Buying a new home doesn’t need to break the bank as more buyers are finding discounted properties. Across the U.S., 25.1% of newly constructed homes had a price cut during the fourth quarter of 2018, according to a new report from real-estate firm Zillow ZG, +0.03% That’s a sharp increaseRead More →
Evynn McFalls loves movies and television, but he’s been watching Netflix less of late — and now he’s thinking of giving it up altogether. “I just don’t know if it’s really worth the time suck of endless scrolling or the money,” the 27-year-old New York City-based marketing professional told MarketWatch,Read More →
We’re told experiences are supposed to make us happier than stuff — turns out that may apply mostly to the affluent. The famous marshmallow test that predicts future success, based on which kids can resist an immediate treat? That research has similar problems. Meanwhile, the jury’s still out on whetherRead More →
Homebuyers beware: Putting a down payment on a home could cost you your life savings. Portland homeowner Aaron Cole was about to close in on a home purchase in Oregon when he received an email instructing him to wire the $123,000 down payment to someone he thought was the WFGRead More →
Most people write off business lunches and work travel on their company expenses, but a new study says they also try invoicing their companies for late-night dips into the mini bar, car washes and — yes — lunches that take place in strip clubs. The study released Monday by AppZen,Read More →
Turns out, online shoppers don’t put much stock into stock photos. A new study inspired by online transactions on sites like eBay EBAY, -0.52% and Letgo.com says shoppers will put more trust in high quality pictures from sellers themselves than stock photos or amateurish-looking images from users. The cannedRead More →
Do you remember the letter from Economic Slave in Chicago? He wrote to the Moneyist in July 2018. Here’s his letter in full and my response. Here’s a short recap of his original problem: “I’ve known my wife for eight-plus years and I’m happily married with a newborn son. WeRead More →
After an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas sickened hundreds of passengers, the cruise line has offered travelers full refunds for the cost of the cruise fare. But cruise passengers generally have very little recourse if they get sick during a vacation. Don’t miss: WhyRead More →
Gwen Merz, 28, is doing something she thought she’d never have to do again: hunt for a job. Earlier in her 20s, she set a goal to “retire” from full-time work at age 35, but she later decided to move that date up to 27. She wasn’t going to “retire”Read More →
A majority of Americans are renting on the cheap — at least, compared to what they’d be paying if they bought a home. In more than half (59%) of housing markets nationwide — 442 of 755 U.S. counties — renting a three-bedroom property is now more affordable than buying aRead More →
New York freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s mention of a 70% tax on the wealthy provoked heated reaction from both supporters and detractors, with House Republican whip Steve Scalise deriding the idea as a “leftist fantasy program.” But the debate sparked by the Democrat from New York also revealed some misunderstandingsRead More →
Heritage Auctions A rare 1943 penny was accidentally minted on copper, not steel, that year. A Massachusetts teenager found a rare penny in his lunch change and kept it for more than seven decades until his recent death — without ever knowing it may be one of the most valuableRead More →
Your child may be expecting a raise soon. Children between the ages of 4 and 14 years old got an average of $471 a year or $9.06 per week in allowance in 2018, up 3.7% on the year before, according to a sampling of more than 30,000 kids by chore-trackingRead More →
A GoFundMe page to raise money for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall has raked in over $18.5 million in just two weeks with an ultimate goal of $1 billion, and inspired at least one competing page dedicated to paying for ladders to get people over said wall (that pageRead More →
Want to lose weight in 2019? It’s time to cut the crap. And that’s not just the junk food sabotaging your diet, or the time suckers keeping you from working out. We’re also talking about the fad diets, fitness trends and questionable studies that have made reaching and maintaining aRead More →
Dear Moneyist, I read your advice column a lot, and I hope you can help me. I feel like most of your columns are geared more towards the middle and upper classes, but I’m hoping you can help a low-income person like me as well. I don’t have a collegeRead More →
This was the most popular Moneyist advice column of 2018. Dear Moneyist, My father passed in 2001. He married his wife in 1971 when I was 14. I have two blood siblings, and my step-mother had one daughter; they are very close. My stepmother is now 91 and in failingRead More →
Celebrating the holidays can be expensive, but marking the start of 2019 doesn’t have to be. Some food chains, ride share services and retailers are offering deals discounts and free stuff — not just free advice on sticking with New Year’s resolutions. The promos are welcome news. The holidays canRead More →
