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...
Tag: Consumer affairs
‘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...
Opinion: The economy is in much better shape than the headlines would tell you
Inflation is through the roof. There’s an oil crisis. A looming food crisis. You name it. War is raging in Europe. Russia’s president is starting to sound unhinged. And headlines are now linking him w...
Will the Fed rate increase mean higher interest on your savings and not using your travel card rewards may not be such a bad thing
Hi, MarketWatchers. Don’t miss these top stories. Weekend reads: There’s a recession warning as the Federal Reserve fights inflation Also, value stocks, the wild market for crude oil and a U.S. compan...
More than 70% of savers are worried that inflation will affect their ability to retire
Inflation just hit its highest level in 40 years. Future inflation expectations have risen by a third in 12 months. And the federal government’s own “inflation protected” bonds, which were designed to...
‘She had a will, but it was null and void’: My friend and her sister are fighting over their mother’s life-insurance policy and $32,000 bank account. Who’s right?
Dear Quentin, My friend’s mom passed away about a year ago. She had a will, but it was null and void because there was only one witness signature. She has two daughters. One of the girls, Mary, moved ...
‘He promised to pay them off’: My daughter lived with a man for 9 years. He took out credit cards in her name. Will she be held liable?
Dear Quentin, I have a problem. My daughter lived with a guy for nine years. During that time, I found out that he took out two credit cards in her name without her permission. Identity theft, right? ...
‘We live 5 minutes from our in-laws who have a larger home’: Is it a good idea to swap houses? Will I end up with a surprise tax bill?
I am a California resident. My husband and I own a 1,800-square-foot home that we bought in 2019 for $1.5 million. We have between 40% and 50% equity in the property due to a large down payment. We li...
‘I don’t know if it’s worth dealing with tenants’: Should I convert my home into a rental, or sell it?
I have enough money to put down on a second home — I need a slightly bigger place and another bedroom. I currently live in Portland, Ore., but I am planning to move outside of Portland. However, I’m c...
‘We do not want him to receive anything from our estate’: How do we ensure our son-in-law does not get his hands on our money?
Dear Quentin, My wife and I are in our 70’s and have one daughter as the sole beneficiary to our estate. We live in Ohio. She is separated from her husband, and it doesn’t appear that they will be get...
The ‘best job in America’ pays $145,000, has 14,000 job openings — and offers a generous work-life balance
A six-figure salary and the option to work from home? It sounds too good to be true. Job openings are rising, while workers continue to quit. The number of vacant jobs hit 10.9 million in December, up...
‘The company is a household name’: My husband’s tech firm gave him stock. It’s now 40% of our net worth. Should we diversify or hold?
Dear Quentin, My husband and I disagree as to whether he should diversify his tech stock. He was granted this stock during his five years employed with a tech company. It wasn’t worth much at the time...
Fed rate hikes are coming — how to tackle your savings, mortgage, car payments and credit-card debt in advance
Wall Street investors and Washington D.C. lawmakers are closely listening to what Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell says Wednesday about the central bank’s next steps in its fight against decades...
‘Waiting for the perfect moment may not be the best strategy’: 3 things Americans can do right now as stock markets plunge
Americans woke up Monday morning to a stock market in sharp decline. In many ways, it was a replay of what investors have seen in recent weeks. Last week, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -1.57%...
‘She has no life insurance, savings or money’: My brother died, leaving his wife with $20,000 in debt. How can I help her?
Dear Quentin, My sister’s husband died last week. They had both lived with us for the previous nine years before moving into an independent living facility. They were there for two and a half months b...
‘I can tolerate him for 7 months — at the most’: My husband and I live apart in the summer. Should I refinance my house and set up a joint savings account?
Dear Quentin, My husband of seven years owns a home in Minnesota, and has a mortgage. I own a home in Florida with no mortgage. We have no savings or retirement accounts. Should I pull my equity from ...