Retire with MONEY

How to Wean Your Adult Children Off the Bank of Mom and Dad by Martha C. White Shel Silverstein’s iconic 1964 picture book The Giving Tree: Terrific as an allegorical story, but terrible as retirement advice. (For those who aren’t familiar, the tree gives and gives to the boy until it’s just a stump.

Here’s the Amount of Student Debt You’ll Likely Have After Graduating by Kaitlin Mulhere Graduates from the Class of 2018 left college with an average of $29,200 in student loans. That’s up 2% from their peers who graduated a year earlier, according to an annual report out today from The Institute for College Access and Success (TICAS).

Should You Buy Your Next Car From Costco by Jill Krasny We’ve all heard of the mysterious things that happen to lurk in the aisles of Costco. Coffins, wedding dresses, caviar, massage tables, even your next vacation. But the members-only warehouse club also sells cars, and cars you’ve likely thought about buying. Launched in 1989, Costco Auto Program is “an exclusive type of benefit for Costco members,” says executive vice president Rick Borg.

How a 20-Minute Phone Call with My Terrible Landlord Saved Me $1,200 a Year in Rent by Nina Semczuk I was living in Brooklyn for three months when I found out my then-partner and I were paying more rent than everyone else in our building. At first, I rationalized it was because our lease had started in September, which is peak rental season.

Should You Borrow Against Your Home? Here's What Everyone Should Know by Martha White More than a decade after the foreclosure crisis, home equity has recovered to a record high of $15.8 trillion. This pool represents an opportunity, lenders say: homeowners with credit card and other debt can save thousands by refinancing using their own home equity.

This Is the Best Place to Live in America Right Now by Shaina Mishkin Great places to live don’t have to be unaffordable — if you know where to look. At Copper Petal, a trendy boutique on walkable Franklin Street in the heart of downtown Clarksville, founder Megan Baggett, 25, sits on a plush pink couch against an Instagram-ready black and white backdrop. Above her head are the bright pink words “Community + Confidence.

Yes, You Should Be Buying Groceries at 7-Eleven, According to a Budget Shopper by Gina Zakaria The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” also applies when you’re shopping for groceries. Because saving money is about more than just clipping coupons. It’s also about looking for savings anywhere you go, even if it’s not your ordinary grocery store.

How to Revamp Your Tired Bathroom for Under $1,000, According to Design Experts by Jill Krasny That cramped narrow space. Those unsightly beige tiles. The mildewy marble sink and countertop from the 1980s. Yes, my old bathroom has a long way to go before it’s worthy of Architectural Digest. So recently I decided to tackle the problem, flipping through books of wallpaper samples and perusing local contractor listings.

How Freaked Out You Should be About a Recession, According to a Nobel Prize Winning Economist by Julia Glum Where were you during the Great Recession of 2007-2009? I spent most of it in 10th grade. Being 15 years old, I was a lot more concerned with whether I was going to pass AP World History (I did) and what to wear to the homecoming dance than the subprime mortgage crisis or Lehman Brothers. The recession was on my radar, but only vaguely so.

Early Retirement Dreams Could Be Derailed As Health Insurance Premiums Soar 60% in 5 Years by Alix Langone Rising health insurance premiums continue to push consumers out of the individual market, according to a recent government report. Enrollment in Affordable Care Act health plans dropped 40% from 2016 to 2018 among consumers who make too much to receive government help paying their premiums, according to recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Amazon Has Some Secret Sections That Are a Dream for Bargain Hunters by Martha C. White E-commerce behemoth Amazon built its reputation on aggressive pricing, and low prices are a core part of its branding and business model. But while the everyday Amazon deals can be good, there are a few sections within the site’s sprawling platform where you can uncover even deeper discounts.

There Are More Realtors in America Right Now Than Ever Before. Here's What It Really Takes to Succeed by Sarah Max Last year 55-year-old Jill Ballantyne took a big chance. She left the stability of a 27-year career in education to pursue a long-time passion: Selling real estate. “It’s something I really believe in,” she says. Ballantyne isn’t alone in making the leap. A decade after housing crisis, Americans are once again in love with buying, remodeling and selling homes.

Your 401(k) Is Just One Piece of the Retirement Puzzle. Here's the Right Place for It by Martha C. White There’s no shortage of advice about how to invest your 401(k). But if you have not just a 401(k) but also other savings vehicles — like an IRA, a brokerage account, an investment property or even a pension — those rules might not apply.

Is Letting Google Chrome Autofill My Credit Card Number a Huge Mistake? by Julia Glum I spend a ridiculous amount of time online every day. We’re talking at least eight hours on WordPress, Gchat, and Slack during work, plus usually an hour or two on Twitter, Instagram, and reddit at home. The internet knows me better than I know myself: the kind of coffee creamer I like, the college friends I actually want to keep up with, the sneakers I briefly considered buying three weeks ago.

This Is the Only Time You Should Accept an Early Retirement Offer by Matt Krantz If you’re 55 or older and have spent a decade or more at your company, it’s best to be prepared if an early buyout offer comes your way. There’s one key driver you need to be aware of.