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unemployment

Monday’s need-to-know money news

March 30, 2015 By Liz Weston

bankruptcy_formToday’s top story: How to decide between debt consolidation or bankruptcy. Also in the news: Apps that can help you save money right now, how to create an income plan from your retirement savings, and how to protect yourself against unemployment.

Debt Consolidation Vs. Bankruptcy: Which Should You Choose?
How to make a crucial decision.

These 7 apps can help you save money right away
It’s like having a bank right in your pocket.

Creating an income plan from your savings
Determining what you need to live on.

10 Steps to Protect Yourself Against an Unexpected Job Loss
Preparing for the unexpected.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: Bankruptcy, credit consolidation, financial apps, Retirement, retirement income, unemployment

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

April 1, 2014 By Liz Weston

Zemanta Related Posts ThumbnailToday’s top story: The dangers of medical identity theft. Also in the news: the pros and cons of identity theft insurance, how to pick the perfect credit card, and how to save your retirement after losing your job.

Medical Identity Theft: The Fraud That Can Kill You
The repercussions are serious.

Is identity-theft insurance a waste of money?
Is the protection worth the cost?

How to Pick the Perfect Credit Card
The important things to consider.

Lost Your Job? Here’s How to Save Your Retirement
Don’t panic.

5 Ways to Fix a Failing Personal Budget
Everyone makes mistakes.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: Credit Cards, Identity Theft, medical identity theft, personal budget, unemployment

Starting over in your 50s, and other curveballs

January 3, 2014 By Liz Weston

Man Seeking EmploymentLosing a job late in life can be devastating, and rebuilding can be tough. Here’s how writer Teresa Mears puts it:

Americans in their 50s and 60s, who expected to be at the peak of their careers before retirement, are finding themselves playing catch-up. While they may never get back the lives they had before, there are steps they can take to improve their retirement prospects.

Jean Chatzky and I offer advice about those steps in “10 ways to get your retirement plan back on track.”

Job losses can have another side effect, besides derailing your retirement: they also can derail your credit scores. I talked to Kelley Holland for CNBC about why that matters and what you can do about it in “What your poor credit rating is costing you.”

I also discusses debt for a series of interviews with Spectrem’s Millionaire Corner, including “Debt is Not Just a Four-Letter Word,” “What Every Buyer ‘Auto” Know about Car Loans” and “You Don’t Want to Overdose on Student Loan Debt.”

Speaking of student loan debt, there are ways to erase some of your federal education loans—but too many people don’t know what they are. Read more in “5 ways do-gooders can erase student loan debt.”

My other recent education columns for Reuters including “Debunking the myth of college rejection rates,”  “3 ways to fix financial aid form flaws” and “That break from college? Stopping out leads to dropping out.”

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: college, Credit Scores, debt, education, job loss, Millionaire Corner, unemployment

Elderly parent wants to help unemployed sons

December 16, 2013 By Liz Weston

Dear Liz: Both of our sons, ages 63 and 59, are currently unemployed. We are 93 and self-supporting with Social Security and my retirement benefits. We live in our own home and are able to handle all our expenses, even though my wife requires a companion for 12 hours each day.

I believe we should financially aid both sons, to the limit of our ability, but my wife disagrees.

They are the two main beneficiaries of our estate. Each one is scheduled to receive about $40,000 upon our deaths. How should we proceed?

Answer: If your estates won’t amount to much more than $80,000 at your deaths, it doesn’t sound as if you have the financial wiggle room to help your sons. Your wife already requires significant care and may need more in the future. Plus, she’s likely to outlive you, which would mean getting by on less (certainly a smaller Social Security benefit, and perhaps a smaller pension amount as well). Any money you give them, in other words, is likely to be to her detriment.

Filed Under: Estate planning, Kids & Money, Q&A Tagged With: Estate Planning, Inheritance, unemployment

Friday’s need-to-know money news

September 13, 2013 By Liz Weston

CollegeWhy Generation X needs to accept the inevitable, coping with a layoff, and how the key to financial prosperity could be inside a funeral home.

Survey: Gen X seriously short on life insurance
Note to Gen Xers: You’re not getting any younger.

3 Ways You May Be Throwing Money Away Without Realizing It
Hands off that retirement account.

What to Do if You Just Got Laid Off
What you need to do once the panic subsides.

4 Tips to Help 30-Somethings Save for a Rainy Day
In every life, a little rain must fall.

10 Unusual Jobs That Pay Surprisingly Well
What cruise ship entertainers, hot dog vendors, and morticians have in common.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: generation x, jobs, layoffs, life insurance, Savings, unemployment

Tuesday’s need-to-know money news

September 10, 2013 By Liz Weston

Credit card backgroundSurviving unemployment, the pros and cons of taking a personal loan to pay off credit card debt, and where your state ranks on the list of America’s most debt-free.

How to survive a job loss
Tips on how to get through one of life’s most difficult times.

Use Personal Loan to Cut Credit Card Debt?
Is trading one debt for another a smart idea?

4 signs of financial immaturity in teens
Could your teen already be on the road to financial ruin?

6 Financial Mistakes We Don’t Make Anymore (and 2 We Still Do)
What financial mistakes are we still making in the “new normal”?

The Most Debt-Free States in America
This list may surprise you.

Filed Under: Liz's Blog Tagged With: credit card debt, debt-free, financial mistakes, Personal Loans, teens, unemployment

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