When it comes to borrowing money, not all debt is equal. A mortgage, for example, has a much lower interest rate than credit card debt. On top of that, a mortgage helps consumers purchase a necessity that can gain value over time. The same cannot often be said of credit card purchases. That’s why mortgages […]
If you and your estranged spouse are leading separate lives in separate homes, you might be thinking of filing your taxes that way, too. Most married couples residing together under the same roof would see fit to file their income taxes on one joint return. A number of couples have sought the alternative, which is […]
Your golden years are supposed to be a time for relaxation, leisure and reflection. After all, you’ve spent the last several decades hard at work, so the last thing you want to do is spend retirement worried about money. Yet for nearly half of Americans, that’s the reality they’re facing if they don’t make changes. […]
Retirement is an important milestone that often comes after years (or decades) of careful planning. For those who’ve saved diligently and are nearing the end of their careers, the mere thought of market volatility can send shivers down their spines. Will a sudden drop in the value of their portfolios impact their ability to retire? […]
IN THE CAR WHERE Paula Hanson lives, often parked outside a local sheriff’s station in Lancaster, California, her phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Hanson tried to explain to the employees at Discover Bank all that had happened to her. First, she had been laid off from her job, and then her father fell ill and she […]
Long-term-care costs can shatter your retirement nest egg, but here are some ways to pay for these potentially big bills. Traditional long-term-care policies: These are usually the most efficient way to cover costs if you end up needing care. You choose the daily or monthly benefit and the benefit period, and usually an inflation adjustment of […]
You work hard for your retirement savings, so you don’t want to lose track of those funds. But, according to the U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO), 17 states reported a total of $35 million in unclaimed retirements funds in 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) in 2016. Now, considering there was $28.2 trillion in total […]
THERE ARE A LOT OF FREE personal finance apps out there these days. Each one offers different features and capabilities. Many of them can be quite helpful for your finances. Some offer budgeting help while others can help with your investments or help you decipher your credit. However, free usually comes with a price. Every free app […]
Tip your waitstaff and thank your nurses. Being thanked more frequently at work can ultimately benefit physical health, according to a recent study involving acute-care nurses in Oregon. Receiving expressions of gratitude improved these nurses’ satisfaction with their work, and in turn predicted sounder sleep, more attempts to eat healthy and even fewer headaches. This […]
When Eva McGregor Dodds, a Detroit-area based college counselor, meets with high-school kids and parents, she hears the same fears and concerns regarding their children’s future. Parents, of course, want the best for their kids. But she has also observed something less wholesome. Parents, she said, want their kids to get into the best schools […]
If you’re like most Americans, you might not have a ton of money saved or invested. And reading what you should have or should be saving—say, saving 20 percent each paycheck, or having your yearly salary saved by the time you’re 30—can be overwhelming. So much so, that you just might not start. But as […]
More than two dozen wealthy parents — among them high-powered CEOs and the actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin — went to expensive and illegal lengths to secure attendance at elite colleges for their own children. The drastic measures the parents took indicate how much they coveted that symbol of success. But the federal case […]
