By Lucy Lazarony, Next Avenue Kathi Balasek was still grieving for her late husband when she decided to buy a new car. She soon learned why people discourage recently bereaved family members and friends from making big financial decisions like buying a car while still grappling with their loss. “I…

A federal judge in Missouri on Thursday temporarily blocked President Biden’s student loan handout just one day after a judge in Georgia had permitted the plan to move forward. U.S. District Judge Matthew Schelp snatched the win from the Biden administration in response to a request from six Republican state…

The golden years are something to anticipate. Life is expected to become easier and less complicated with time for family, traveling, and hobbies becoming attainable. A comfortable retirement is part of the American dream; however, this dream has a price tag and the burden of saving for retirement luxuries has…

Mortgage rates are up slightly, with long-term notes lifting off a two-year low from last week. Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage inched up to 6.12% from last week’s reading of 6.08%. The average rate on a…

One of the goals of the Inflation Reduction Act is to lower drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. The biggest step toward that goal will be the implementation of the $2,000 cap on Part D out-of-pocket costs starting in January 2025. Nearly 19 million Part D enrollees could save $400 and…

This month, the U.S. Senate’s Special Committee On Aging held a hearing to address elder financial fraud. It is entitled Fighting Fraud: How Scammers are Stealing from Older Adults. Ranking member Senator Braun stated that Medicare fraud alone cost taxpayers $60B in 2023. The committee thoroughly explored the broad topic…

The U.S. housing market has remained stagnant, with just 25 out of every 1,000 homes changing hands in 2024, according to recent data from real estate firm Redfin.  The first eight months of the year marked the lowest turnover rate in at least 30 years, according to Redfin, which conducted…

The self-employed have the potential to earn more, and build wealth faster than a traditional employee, if their business allows. If not managed correctly, though, a solo owner can also find themselves well behind retirement unless they take proper steps to save. This reality was highlighted again with new research…

Have you heard of Naval Ravikant? He’s a famed early-stage investor who’s become one of the most rabidly quoted for modern-day wisdom. I caught a video clip of his recently that, while only 52 seconds long, contains weeks’ worth of wisdom on the notion of true wealth. By the way,…

Retirement is defined as “leaving one’s job or ceasing to work.” But it involves so much more than that. As I wrote in “Retirement As A Death,” leaving one’s job is an emotional and psychological roller coaster, particularly when one is not prepared. In order to retire successfully, it is…