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 […]
I’m still working at 75: Do I need to take RMDs from my 401(k)?
Dear Fix My Portfolio, I retired from the U.S. Postal Service in 2004 and have a yearly pension from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). I also work part time at a big hardware chain and have a portion of my salary placed in the company’s 401(k). I have been working there for four years […]
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 […]
Ending AmazonSmile donations ‘could not come at a worse time’ for nonprofits
The end of Amazon’s charity donation program will be another blow to small nonprofits that are already struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain economy, nonprofit leaders told MarketWatch.Amazon AMZN, -0.11% is scrapping AmazonSmile, the program that lets Amazon customers direct donations to nonprofits while shopping on the online retail giant. Customers who sign […]
High medical costs made more Americans delay care last year
We want to hear from readers who have stories to share about the effects of increasing costs and a changing economy. If you’d like to share your experience, write to readerstories@marketwatch.com. Please include your name and the best way to reach you. A reporter may be in touch. A record share of U.S. adults said they […]
Households earning $100,000 or more are cutting spending more aggressively. What’s going on?
We want to hear from readers who have stories to share about the effects of increasing costs and a changing economy. If you’d like to share your experience, write to readerstories@marketwatch.com. Please include your name and the best way to reach you. A reporter may be in touch. Higher-earning households are feeling the inflationary pinch. Consumer […]
‘I am angry’: I’m an unmarried stay-at-home mother in a 20-year relationship, but my boyfriend won’t put my name on the deed of our house. Am I unreasonable?
I have been in my relationship for almost 20 years. For personal reasons, we are not married but we have a 10-year-old child. When our child was born, we decided that I would be a stay-at-home parent because my low-paying job didn’t cover the costs of child care, and at the time, we were stretched. […]
‘We’re headed for a family feud’: My father offered his 3 kids equal monetary gifts. My siblings took cash. I took stock. It’s soared in value — now they’re crying foul
Dear Quentin, Several years before my father’s death, he offered me and my two siblings each an early “cash gift” from his estate in the amount of whatever the maximum non-taxable amount was at the time. He was an active investor and offered the gift in the form of the stock instead of cash. My siblings […]
Opinion: Cognitive decline in a loved one: how to spot it, what to do
Both as a financial adviser and in my prior role as an attorney, I’ve seen families struggle with cognitive decline of an aging parent. Financial and estate planning can’t take away the heartache, but they can help families avoid some wrenching situations.In this article, I’ll share two scenarios drawn from real-life circumstances I’ve observed. One […]
Opinion: ‘Young people know more about TikTok and Minecraft than money.’ Teenagers want to be smarter about finances — teach them.
A recession looms, inflation has skyrocketed, interest rates are rising, and many Americans’ personal finances are in jeopardy. The financial knowledge necessary for students like myself to navigate these turbulent times is in short supply, but the demand is high. The circumstances of peoples’ economic struggles are complex and systemic, as are the potential solutions. But there […]