This week’s money news

This week’s top story: Smart Money podcast on using AI to budget and save and debit vs. credit card pros and cons. In other news: What the 2024 Social Security COLA could mean for your retirement, what parents of college students need to know about new FAFSA, and first-time home buyer affordability report.

Smart Money Podcast: Using AI to Budget and Save and Debit vs. Credit Card Pros and Cons
Learn how to use AI for help with budgeting and saving money, then learn whether credit cards or debit cards are safer.

What the 2024 Social Security COLA Could Mean for Your Retirement
Social Security benefit amounts adjust for inflation every year; here’s how to make the most of those changes for 2024.

New FAFSA: What Parents of College Students Need to Know
The new 2024-25 FAFSA will have a greater impact on divorced parents, undocumented parents and those with multiple kids in school.

First-Time Home Buyer Affordability Report — Q3 2023
High mortgage rates sidelined home buyers and sellers alike in the third quarter, making the already lofty financial goal of homeownership potentially unattainable for would-be first-timers.

Thursday’s need-to-know money news

Today’s top story: How to maximize your health span. Also in the news: Home affordability for first-time buyers, 6 steps to higher net worth, and how to avoid a tax bomb when selling your home.

How to Maximize Your ‘Health Span’
We’re living longer on average, but the number of years we’re healthy hasn’t kept up.

First-Time Home Buyer Metro Affordability Report — Q3 2021
Home affordability for first-time buyers was stable in the third quarter of 2021.

6 Steps to Higher Net Worth: A Year-End Financial Checklist
Review your health insurance and retirement contributions, prepare for tax time and monitor your credit.

How to avoid a tax bomb when selling your home
Write-off thresholds have stayed the same for decades.