‘My aim is to have a net worth of at least $100,000’: I’m 29 and live with my mom in a rented mobile home. I have a $25K emergency fund and $26K in a Roth IRA. What do I save for next?

I am doing OK financially as a single 29-year-old who unfortunately is still roommates with my mom. We split everything down the middle and I mainly stay with her since it is very expensive to live on...

TurboTax reaches settlement to pay $141 million for allegedly deceiving customers into paying for tax prep that should have been free

Tax software giant TurboTax has reached a multi-state settlement to pay back $141 million to low-income customers who were allegedly deceived into paying for tax services they should have gotten for f...

Stifel cuts cannabis industry view as analysts weigh Tilray

Stifel analyst W. Andrew Carter on Monday said the firm continues to approach the cannabis sector with “negative overall bias” amid a reduced outlook for the U.S. market and lackluster performance in ...

‘I’m spending a fortune on home maintenance. I realize my second husband is essentially living in my house for free’: What is a fair way to split costs?

I am a retired 62-year-old woman. I was widowed in 2006 at the age of 46 and raised my two children (now 24 and 27) on my own. I used my husband’s life insurance money (about $500,000) to maintain our...

‘The issues with the IRS are still present and very real’: Millions of Americans are racing to file their tax returns, and filing extensions

Tax Day came and went earlier this week, so if your upcoming weekend plans are just chilling after the last-minute tax time bustle, you might have company. April 18 marked the deadline in most states ...

‘I feel deceived’: After 20 years of paying my student loan, I discovered I don’t qualify for forgiveness. My loans total $167,000. What can I do?

I took out loans for professional/graduate school during the years 1993 to 1996. I took out about $54,000 in loans. In 2002, I consolidated all my federal loans. The balance is approximately $167,000....

‘I’m already feeling guilty’: My uncle is leaving me a large inheritance, but excluding my siblings. Should I gift them money every year, or set up a trust?

Dear Quentin, I am soon to inherit a sizable sum of money from an uncle with whom no one in my family still speaks; I’m the only one who has stayed in contact with him. While it seems a bit grotesque ...

‘Life is measurably better without the burden of this debt’: As Biden reviews student-debt cancellation, young people with debt delay buying a house and even having kids

Young Americans are buckling under the weight of their student debt. A large majority (74%) of Generation Z (ages 18 to 25) and 68% of millennials (ages 26 to 41) who took on student debt delayed a ma...

Commodity prices are going haywire, prompting fears of the next financial crisis

The prices of commodities including oil CL00, +1.24%, wheat W00, and palladium PA00, -0.50% have surged this year as much of the global economy shakes off COVID restrictions and as Russia’s invasion o...

‘The graveyard shift is the most understaffed:’ I work as a waiter on the Las Vegas Strip. We are overworked, underpaid, and our drunk customers often don’t tip

Dear Quentin,  I currently work at a fast-casual restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip. I have worked at the company for three years. I work at the busiest outlet of this restaurant in the world. During t...

Financial Face-Off: Should you use your tax refund to buy I bonds or crypto? One of these options could get a 9.6% return. Let us explain.

Hello and welcome to Financial Face-off, a MarketWatch column where we help you weigh financial decisions. Our columnist will give her verdict. Tell us whether you think she’s right in the comments. A...

This is where property taxes increased the most last year — it’s not in California or New York

Today’s home buyers could be in for a shock when the tax man comes calling. In 2021, around $328 billion in property taxes were imposed on single-family homes across the country, according to a new re...

‘Please help!’ It seems like I have been paying my child’s student loan forever. How much longer must I pay it off?

Dear Quentin, It seems like I have been paying my Parent PLUS Loan forever. Someone told me that when my husband passed away, even though we were divorced at the time, I wouldn’t have to keep paying t...

‘The weight of this debt is crushing’: I’m 74, and a retired speech-language pathologist with a student-loan debt of $200K. Am I obliged to pay it off?

Dear Quentin, I have not seen anyone address student-loan debt for people over 70 years of age. I am a 74-year-old retired  speech-language pathologist with a student-loan debt of $200,000.  I’m on a ...

How to Handle the Taxes on the AT&T Spinoff of Warner Bros.

Text size The Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, Calif. AT&T shareholders have received a 0.242 share of Warner Bros. Discovery for each AT&T share. Photographer: Bing Guan/Bloomberg Bing Guan/B...

‘It put everyone in a weird position’: Our waitress said a 20% service fee was added to cover benefits and health insurance, but that it was not a tip. Is this normal?

I went to brunch last weekend and, when the server handed us the bill, she said a 20% service fee was added to cover her benefits and health insurance, but that it was not a tip.  I am absolutely supp...

As food prices hit an all-time high, more Americans have abandoned online grocery shopping and returned to supermarket aisles

More Americans are browsing again — in grocery-store aisles rather than online. With U.S. states abandoning mask mandates in public places, and more retailers dropping requirements for masks — and the...

I’m 61, left my job due to medical reasons, and made $150,000 from the sale of my home. I’d like to work for at least another 5 years. Can I still retire? If so, how?

Dear Quentin, I recently sold my house and had to leave my job due to a medical issue that was easily resolved, and I am now fine. I have approximately $150,000 in my checking account from the sale of...

Three things to take care of when you retire—your future self will thank you for it

After a working lifetime of alarm clocks and meetings, you might be looking forward to a lot more unstructured time once you retire. But taking care of one more to-do list early on can set you up for ...

Do I resist refinancing my $160,000 federal student loan at a lower rate in the hope there will be loan forgiveness? What are the chances it will happen?

I graduated from college in 2017 with more than $210,000 in federal student-loan debt thanks to out-of-state tuition, a master’s program, and not fully understanding this cost at that time. I’ve chise...

China Revises Delisting Rule. But Investors May Want to Sell on the Rally.

Text size The probability of a mass delisting of Chinese stocks like Alibaba may have ticked lower with revised rules from China’s regulators. Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images The probability of ...

Why we’re still confused about when to claim Social Security

When I started this series at the beginning of 2021, my husband and I were preparing ourselves for our “big” 65th birthdays in November and December. It was all straightforward. We made a list of thin...

Stocks for the Recession That May—or May Not—Be Coming

Text size Exelon stock offers a little bit of offense to go with its defense. Dreamstime The yield curve briefly inverted this past week—and that’s a recession signal that is either like Paul Revere’s...

Opinion: How to make your money last in retirement

Lots of research has been done on the best way to generate retirement income. It’s one of the most popular financial topics. I think this popularity is driven by two things: its obvious importance—and...

Baidu Stock Drops. It’s One of 5 Stocks Added to the SEC’s Delisting Watchlist.

Text size LIU JIN/AFP via Getty Images Baidu stock was dropping Thursday after U.S. regulators added the Chinese search giant to its growing list of companies that could be removed from American stock...

Robinhood extends trading hours from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. — 3 rookie mistakes when trading stocks after hours

At 7 a.m., it can be the time for a morning coffee while 8 p.m. can be time to have supper, watch your favorite television shows, or even enjoy a glass of wine. If you have a Robinhood account, it’s a...

‘Is this a good deal, or should I run for the hills?’ My boyfriend of five years wants me to give him a $165,000 loan using his house as collateral

Dear Quentin, I would like your advice on giving a hard-money loan to the man I’ve been dating for five years. He pressed me on this issue three years ago. I didn’t do the loan then, and it was a seri...

NeoGenomics stock plunges more than 20% as CEO departs after disappointing quarter

NeoGenomics Inc. Chief Executive Mark Mallon stepped down Monday as the health-testing company revealed that first-quarter financials will miss guidance and rescinded its forecast for the full year, s...

Do I need to file a tax return if most of my income is Social Security?

Recently we received the following email from a reader: I would like to know if I live off my Social Security check and have no other income must I file a federal tax return? I have a yearly income of...

Chinese Stocks Plunge After SEC Stokes Delisting Concerns

A further step by the Securities and Exchange Commission toward forcing companies from China off American exchanges helped trigger the worst decline in U.S.-listed Chinese stocks since the global fina...

SEC-targeted Chinese companies slump; Yum China warns of 2024 delisting risk

Shares of Chinese companies flagged for possible delisting in the U.S. slid in Hong Kong and Shanghai trading Friday, a move that analysts said highlighted geopolitical tensions but would have little ...