Latest articles by Kimberly Lankford
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Smart Ways to Spend Down Your Flexible Spending Account
Healthy Living on a Budget Some employers allow workers to carry over up to $500 in a flexible spending account from one year to the next, while others offer a grace period until mid March. Knowing your deadline will prevent you from losing FSA dollars.
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Charitable Giving Can Begin at Home with a Donor-Advised Fund
Smart Buying Parents and grandparents can launch the next generation of philanthropists by allowing kids to help decide where to donate money from a donor-advised fund.
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How Much Are Those Old Baseball Cards Worth?
business Depending on the year, condition and, of course, the player, some baseball cards could be worth thousands of dollars.
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How Much Families Can Contribute to a Health Savings Account
insurance You and a spouse can contribute a total of $6,900 to an HSA in 2018, plus a catch-up contribution if you’re 55 or older. And thanks to a quirk in the law, an adult child covered under the family’s high-deductible health policy may also be able to contribute $6,900 to his or her own HSA.
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4 Ways to Thwart Elder Abuse
Caregiving Being prime targets for scams, seniors need to be vigilant about protecting themselves.
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The Potential Tax Hit When High Earners Convert to a Roth IRA
retirement High earners using a "backdoor" strategy to open a Roth IRA can trigger taxes if they own other IRAs.
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How Tax Reform Might Affect Your Roth IRA Conversion
IRAs If converting from a traditional IRA to a Roth makes sense, do it. If tax rates drop, you can undo the conversion later.
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College-Savings Plans Make It Easy to Give a Child the Gift of Tuition
529 Plans Relatives can contribute to a child's 529 college-savings plan, and in many cases they can get a tax deduction on their gift.
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Fighting Financial Fraud and Identity Theft
Scams Learn what it's like on the front lines on our ride along with the scam police.
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How to Change Your Medicare Advantage Plan Outside of Open Enrollment
insurance If you end up unhappy with the Medicare Advantage plan you signed up for, you may be able to switch before next year's open enrollment.
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Making Changes After a Medicare High-Income Surcharge
retirement Surcharge is based on your last tax return on file.
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Land a Retail Job for the Holiday Season
business Retailers will add hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers for the holidays. How to find a job—and possibly turn it into a permanent position.
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The Big Pension Decision Military Service Members Must Make in 2018
retirement Service members who joined armed forces in recent years must decide whether to stay in the military’s old retirement system or join the new one. Here’s how to choose the system that’s best for you.
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Smart Financial Moves Keep the Focus on Family
savings Scaling back on household expenses has helped this family stay on the right financial path for more than a decade.
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A Child-Care Tax Break for Working Parents
taxes New parents and those with pre-teens can save on taxes (for now) when paying for child care by signing up for an employer's dependent-care flexible spending account.
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Charitable Giving Is a Family Affair
spending A donor-advised fund is a tax-savvy way for families to pool their charitable dollars and create the next generation of philanthropists.
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What You Need to Know About Windstorm Coverage
insurance In high-risk areas, you can face equally high costs for wind coverage. But a few smart home improvements can help you save money.
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Raising Cash to Make Hurricane Damage Repairs
real estate Many hurricane victims are still waiting for payments from insurers or disaster assistance from FEMA to make home repairs. In the meantime, here are ways to raise money to get fixes under way.
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10 Things You Need to Know About Health Insurance Open Enrollment
insurance If you're signing up for Obamacare for 2018, you'll have less time to buy coverage for next year, but here's help finding the right policy more quickly.
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Rebuilding Your Home and Finances After Disaster Strikes
insurance Mopping up—and drying out—after the hurricanes was only the first challenge. Now the victims have to struggle through recovery.
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How to Shop for Flood Insurance
insurance Whether or not you live in a high-risk area for flooding, you might consider getting the extra coverage.
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How to Report a Tax-Free Transfer From Your IRA to Charity
taxes The tax filing rules for qualified charitable distributions can be tricky. You must specify how much of your required minimum distribution is taxable and why part of the distribution is tax-free.
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8 Steps to Picking the Right Medicare Plans During Open Enrollment
Medicare Most people fill Medicare’s coverage gaps by buying a Medicare supplement (medigap) plan and a Part D prescription-drug plan, or they get both medical and drug coverage from a private insurer with a Medicare Advantage plan.
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4 Ways RMDs Are Different for 401(k)s and for IRAs
IRAs For both types of retirement account, you need to take required minimum distributions after you turn age 70½. But there are differences in how and when you take the money.
