wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock.com People who are new to the Medicare system are sometimes shocked to learn that Medicare isn’t free. In fact, health care is the third-biggest type of expense, after housing and transportation, for U.S. households led by someone who is 65 or older, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These households … Read more
Damir Khabirov / Shutterstock.com What is the Social Security Administration good for? A typical first response would be “helping seniors weather the costs of retirement,” and that’s certainly true. But that’s not all it does. As with Social Security itself, many Americans don’t understand exactly how the agency running the federal program works — or … Read more
Ozgur Coskun / Shutterstock.com Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Living on the Cheap. Many people want to start a vegetable garden to save money. It’s no wonder, since buying produce at the market can cost eight times more than growing your own. To help you in your quest to grow vegetables, we’ve compiled … Read more
Older adults today face a host of challenges when it comes to financing their retirements — and now, new data suggests some miscalculate how much money they’ll receive from Social Security. A paper authored by researchers at the American Enterprise Institute and George Mason University found that a significant number of pre-retirees underestimate their future … Read more
Planning to sell your home? You might want to scramble and get it on the market soon. The best time to list your home this year is the week of April 16-23, according to Realtor.com. That is when a combination of factors come together to make it the optimal time to sell. Those factors include: … Read more
Even when you have the money to rent an apartment, you often need help to jump through the hoops set up by landlords to secure an apartment. It’s even more difficult when you have a bad credit rating or no job to convince someone that you can continue to pay rent, despite the money you … Read more
Eduard Goricev / Shutterstock.com Clothes dryers have a pretty clear mission: Dry your freshly washed clothes. But modern dryers offer a laundry list of features that go well beyond that basic capability. Don’t, however, attempt to use your dryer to defrost a frozen-solid turkey, as was once attempted by the characters in the Fox sitcom … Read more
As the saying goes, “investing in yourself is the best investment you will ever make.” It is significant for women, often marginalized and undervalued in society, to prioritize their personal growth and development. Recently, several women shared their experiences and investments in an online women’s community. 1. Adopting a Dog A dog lover shared that … Read more
Every Friday I recap “news you can use” from the week: a handful of quotes from major (and often expensive) news sources, so you can stay up to date on the news that affects your money without spending a dime and in less than a minute. Here’s an overview of what happened this week. What … Read more
Imagine taking a phone call from a loved one who pleads for your help. It is likely you would be moved to do just about anything to get that person out of danger. But thanks to artificial intelligence, that call might not be what it seems. The Washington Post reports that rapidly advancing technology is … Read more