up value from the year my husband died. Should I have gotten an appraisal at that time (26 years ago)? How do I find out what my home was worth then? We bought it in 1973 and he died in […]

Q&A: Alternatives to paper checks

Dear Liz: Because I am concerned about check fraud, I pay most of my bills online. However, I still need checks for paying my housekeeper, gardener, etc. I use a gel ink pen to deter fraud but was wondering if there is something else I should consider doing. Answer: Checks you hand to people you know are probably less […]

This week’s money news

This week’s top story: How to manage a retirement spending. In other news: The best time for high CD rates might be right now, the Credit Card Competition Act and credit unions, and what you can expect next if you got a SAVE student loan forgiveness email. Retirement Spending Is a U-Shaped Curve. Here’s How to […]

Fighting over money? Ways to seek common ground with your partner

Figuring out how to manage money together might be an important part of a happy relationship, but it’s a skill that doesn’t always come naturally. “When there’s conflict or discord, it’s usually not about the money itself, but related to the meaning each person is attaching to money. There’s always something deeper,” says Cohen Taylor, […]

Q&A: Here’s something you might not know about how colleges hand out financial aid

Dear Liz: After the pandemic started, we received money from the federal government and decided to put it in a custodial account for our son, starting when he was 14. We invested the money in a Standard & Poor’s index fund. I now think I made a mistake and should have simply added the money to […]

Q&A: Naming beneficiaries turns tricky

Dear Liz: I have spent the majority of the last three decades abroad. Relationships fade away if there is little contact. Such is life. Most of the financial accounts that I have allow me to provide an organization as a beneficiary. But some institutions, like TreasuryDirect, require an actual person to be listed as a […]

Q&A: Junk fees for online payments

Dear Liz: You recently answered a question about fees for paying bills online. I agree that the $12 fee mentioned is too high but I also know that any platform costs money to maintain. I work for a nonprofit that takes donations and our donors can choose to pay the fee. I doubt regular customers would agree […]

This week’s money news

This week’s top story: The Capital One-Discover Deal and what cardholders can expect. In other news: What the Capital One-Discover deal could mean for bank accounts, The Capital One-Discover deal and Discover student loans, and prepare calling your student loan servicer. If Capital One Buys Discover, What Can Cardholders Expect? Even if the deal is approved, […]

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