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Monday’s need-to-know money news

July 1, 2013 By Liz Weston

Little Girl with Crown of EarsHow to survive your child’s summer vacation without emptying your wallet, protecting your tuition investments, and how to ensure your semester abroad doesn’t lead to financial disaster.

Six Ways to Save Money on Summer Childcare
Keeping your child busy this summer doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank.

Why a Good Student Checking Account Matters

Student checking accounts are a perfect way to teach financial responsibility.

Kids and Money: Tuition is an Insurable Investment

Tuition refund insurance can provide peace of mind.

Plan For Financial Independence, Not Retirement
Financial independence can mean working when you want; not because you have to.

4 Credit Card Tips for College Students Headed Overseas

How to avoid a financial mess when studying abroad.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: banking, checking, child care, children, credit card, credit card fees, Credit Cards, Retirement

Monday’s need-to-know money news

June 24, 2013 By Liz Weston

The hackerProtecting your finances online, helping your kids build their credit and when to start saving for retirement.

FBI Warns of New ‘Wire Transfer’ Scheme
How to keep your money safe from internet thieves.

How to Dispute a Credit Card Charge
The easiest ways to get your money back.

How Young People Can Begin to Build Credit
Sharing your credit could just be the best way to start.

7 Retirement Decisions that Affect the Rest of Your Life
When you start saving could make the difference forty years down the line.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog, Saving Money Tagged With: banking, building credit, Credit Cards, Retirement

Friday’s need-to-know money news

June 14, 2013 By Liz Weston

The hackerBanks are watching your Facebook account, escaping a lease, and keeping your cool.

The Identity Theft Flu: 5 Ways to Stay Healthy

There’s no way to completely protect yourself from identity theft, but here are some ways to boost your financial immune system.

Using Social Media to Stop Online Payment Fraud

Your Facebook status updates could soon be used to verify your financial state.

Is Creating a Personal Budget a Good Idea?

Experts debate the pros and cons of personal budgets.

When and How to Break a Lease

Tips on how to break a lease as painlessly as possible.

Smart Ways to Slash Your Summer Bills

How to stay  cool without melting your wallet.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog, Saving Money Tagged With: banking, Budgeting, budgets, Identity Theft, saving money

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

June 12, 2013 By Liz Weston

FinancesFather knows best, careers that simply aren’t worth the money and the double-edged sword of frugality.

Listen to Your Father! Old-School Money Tips for Today

Financial advice that stands the test of time.

The Best and Worst Careers to Go Into Debt For

If you want to see your work in print, become an advertiser, not a reporter.

Credit Expert Answers 7 Burning Personal Finance Questions

Including tips on how to improve your credit score.

When Frugality Goes Too Far

Growing your own vegetables is a great idea. Spending $3500 on a vegetable garden is not.

Overdraft Fees Cost Bank Customers Hundreds of Dollars a Year

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found overdrawing their accounts cost customers an average of $225 per year.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: banking, college costs, college debt, courtesy overdraft, Credit Cards, Credit Reports, Credit Scores, FICO, FICO scores, financial advice, overdraft fees, Student Loans

Wednesday’s need-to-know money news

June 5, 2013 By Liz Weston

collegeHere are some of the top money stories around the Web:

How to Pay Student Loans You Can’t Afford

With interest rates on federal Stafford Loans set to double on July 1st, Credit.com’s Gerri Detweiler breaks down the four main income-based repayment programs.

The Surprising Downside of Cutting Up Your Credit Cards

While it may curb your spending, cutting those credit cards in half could hurt your credit score.

Banks Lag on Consumer-Friendly Checking Practices

After surveying 36 of 50 of the country’s largest banks, the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Safe Checking in the Electronic Age project discovered that not a single one met all of the recommended practices.

Are You Paying the iTunes Tax?

The days of tax free internet purchases could soon be over.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: banking, Credit Cards, Credit Scores, credit scoring, FICO, FICO scores, Student Loans

Paper statements may not be necessary

May 13, 2013 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: I’m wondering how long we really need to keep bank statements, since banks now offer paperless options. My son doesn’t even open the statements anymore; he just views his account information online.

Answer: There’s nothing magical about paper bank statements. If your son doesn’t open them, he probably shouldn’t even get them. He can ask his bank to switch him to its paperless option and save some trees.

The IRS accepts electronic documents, and banks keep account records at least six years. Your highest risk for an audit is the three years after a tax return is filed, so you should be able to download statements if you need them in an audit. There might be fees involved to get these statements, however, so you’ll have to weigh the potential cost against the hassle of storing all that paper. Some people get the paper statements, scan them and shred the originals; others download the statements as they go and store them electronically.

If you don’t need bank records for tax purposes, there’s even less reason for getting paper statements. Eschewing them can reduce bank fees and will certainly save a few trees.

Filed Under: Banking, Q&A, The Basics Tagged With: banking, financial records, IRS, paperwork, purging paperwork

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