Dear Liz: Thank you for your response to the reader who complained that college students who received student loans were getting a handout. You did a great job of highlighting the challenges today’s students face, but you didn’t talk about the main underlying cause. This is the defunding of state universities by state governments. In […]
Recent Blog Posts
Can’t afford to save for retirement?
Dear Liz: Is it reasonable for a 50-year-old single man helping with support of a teenage child and earning a steady $35,000 a year to save for his retirement? Rent alone takes $800 a month; food, car and health costs leave little discretionary money. Answer: Can you reasonably expect to live on Social Security alone? […]
Don’t tap retirement funds to pay kids’ student loans
Dear Liz: I’m in my 50s. My kids have college loan debts that might total more than $200,000. I allowed them to take out loans because I expected to inherit $300,000 to help them pay off the debt. Now that inheritance will not happen. I have $250,000 saved for retirement. When I’m 58 1/2 years […]
Soon-to-be ex wants cash-out refinance
Dear Liz: My soon-to-be ex wants to refinance our mortgage to pay for renovations so we can sell it for more money. He also wants to take out some cash to pay off unsecured loans. (I have $11,000 in credit card debt, and he has over $50,000.) The house recently appraised for $310,000 and we […]
How to make saving money easier
Dear Liz: What’s the easiest way to save money? I have the hardest time. I want to save, but I feel that I don’t make enough to start saving. Answer: The easiest way to save is to do it without thinking about it. That usually means setting up automatic transfers either from your paycheck or […]
Even military careerists need a Plan B
Dear Liz: I’m about to marry an active-duty military man. We’re in the process of marrying our finances, and I have several questions. First, what is a good emergency fund for us? We run our household on his salary because I’m recently unemployed. I’ve always had a six-month emergency fund for myself, but because he’ll […]