I ruined my family’s finances by withdrawing from my 401(k) to buy a house — and I regret it
I recently made a panic decision to withdraw all my money from one retirement account and I am now closing on a house in February (about $200,000). I am 36 years old, married and have a 1-year-old. Half of me is regretting it, and I’m worried about next year’s taxes due to the withdrawal and […]
Retiring early can trigger financial shortfall
Retiring three years earlier than expected significantly increases the chances of not meeting retirement income needs, putting greater emphasis on the benefits of working longer or working part time in retirement years. Each year of early retirement before age 65 significantly increases the chance of running out of money in retirement, according to new research […]
‘This has bugged me all my life’: My estranged father gave me $1,000 a month to buy a house in California. My brother cried foul, and told me to stop. Who’s right?
This has bugged me all my life. My father left my family when I was 7. I’m not sure how much in child support he paid my mother. Soon after I graduated college, he visited me for the first time since he left the family. He told me that he wanted to send me money […]
All the ways Wall Streeters are suffering from slashed bonuses
The princes of Wall Street are losing their crowns and tightening their belts.Massive layoffs and diminished bonus checks promise to put a crimp in the high-flying styles of stock brokers, money managers, investment bankers and once-untouchable hedge-fund geniuses. Bloomberg BusinessWeek described Wall Street as being in “retrenchment mode.” Thousands of layoffs either came or are coming and […]
U.S. consumer sentiment strengthens in final January reading
The numbers: U.S. consumer sentiment improved in late January to 64.9, according to the University of Michigan’s gauge of consumer attitudes. This added 5.2 index points from 59.7 in December and was up from the initial January reading of 64.6. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had forecast an unchanged reading of 64.6. Key […]
Fed set to deliver quarter-point rate hike along with ‘one last hawkish sting in the tail’
The Federal Reserve will downshift to a 25 basis point rise in its policy interest rate at their upcoming interest-rate meeting and will work overtime to make sure that the market doesn’t get the idea that rate increases are finished, economists said. “Despite the good news on inflation and being one step closer to done, […]
‘He claims it’s his home’: My mother left her Florida house to all of her children. Our brother lives there — and has no plans to move. How do we get him out?
Dear Quentin, My mother passed away three years ago and left the house to my brother, my sister and me. What little was left in her bank account was distributed among the three of us. Our brother is still living in the family home. He pays the taxes, insurance and utilities to live there. The […]
Bitcoin Pares Gains. Why the Coming Days Could Bring More Volatility.
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies took a breather Wednesday, paring gains from a rally that has lifted digital assets to the highest levels in months. But the next week holds key macro catalysts that could see cryptos make another big move. The price of Bitcoin has shed 2% over the past 24 hours to below $22,550. […]
My mother excluded me from her will — before she died, my sibling cashed out her annuity policy, on which I was a beneficiary. Should I sue my family?
Dear Quentin, My mother recently passed away and I was written out of the will, except for a small amount. She and I had several disagreements over the past two years. This change of will occurred 15 months prior to her death, with her executors present. The remainder of her estate is being divided between […]
Last year, one woman told MarketWatch she was on hold for 7 hours, but the IRS says customer service will improve this tax season. And now? A big test lies ahead.
Last year, tax preparer Kathy Brown called the Internal Revenue Service, and took her daughter to a gymnastics class while her husband stayed on hold, ready to patch in Brown once an employee picked up.Seven hours later, after sitting through the gymnastics class and returning home, the Warsaw, Ky.-based enrolled agent found her husband still […]