I sold my late mother’s home for $250,000. I make $80,000 and have $220,000 in student debt. I want to buy a house. Should I use all my inheritance for a down payment?
My mom passed away, and left me her house, which I just sold and will net $250,000. I’m 41 years old with no real retirement savings. I make $80,000 a year, and I am maxing out contributions to my employer-matching retirement account. I own my car, pay off my credit cards in full every month, […]
‘She never has enough money’: I was adopted by a wealthy family, but my biological grandma says I need to financially support her — and buy her a condo
My biological mom died when I was a toddler, and the state felt that my grandmother wasn’t appropriate as a placement given that they found she had mental-health issues at that time. I was adopted by an upper-class family, and all communication with my biological grandma was prohibited after the adoption. Fast forward to when […]
My mother’s will leaves everything to her 3 children. My brother died suddenly — and his wife says she will receive her late husband’s share
Dear Quentin, My father died in 2018 and everything passed to my mother per their wills that were made in 2015. My sister, brother and I were next to inherit what’s left, equally. No one’s spouse was mentioned in the will. My mother is still alive, but she is not in the best of health […]
Where do things stand with student loans? Here are answers to 5 common questions.
From repayment policy changes to a sweeping one-time debt forgiveness plan, 2022 proved to be a high-profile year for student loans. But questions have clouded the student loan announcements, and answers are few and far between. We don’t yet know how, when or if some of these changes will take form. As 2023 dawns, here are […]
Still need a Mega Millions ticket? You might be able to buy one with your phone
Many Americans will be rushing today to grocery stores and gas stations to buy tickets for tonight’s big Mega Millions drawing with a $1.35 billion jackpot. But for Brandon Sansone, there’s no reason to head out in a last-minute panic: He can make all his lottery purchases without even looking up from his phone.Sansone is […]
The housing market is showing signs of ‘normalizing’ and IRS says ‘Tax Day’ will be different this year — put these important tax dates on your calendar
Hi, MarketWatchers. Don’t miss these top stories.IRS says ‘Tax Day’ will be different this year — put these important tax dates on your calendar Two thirds of households received income-tax refunds last year, IRS statistics show. Read More U.S. mortgage rates slip, giving some relief to homebuyers The 30-year mortgage rate is averaging at 6.33%, […]
Reparations for Black Americans ‘could finally lead to closure’: Sandy Darity
Black Americans whose ancestors were enslaved have been excluded from full citizenship in the United States for the last 247 years — and granting them full citizenship will cost between $13 trillion and $14 trillion, economist William “Sandy” Darity told a conference of fellow U.S. economists last week. To see the impact of second-class citizenship […]
Nursing-home reform may finally become a reality: Three breakthroughs that are turning talk into action
Nursing-home reform, long advocated by long-term care analysts and the public, seems to finally be happening. The problems at these facilities — where people reside in close proximity for extended periods and the average age of residents is 86 — are many. More than 133,000 nursing-home residents and staff members have died from COVID-19 during […]
The outage of an FAA alert system has snarled flights — what’s the notice system at the center of the problem?
The overnight outage of a Federal Aviation Administration alert system snarled air traffic Wednesday morning, leading to the first nationwide grounding since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Air traffic operations were “resuming gradually,” the aviation regulator said in its most recent update. All flights already in the sky are safe to land, the regulator […]
The ‘best job in America’ pays over $120,000 a year — and offers a low-stress, healthy work-life balance
We’ve had the great resignation, quiet quitting, resistance to going back to the office — and now? It turns out people are looking for happiness, stability, flexibility and a good salary.In 2023, in the wake of the worst days of the pandemic, most U.S. job switchers and others seeking employment want to land a job […]