‘As he reminds me, it’s not his house’: My boyfriend lives in my house with my 2 kids, but refuses to pay rent or contribute to food and utility bills. What’s my next move?
Dear Quentin, My boyfriend and I come from completely different backgrounds. I am in my mid-30s and he is 40. We both own our own homes, and had a life built prior to meeting. We have now been together for five years and we have lived only at my house for the last 2.5 years. […]
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 […]
My husband and I rent our second home to our son and his wife. Now we want him to own this house, but keep our 2.5% mortgage rate. How can we do that?
My husband and I bought a second home two years ago, for $160,000, with a 30-year mortgage at 2.5%. We bought it with the sole purpose of renting it out to our son and his new wife. They were recent college graduates, and just starting their careers. They’ve made this house their home. And it’s […]
The effects of inflation may be felt for decades to come: Americans are hitting pause on retirement savings
Most of us are feeling the pain of inflation now, but the rising cost of almost everything may be impacting our future selves as well: People are cutting back on saving for retirement as a result of inflation. The majority of Americans say current financial issues are more pressing than preparing for the future. Two […]
I’m 65, retired and have a $2,000 pension. Should I sell my rental properties?
Dear MarketWatch, I’m a 65-year-old married man in Southern California. I retired about 5 years ago, and have very little in pension payments of about $2,000 from my old job, without any medical benefits. But I have rental income from about a dozen single-family homes that I collected during my professional career as a civil […]
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 […]
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 […]
‘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 […]
This 72-year-old is hoping to fund her retirement on GoFundMe
GoFundMe campaigns have been raising piles of cash for older Walmart workers who want to retire — but the heartwarming stories about sudden windfalls mask a dark reality about economic security and growing old in America, say retirement experts.“This is not a feel-good story, this is about the failure of our retirement system,” said Teresa […]