Retire with MONEY

American Girl Dolls Can Be Worth Big Money on the Resale Market by Prachi Bhardwaj American Girl Doll recently announced the 2020 “Girl of the Year.” She’s a surfer, a competitive cheerleader, and the first American Girl Doll to be “born” with hearing loss. Her name is Joss, and she could represent a very good investment opportunity, if history is any indication.

Millennials Aren't Buying Homes, but They Are Spending Thousands on Houseplants by Alina Dizik A generation ago, 20-somethings living in rental apartments usually saved to buy their first home. Elizabeth Margulis is saving for her next houseplant. Since moving into her Chicago two-bedroom three years ago, the 28-year-old wardrobe stylist has bought about 30 plants — spending a total of $1,500, nearly as much as her $2,000 monthly rent.

Retire with MONEY helps you plan for and live a richer life in retirement, providing practical insight, expert advice, and helpful tips on how to save for the future you hope to achieve.

6 Simple Tips to Create the Perfect Home Office, According to an Interior Designer by Tobi Fairley Even if you don’t have the luxury of a 60-second commute every day, chances are you spend at least some time working from home. As an interior designer and business coach to creative entrepreneurs, I’ve seen that if you put a little effort into setting up your home office area, you can reap massive rewards.

5 Financial New Year's Resolutions You Can Actually Stick To by Kerri Anne Renzulli More than two thirds of Americans want to start 2020 on a better financial footing — and picking a smart money-related New Year’s resolution can make all the difference. Topping the list for those vowing to make financial changes were: saving more (53% of people), paying down debt (51%) and spending less (35%), according to an annual study conducted by Fidelity Investments.

New Year, New Money Challenges: Are They a Smart Way to Save in 2020 or a Giant Waste of Time by Julia Glum For two years, Stacy Solis has been hunting $5 bills. It doesn’t matter whether she’s at Sephora or the grocery store. If a cashier hands over change and Solis spots a Lincoln, she leaps into action, zipping it into a pocket until she can get it home and put it in a special jar she got from TJ Maxx. In her world, $5 bills have ceased to be spendable.

It's Time to Do a Performance Review of Your Spending Habits by Nina Semczuk Quick — if I asked you to grade your money habits, what would you give yourself? An A+ or a B-, or maybe, if you’re honest, an F? Would you even know the answer? At the end of the year, most people can tell you how they rate in their careers thanks to annual assessments, but the same isn’t always true of our personal money lives.

People Judge Your Competence Based on How 'Rich' Your Clothes Look, Research Says by Kaitlin Mulhere Think you’re too deep to care what others wear? You’re probably wrong. And worst of all, you’re probably being judged on your appearance by others even more than you think. New research suggests we may not be able to help ourselves: people judge others’ competence in less than a second.

You'll Eat More Fruits and Vegetables if Somebody Is Paying You, According to Science by Julia Glum If your New Year’s resolution is to eat healthier, you might want to hit up an ATM before the ball drops. New research from the University of Colorado Boulder has found that stressed-out people are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables if offered a cash incentive to do so. It’s no secret that we tend to gravitate toward unhealthy foods when feeling overwhelmed.

Two Popular Medicare Plans Will Close to New Customers. Here's What You Need to Know," by Elizabeth O'Brien The alphabet soup of Medicare will lose a couple letters in the New Year, when two of the most popular Medicare supplement plans will be closed to new beneficiaries. Medigap Plans F and C won’t be available to those who turn 65 on or after Jan. 1, 2020.

Amazon Is Offering Free Returns on Millions of Items During the Holidays. Here's How to Take Advantage by Alix Langone If holiday shopping stressed you out, you’ll be relieved to hear that the new Amazon return policy can save you time and money. The e-commerce giant just announced it is expanding its free return options. Generally speaking, only select clothing, shoes and bedding qualify for free returns with Amazon.

Congress Recently Passed the Biggest Retirement Bill in More Than a Decade. Here's What You Need to Know by Elizabeth O'Brien The Senate on Thursday passed the most sweeping retirement bill since the Pension Protection Act of 2006. The SECURE Act, whose progressed had stalled until lawmakers tacked it onto a spending bill, aims to make saving easier. The House already passed the legislation, and President Donald Trump was expected to sign the bill into law by Friday.

There's a Super-Secret Conference Dedicated to Investing Legend Jack Bogle. Here's What It's Like on the Inside By Shaina Mishkin For a few windy days in early October, I was one of 200 people who dropped off the map. I told my friends and family I was going to “Philadelphia” — the terms of my registration prohibited me from telling them where, exactly — and disabled my phone’s location services.

5 Moves to Make Now to Lower Your Tax Bill by Kerri Anne Renzulli In all the holiday prep and shopping haste, you may have forgotten that New Year’s Eve not only marks the end of the decade but the end of the tax year. And while shopping, feasting and toasting champagne may be how you want to spend the remainder of the year, it can pay off big time come April to review your finances now and make a few last-minute changes that could trim your taxable income.

Do Investing Apps Actually Work? Here’s What to Know Before You Commit by Julia Glum Hello! Welcome to the audio version of Dollar Scholar, a personal finance newsletter written by a 27-year-old who’s still figuring it out: me. Every week, I talk to experts about a money question I have, whether that’s “What if I don’t have a 401(k)? or “How many credit cards do I need?” As I learn, I share simple ways to improve your financial life..and mine.