Spousal benefits are probably the most misunderstood Social Security benefit. Ex-spousal benefits may seem even more convoluted. To keep things simple, ex-spousal benefits are basically the same as current spousal benefits with certain exceptions. There are two categories of divorced spouses. If you are divorced two years or less, your…

As the debt limit drama plays out, Americans might be wondering if there is a better way to prevent defaulting on U.S. debts and perhaps inducing a global recession or depression. President Joe Biden, along with many commentators, has speculated that a president can bypass Congress by using the 14th…

We all naturally wonder how we stack up against each other – are we the average height, weight, etc? Are we the average age to get married? When it comes to retirement, there are many questions to ponder – if you have the average amount of savings, or if you’ll…

A two-bedroom condo in famed architect Robert A.M. Stern’s celebrity-filled 15 Central Park West takes in panoramic views of the park. The apartment sits on the 27th floor of “the Tower” of the two-building complex, overlooking the iconic green space and the Manhattan skyline that borders it. The building was…

Mortgage rates increased for the third week in a row amid signs of a strong labor market and hints that the Federal Reserve may initiate another rate hike, according to the latest data from Freddie Mac. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate increased to 6.79% for the week ending June…

The government froze federal student loan payments for over three years, but they could resume within a matter of months now that Congress is on the verge of passing the bipartisan debt ceiling deal.  Under the compromise reached by President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this past weekend, federal…

Your credit score tells the story of your financial life and monitoring that score is important. “Your credit score is one of the most important numbers in your financial life because it goes a long way toward determining whether or not you’re approved for loans and lines of credit,” says…

As Americans dealt with high inflation and recession fears, they also faced record debt, according to the latest data by the New York Fed.  Total household debt increased to $17.05 trillion in the first quarter of 2023, the NY Fed reported. That marked an increase of $148 billion quarter-over-quarter. Overall,…

Americans increased their savings for Health Savings Accounts (HSA) as Fidelity Investments reported its HSA assets surpassed $16 billion. The increased its funded HSAs by 27% from last year to a total of 2.8 million funded accounts. But while they were putting more money into HSA savings, more than half…

Fitch Ratings said Friday it is holding the United States on watch for a possible credit downgrade, even though Congress passed a bipartisan debt ceiling agreement that will ensure the government can pay its bills on time.  The ratings agency said in a statement it would maintain the “Rating Watch…