Dear Liz: What is the formula now for expenses? When growing up, we were told that one-third of net income should go to rent, but recently, I read that 50% is the standard with the remaining 50% divided between wants and savings. Answer: You may be referring to the 50/30/20 budget, which suggests limiting “must haves” to 50% […]
Recent Blog Posts
Retiring? If you need a home loan, get one first
Retired engineers Kelly and Derek Barkey assumed they would be approved when they applied for a $50,000 home equity line of credit two years ago to fix up their new house. The Barkeys, now 56 and 59, had just sold their longtime home in Southern California and paid cash for a house worth about $850,000 […]
This week’s money news
This week’s top story: Smart Money podcast on making your big money reset. In other news: what do financial experts say about investing in AI stocks, if COVID costs will be covered when the health emergency is ended, and what to do when Medicare doesn’t cover your prescription drug. Smart Money Podcast: Making Your Big Money […]
Q&A: They lent their friend a van. It’s getting awkward. Now what?
Dear Liz: A friend of ours had a huge problem with car repairs last year. This friend got ripped off by a mechanic who took money for the work to repair his car and never repaired it. So my husband and I were kind enough to loan him our van for what we thought would be […]
Q&A: Securities Investor Protection Corp. coverage
Dear Liz: This is a follow-up question to your column concerning stock brokerage accounts and the coverage provided by Securities Investor Protection Corp. My husband and I are puzzled as to how the failure of a brokerage, which does not actually own our shares of stock, could cause us to lose that stock, leaving us to the limited […]
Q&A: Another view of house bequest
Dear Liz: You recently answered a question about a mother who gave her home to her two children shortly before she died. You wrote that when a home is gifted, the recipients also get the original owner’s tax basis and thus there is no step up in tax basis at death. However, if the mother continued to live […]