Personal Finance
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My single, 80-year-old mother is thinking of selling her Berkeley house to get some cash. How can she avoid capital gains tax?
My mother is 80, unmarried, and owns two homes on one lot in Berkeley, Calif. The property consists of one single-family home and one cottage. She lives in one and rents the other. She has never really worked and has no savings. She rents one of the houses and lives in the other, getting by…
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Robert Shiller: Home prices are ‘very, very high,’ but might get cheaper in six months
“‘Home prices are very, very high by historical standards’” That was Yale economist Robert Shiller talking about the current state of the housing market during a March interview on on CNBC Overtime. Shiller, a researcher at the National Bureau of Economic Research, helped create the Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which are leading trackers of the U.S.…
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Your tax return can tell you a lot about how to manage your investments
After last year’s disruptive tax season full of temporary Covid-19 rule changes and other complications, the 2022 filing season is almost sleepy in comparison, especially for investors. “Activity is minimal – just a small amount of dividends and very few trades. Last year, everyone decided they wanted to be traders, but this year, people didn’t…
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Jobs report shows 236,000 gain in March — lifting 2023 total above 1 million — but U.S. labor market shows hints of cooling
The numbers: The U.S. added a robust 236,000 new jobs in March, defying the Federal Reserve’s hopes for a big slowdown in hiring as the central bank struggles to tame inflation. The consensus economist forecast called for a nonfarm-payrolls expansion of 238,000. The solid increase in employment last month followed a revised 326,000 gain in…
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Thinking about investing in alternatives? Ask these 6 questions first.
After a year like 2022, when both stocks and bonds went down, it was pretty much a slam dunk that Wall Street would step up the marketing of alternative assets that might act differently — the next time around. A new report from consulting firm Escalent says 70% of financial advisers now hold alternatives in…
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How much do you need to earn to afford a $500,000 home? Here is the answer.
April is National Financial Literacy Month. To mark the occasion, MarketWatch will publish a series of “Financial Fitness” articles to help readers improve their fiscal health, and offer advice on how to save, invest and spend their money wisely. Read more here. Let’s pick a round number. How much money do you need to make to…
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Most Americans say it’s a bad time to buy a home, according to Fannie Mae. Here’s why.
Mortgage rates are at the lowest level in two months, but consumers still think it’s a bad time to buy a home, according to a new report. Fannie Mae’s FNMA Home Purchase Sentiment Index, released Friday, fell by 3.3 points in March to 61.3, which is only slightly above an all-time low set late last…
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My father named my late mother as a beneficiary on his $80,000 life insurance, but my stepmother says it belongs to her. Who’s right?
Dear Quentin, My dad died in September in Pennsylvania (although he was a Florida resident), and my stepmother insists there is no will and no estate, but then she texted to say that my father wanted me to inherit an account that listed my late mother as beneficiary. The insurance company told me this account…
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HBAN Stock Price | Huntington Bancshares Inc. Stock Quote (U.S.: Nasdaq)
Huntington Bancshares, Inc. operates as a bank holding company. It provides commercial and consumer banking services, mortgage banking services, automobile financing, recreational vehicle and marine financing, equipment leasing, investment management, trust services, brokerage services, insurance programs, other financial products and services. The firm operates through the following segments: Consumer & Business Banking, Commercial Banking, Commercial…
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I’m 61 and earned $83,200 in investment income last year. Will that affect my Social Security benefit?
Dear MarketWatch, I really enjoy your articles. Thank you for your terrific work. My question is this: I know that if you take Social Security before your full retirement age, you’ll lose $1 in benefits for every $2 over the earnings threshold. But does that include investment income or just wages? I’m 61 and I…