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☆ How to Keep Your Bank From Closing All Your Accounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Ron Lieber | More About Ron Lieber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This has happened several times to Times readers, over 1,000 of whom have submitted their stories. Checks Are a Red FlagFraud involving mail theft and checks has roughly doubled in recent years. If you don’t write checks at all — and destroy or hide any the bank sends you — fraud becomes more unlikely. If you must use checks, don’t mail them. And if you have to mail a check, try taking it directly to a post office.

☆ Mint, the Budgeting App, Is Going Away. Here Are Some Alternatives.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Ron Lieber | More About Ron Lieber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The demise of Mint, the beloved budgeting app, has caused its millions of users to consider alternatives. That makes it as good a time as any for everyone to consider a money management tool. According to a recent survey by Javelin Strategy & Research, 41 percent of people don’t use any money management app or website aside from their bank’s. Many budget app users, however, were fervent fans of Mint. Credit Karma is known for its free credit scores and lacks some of the budgeting tools that appealed to Mint users.

Organizations: Mint, Strategy, Research, Intuit

☆ Writing ‘Maid’ Pulled Stephanie Land Out of Poverty. She’s Fine Now, Right?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Ron Lieber | More About Ron Lieber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ms. Land got married in 2019 to a veteran who is eligible to receive disability payments through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but two late student-loan payments had left him ineligible for a V.A. They tried to move from Missoula, Mont., to Raleigh, N.C., in early 2020 and were seeking a mortgage of about $350,000. But her book deal and its promise of future payments weren’t enough for her to qualify for one. But if the show doesn’t get made at all, no more money generally comes your way — and production hadn’t started yet when Ms. Land was trying to buy a home. Like many nonfiction authors, Ms. Land turned to speaking.

Persons: Land, ”, Land’s, hadn’t Organizations: U.S . Department of Veterans Affairs, Netflix Locations: Missoula, Mont, Raleigh, N.C

☆ The Simple Nudge That Raised Median Donations by 80%
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Ron Lieber | More About Ron Lieber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That kind of boost can change the trajectory of a nonprofit over time if enough people increase their gifts. And people of any faith — or none at all — can create their own numerical prompt on any platform to encourage extra generosity. Buddhists and Hindus sometimes give in multiples of $108, though a spokesman for Catholic Charities said it had seen no particular numerical pattern over time. Even within particular religions, opinions vary on whether to anchor gifts to a figure or to increase donations by a certain number. Anwar Khan, the president of Islamic Relief USA, said he had not seen a numerical pattern in donations to his organization — not even in the number 786, which some Muslims believe is lucky or holy.

Persons: Anwar Khan, —, Khan, “, ”, Daffy Organizations: Catholic Charities, Islamic Relief

☆ Letter to a Young Crypto Enthusiast (or the Merely Curious)
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Ron Lieber | More About Ron Lieber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It’s at 12 percent this year, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, and Bitcoin’s price has risen more than 75 percent from its 2022 low. Crypto conviction — or just curiosity — is not something that merits condescension from the olds and scolds of personal finance. It just requires you to ask a few questions about who you are and why you find crypto alluring. It is true that younger adults are more open to this way of putting money to work. If you’re under 40, you’re more likely to own crypto than people over 60, according to the N.B.E.R.

Persons: It’s, Sam Bankman, you’re, You’re Organizations: National Bureau of Economic Research Locations: United States

☆ How Biden Might Try to Cancel Student Debt Next
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Ron Lieber | More About Ron Lieber | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

On June 30, in the wake of losing a Supreme Court lawsuit over his $400 billion plan to cancel student loan debt, President Biden said he was going to try again. In a fact sheet announcing this second try, the White House wrote that the Education Department will attempt to use the authority it believes it has under the Higher Education Act of 1965. In the Supreme Court case, the Biden administration tried to claim power under a different law, the HEROES Act. This process is likely to take several months at a minimum, and it’s unclear how many people might be eligible for any relief that the administration would eventually offer. The fact sheet was short on details, but the administration said more in a news conference, referring repeatedly to the “compromise and settlement authority” that the education act allows.

Persons: Biden Organizations: Education Department, Higher

529 College Savings PlansI’m a parent of a toddler. What are the implications of following these two approaches: Gamble on financial aid, or be unethical? — A California readerThere are many misconceptions about how 529 college savings plans will affect a prospective student’s eligibility for financial aid, but your initial hunch was correct. If the 529 account is owned by a grandparent or another relative, it is not included in financial aid calculations. Some good news: Grandparent withdrawals will no longer be reported on the upcoming financial aid form, released in December for the 2024-25 academic year, financial aid and 529 experts said.

Persons: Gamble, it’s Organizations: Federal Student Aid Locations: California

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