Ask Liz Weston

Get smart with your money

Recent Blog Posts

By

Q&A: Multiple payments may help credit scores

Dear Liz: You recently wrote that using more than a small percentage of your credit cards’ available limit can hurt your credit scores, even if you pay your balances in full. I pay my credit cards in full each month and I also make several payments (via my bank’s online payment service) during the month. Do these […]

By

Q&A: When an online shopping money-saving scheme is tax evasion

Dear Liz: My father lives in Washington state. He often purchases higher-priced items online, has them shipped to relatives living in Oregon and picks them up later. That way he doesn’t have to pay sales tax. Is this a form of tax evasion? Does he need to pay a “use tax”? Could he (and the Oregon […]

By

Q&A: Divorce complicates retirement benefits

Dear Liz: I was told by Social Security that because I remarried at 60, I could still collect half of my ex’s benefits once he died. He has just died, and half of his benefit is greater than my own retirement benefit. My current husband has not started benefits. If I collect half of my ex’s […]

By

How to take a career break

Back in 2016, Jamie Clark of Seattle was a software engineer who planned to take a year off of work to finish a master’s degree in computational linguistics. One year turned into three and a career change into financial planning. Nowadays, Clark, who uses they/them pronouns, believes the experience makes them a better advisor – […]

By

This week’s money news

This week’s top story: Smart Money podcast on crypto crash, and growing money fast. In other news: Timeline, fallout and what investors should know about FTX crash, the new reality of a $700 monthly car payment, and 5 key numbers to know about CDs. Smart Money Podcast: Crypto Crash, and Growing Money Fast This week’s episode […]