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Real estate Q&A: Should I add my daughter's name to deed of my house to avoid probate costs?
Q: I am a widow in my 70s, and I want to make things easier for my daughter after I am gone. A friend told me I can simply add her name to the deed of my house so it passes to her without probate. It sounds simple and inexpensive. Is there any reason I should not just do it? — Eleanor
A: Your heart is in the right place, and the goal is a ...Read more
Seattle City Council bans 'junk' rental fees
The Seattle City Council voted to ban most types of rental fees this week — a move welcomed by tenants' advocates, who argue that tacked-on charges make housing more expensive and obscure its true costs to renters.
The bill requires landlords to disclose all mandatory and optional fees upfront in home listings or ads. The ordinance will take ...Read more
Seattle's 'shaky tech market' hits home sales
Housing markets across the country slowed this year as Americans struggle with high costs and worry about the economy, but Seattle’s market stands out as particularly muted.
Pending home sales took a steeper dive in the Seattle area in July than in any other region, a sign of Seattle’s “shaky tech market” where layoffs at major tech ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: 5 Reasons to Give Kids an Allowance
At the foundation of your children's financial intelligence should be this undeniable truth: It is not the amount of money you have but what you do with it that matters.
This is true for a child managing a $5-a-week allowance or a corporate executive with a $5,000-a-week salary.
For the better part of my life, I didn't know this truth. On the ...Read more
How Anaheim, California outpaced Silicon Valley in income growth
Despite the economic angst and billionaire exodus, California has been recording some of the highest income growth in the country.
Surprisingly, a recent survey of metropolitan areas showed that Silicon Valley didn't lead the state, but Anaheim, Irvine and Santa Ana were near the top.
A study by financial advising company SmartAsset of the 94 ...Read more
Home insurance rates in Nevada have shot up 22% since 2023, report says
Home insurance rates in Nevada have risen close to a quarter since 2023 up until the end of last year, according to a new report.
Data from Insurify, an online insurance comparison platform, showed that the average price for home insurance in 2023 was $1,407, then jumped to $1,672 two years later. This year, according to the review, home ...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: My Life as a Frog
I have been told if you attempt to pop a frog into a pot of boiling water, he'll jump out every time.
But if you put the little fellow into a pot of cold water, set it on a low flame, and warm it slowly, he'll sit back, relax and let you cook him to death.
The frog is so impressed by the nice warm, cozy feeling he doesn't pay attention to what...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: Reader Discovers It's Difficult to Pay the Balance to the Penny
Dear Cheapskate: This is petty perhaps, but how does one ever completely pay off a credit card account?
We paid off a credit card recently (Hallelujah!) by sending a check for the exact amount of the balance due taken from the monthly statement. The following month we received a bill for $1.91 -- all of it a finance charge! Sure, it's not much,...Read more
SEC exempts data-center bonds from key securitization rules
The Securities and Exchange Commission has made it easier for data center owners to sell asset-backed securities, potentially opening the door for more debt sales as tech firms scour Wall Street for ways to pay for artificial intelligence.
The SEC said a major subset of data-center securitizations don’t need to have disclosures and investor ...Read more
Millions sign up for Trump Accounts, but are they wise investment?
Karla Perez and her husband are supporters of President Donald Trump, so when they learned this summer about new investment accounts his administration designed for children, they quickly signed up their one-year-old son.
“What we hope is that when he’s 18 and he can access it, that he has money to set up his future, whatever he wants to do...Read more
A house, a car, a little breathing room: Why middle-class life feels increasingly out of reach
It’s a good time to be a middle-class American. And yet it’s never felt worse.
By many traditional measures, the economy is strong. Unemployment remains near historic lows, and middle-income Americans are making more than they were 50 years ago.
Yet millions of Americans who have followed what was long considered the formula for a middle-...Read more
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7 Tips for Getting Out of Your Rental and Into a Home
For many renters, homeownership can feel less like a financial milestone and more like a moving target. Prices rise, interest rates change, rents increase and saving a down payment can seem painfully slow.
That is especially true for younger adults. People under 30 may be dealing with student loans, early-career salaries, high rents and limited...Read more
7 tips for reining in an out-of-control bill
When an electric bill suddenly jumps, it can feel as though the house has developed an expensive habit while nobody was looking. Sometimes the culprit is obvious — a heat wave, a cold snap or guests staying for several weeks. Other times, seemingly small changes in everyday energy use quietly add up.
The good news is that lowering a power ...Read more
5 things you'll love about LVP, and 2 that you might not
Luxury vinyl plank flooring has gone from a budget-minded alternative to hardwood into one of the most popular flooring choices for busy homes. Known as LVP, the material combines realistic wood looks with durability, relatively easy installation and low-maintenance care.
For households with pets, children, muddy shoes or the occasional spilled...Read more
Everyday Cheapskate: How to Keep Ants Away Once You've Treated the Ant Hill
You've finally done it.
After weeks of watching tiny armies march across the patio, tunnel through the lawn, or pop up between steppingstones, you located the ant hill and treated it. Victory at last.
Or so you thought.
A few days later, there they are again. Maybe not in the exact same spot but close enough to make you wonder if they're ...Read more
Study: All the ways San Diego homeownership is cheaper than other US cities
If you take away the substantial purchase price of a San Diego home, a new study claims that the rest of the cost associated with owning a home here is less than many cities.
An index from the University of San Diego, which launched in April, says the overall cost of owning a home in the county is lower than many areas in terms of energy bills,...Read more
Chicago high-rise powered by geothermal could set new standard for development
One of Chicago’s first all-electric, geothermal-powered residential high-rises is taking shape in Fulton Market.
The 33-story apartment project at 410 N. Elizabeth St. could set a new standard for Chicago development, perhaps proving that massive new high-rises can drastically reduce reliance on fossil fuels, cut carbon emissions and reduce ...Read more
Inside Consumer
Popular Stories
- Home insurance rates in Nevada have shot up 22% since 2023, report says
- How Anaheim, California outpaced Silicon Valley in income growth
- 7 tips for reining in an out-of-control bill
- A house, a car, a little breathing room: Why middle-class life feels increasingly out of reach
- 5 things you'll love about LVP, and 2 that you might not



























