Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

Recent Blog Posts

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Q&A: Why asking for lower card limits can hurt your credit scores

Dear Liz: My wife and I recently paid off our home mortgage and now have only our two Visa cards, which we pay off in full each month. Depending on our monthly expenses or purchases, those balances rarely exceed a few hundred to possibly as high as a thousand dollars. Each card has a limit of […]

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How to use a tax refund to fight inflation

If inflation has eaten away at your budget the way waves erode a beach, then your tax refund might just provide a much-needed protective barrier. As of March, prices are up 6% over the past 12 months, according to the most recent consumer price index. At the same time, just over half of filers (55%) […]

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This week’s money news

This week’s top story: Smart Money podcast on banking stability, and traditional vs. online banks. In other news: how bank failures show us what not to do with our own finances, how doing the bare minimum with debt is costing you, and if being a landlord worth or not. Smart Money Podcast: Is Banking Stable, and […]

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Q&A: Grandma needs tax help

Dear Liz: My grandma is 78, divorced, and has not filed taxes in the last decade. I was wondering what she should do because she is head of the household and taking care of three adopted kids and needs help. Answer: Please help connect your grandmother with AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, which provides free virtual and in-person tax help. You […]

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Q&A: Tax pitfalls of a house gift

Dear Liz: I have a friend whose mom gave him and his sibling her house a few months before she died. They sold it right away. He got a 1099-S tax form and is confused about what the capital gains are. Technically there were none because they sold it right after she died. Answer: Ouch. If your […]