Paid medical debt is rolling off consumer credit reports in an overhaul that the credit bureaus say will improve people’s financial wellbeing. In a time of rising interest rates and Read more
Tag: Consumer Affairs
Medicare Advantage’s business model doesn’t add up
In the course of my long career as a financial journalist I have again and again come across things I just wasn’t smart enough to understand. Back in 1999, for Read more
‘My mom says she was already after him at my grandmother’s funeral’: My grandfather married a 2nd time before dying. Do I have any right to an inheritance?
Dear Quentin, My paternal grandmother died when I was 5 years old. Her husband, my grandfather, remarried a woman a couple of years later. (My mom says she was already Read more
Inflation has hit women more ‘acutely,’ experts say. Here’s why.
First came the pandemic, then came inflation. Americans already feel anxiety caused by rising prices. However, experts say that women are feeling it more acutely. A mix of factors — including Read more
My friend has no 401(k), but she likes to spend money. She wants to go on a spa weekend for our 40th birthdays. Should I give her financial advice instead?
I am very fortunate to have a steady career and a 401(k), and I have been able to put money aside for my children’s education. This was not always the Read more
Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf: ‘Real-estate values moderating in the long term are a good thing’ and believe it or not, gas prices have been edging down ahead of Fourth of July
Hi, MarketWatchers. Don’t miss these top stories. ‘Grant Bae was a scam’: FTC shuts down grant-writing service they say ripped off dozens of minority-owned businesses during the pandemic Regulators say Read more
Gas prices edge down just in time for July Fourth travel — here’s why
It’s a cool breeze during a hot moment, but it’s not the summer weather. As record-breaking numbers of Americans pack their cars and travel to Fourth of July barbecues that Read more
The cities where home prices are poised drop in the next couple of years, according to one researcher
Mortgage rates are cooling off after sharply rising. But expect home prices to start slowing, and even dropping, in some of the most overheated markets in the country over the Read more
Good news: These 3 states and 3 cities will increase their minimum wage on July 1. Do you live in one of them?
Starting July 1, workers in several states will be entitled to a higher minimum wage. Thanks to a law enacted three years ago, Connecticut residents who currently make $13 an Read more
I’m a recent widow. I’m building a house on my son’s and daughter-in-law’s land. Do I have legal ownership? What if they decide to sell, divorce, or die before me?
Dear MarketWatch, My son and daughter-in-law just moved into their new home, which is on a one-acre lot. They want me to move nearby, as I lost my spouse recently. Read more