My husband won’t work and doesn’t have a driver’s license. What can I do?

My husband won’t work and doesn’t have a driver’s license. What can I do?

I am married, but we are both different people, and I get the feeling my husband doesn’t even like me. He’s too tired to leave, and we don’t have anything but bills. He doesn’t have a driver’s license, and he won’t even go to court to pay his fines and get it back. He’s content…

Generation Z’s favorite investment may be a cause for concern. Here’s why.

Generation Z’s favorite investment may be a cause for concern. Here’s why.

Generation Z is getting smarter about their money, with some starting to invest even before they turn 18, according to a new report. The survey by FINRA Investor Education Foundation and the CFA Institute, which defines Generation Z as those aged between 18 to 25, concluded that 6 in 10 owned at least some investments….

Here are 7 financial commandments you can actually break

Here are 7 financial commandments you can actually break

Financial Literacy Month puts a spotlight on the financial knowledge Americans are supposed to know and often don’t. But what about financial knowledge that we think we know, but should reconsider? When it comes to money, we pick up lessons from a mish-mash of sources ranging from parents to TikTok videos to high school classes….

I’m 46 and a single mother. Should I empty my 401(k) to pay off my house? There’s $128,000 on the mortgage.

I’m 46 and a single mother. Should I empty my 401(k) to pay off my house? There’s $128,000 on the mortgage.

I’m a 46-year-old woman, and single mother to a 14-year-old boy. I bought a centrally located house in Miami after the housing market crash in 2010 for $167,000. The house is small but has a big lot in front of it, and I currently owe $128,000. The house is now worth about $400,000. I have…

Where did laid-off tech and media workers go and how the AI boom can affect your money and your career

Where did laid-off tech and media workers go and how the AI boom can affect your money and your career

Hi, MarketWatchers. Don’t miss these top stories. Where did laid-off tech and media workers go? They’ve found jobs in these industries. More than 199,000 global technology-sector employees have been laid off so far in 2023. Read More We bought a falling-down 100-year-old home. We tried to renovate, but things took a turn for the worse….

My brother-in-law is being given a big award, but tickets cost $375. Do I bail?

My brother-in-law is being given a big award, but tickets cost $375. Do I bail?

Dear Quentin, My brother-in-law is being honored by an organization that provides medical assistance to children of families who can’t afford their treatments. I was included on the email invitation, and the ticket price is $375 per person. I feel that it is unfair to ask an individual to incur such an expense.  I feel…

How do I book a cheap flight this summer? Here are 5 tricks to save money.

How do I book a cheap flight this summer? Here are 5 tricks to save money.

Americans want to travel this summer, but they’re stressed out about money. Luckily, experts say there are ways to find cheap flights — but it may require a bit of detective work. “All estimates show that it’s going to really be a busy summer,” Ben Ayers, a senior economist at Nationwide Economics, told MarketWatch.  The…

‘The momentum in the housing market has shifted to the Sun Belt’: 5 hottest metros are in the South

‘The momentum in the housing market has shifted to the Sun Belt’: 5 hottest metros are in the South

The housing market has cooled in recent years, but it’s still hot in some parts of the U.S.  “It’s an exciting time to be a realtor in Gainesville,” said Dani Burns, who joined the real-estate profession 21 years ago, and who now works with Keller Williams Lanier Partners. Out of the 15 homes she’s sold…

‘I risk being labeled a tightwad:’ Is it OK for restaurants to add a 20% tip?

‘I risk being labeled a tightwad:’ Is it OK for restaurants to add a 20% tip?

Paying servers the minimum wage has influenced tipping practices in the U.S. Many folks were taught that you should tip 18% or 20% — unless the service is outright horrendous. But wait staff are already making the minimum wage in many cities and, if you add the tips they earn, they are oftentimes making significantly…

My partner stays with me 5 nights a week. Should he pay for utilities and food?

My partner stays with me 5 nights a week. Should he pay for utilities and food?

I’m disabled, 52, and have one minor son. My boyfriend has his own house, and also has a minor child still living at home, as well as another son, 24, who is living at home and is employed as his younger son’s babysitter. He stays at my place, probably five out of seven nights, but…

Opinion: There’s still time to ‘sell in May and go away’ if higher inflation stays around

Opinion: There’s still time to ‘sell in May and go away’ if higher inflation stays around

During my lengthy career in finance, I picked up several market heuristics that have generally proven more useful than not. Every January, for example, I remember the “five-day rule,” which holds that if the S&P 500’s SPX, -0.14% accumulated performance is positive over the first five days of the new year, there is around an…

Why is every place asking for tips? I was asked to tip 15% for a donation.

Why is every place asking for tips? I was asked to tip 15% for a donation.

Our tipping culture is out of control. It has become mandatory, and forced upon us. It has lost its cause. It’s not a gratuity anymore, it’s become another tax. Consumers are forced to help merchants to pay workers after paying merchants for the service. One time, I tried to donate money online, and was asked…

Americans are not paying off their credit-card debt. We should be concerned.

Americans are not paying off their credit-card debt. We should be concerned.

The first-quarter dip never happened. Some observers say that’s a problem. Credit-card balances hit $986 billion in the fourth quarter last year and remained largely unchanged in the first quarter of this year, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its most recent quarterly report on household debt. It looks increasingly likely that…

‘When I ran it past the missus, she went ballistic’: I want to buy a $40,000 car, but my wife said no. Then things really got weird.

‘When I ran it past the missus, she went ballistic’: I want to buy a $40,000 car, but my wife said no. Then things really got weird.

My wife and I enjoy two week-long vacations a year to the local seashore, and we generally live well within our means. I’m convinced we can afford a new-car payment, but my wife is convinced it will break us, and that’s a problem. I’m 45 and my wife is 43. My wife and I make…

IRS will launch free federal tax-filing pilot in 2024

IRS will launch free federal tax-filing pilot in 2024

After a months-long review, the Internal Revenue Service will test a free federal tax-filing pilot program, IRS and Treasury Department officials said Tuesday. Though many details about the pilot program still need to be worked out, the upcoming test run could mark the start of a new, free alternative to paid preparers and tax software…

Flight attendants brace for a long, hot summer of passengers behaving badly

Flight attendants brace for a long, hot summer of passengers behaving badly

After six years of flying, U.S.-based flight attendant Allyah McIntyre was used to dealing with difficult passengers. During the earliest days of the coronavirus pandemic, dealing with the few passengers who chose to fly was actually a pleasant experience. But as more people began to book airline tickets again, chaos reigned, she said. “The passengers…

Working mothers talk about ‘mom tax’ — the financial toll of motherhood

Working mothers talk about ‘mom tax’ — the financial toll of motherhood

As millions of Americans put in orders for flowers, massages, and other treats for Mother’s Day, working mothers spoke to MarketWatch about the “mom tax” or “motherhood penalty” – a toll that impacts women when they become mothers and raise a child, by increasing their responsibility at home and limiting their earnings and income. Women…