Ed Downs, Author at DIYmoneytrack.com

What it means to be a sandwich generation caregiver

During a recent conversation with a former colleague, he openly shared with me that he was worried about the financial situation of his parents, especially as it related to healthcare needs and costs. His parents, both in their late 70’s, were struggling with medical issues. Sadly, his mother was recently diagnosed with Dementia.

He also told me that did not know the exact amount of money his parents had or would need, but he suspected they did not have much saved. His father had shared with him on a prior occasion that they did not have a large “nest egg,” and they were relying on social security for most of their living expenses. He knew that his parents did not have long-term care insurance.

Although his parents owned their home, their property taxes were very high and they “did not want to move.” He admitted “occasionally” helping his parents pay their credit card bills so they did not carry a high-interest balance.

I remembered that he had children, but I couldn’t remember how many. He reminded me that he and his wife had three children, ranging in age from 14 to 20. The oldest was in college, and their middle child was applying to colleges. He shared that they were covering their oldest child’s college costs, but were concerned about being able to pay for his other two children.

When I asked about his financial situation and goals, he said he and his wife had a “fair amount” of savings but only had a relatively small amount set aside for emergencies, and were unsure if they would ever have enough to retire comfortably. Neither he nor his wife were clear about her parents financial situation, since they were “very private people.”

He and his wife paid an advisor for a financial plan “about five years ago” but a lot had changed over the last few years and that original plan definitely didn’t contemplate parental care beyond a “few monthly expenses.”

Our interaction motivated me to write about his circumstances as a member of the “sandwich generation,” and offer information to help younger adults begin considering and preparing, as needed, for this situation.

If you are interested in learning more about the sandwich generation, what it may cost you to be part of this cohort, and a few tips for navigating your membership, then please read on.

Do you know your Return on Spending?

You may have heard of return on investment (ROI), but what about return on spending (ROS)?

Return on Spending (ROS) is a metric that measures the financial return on non-investment expenditures.

Ok, but how do I generate a return on my non-investment spending?

If you use a credit card with cash-back rewards to make purchases, then you can monetize the financial benefits of “paying later” to generate a return on your spending.^*

To learn more about ROS, including how to calculate and the positive impact it has on your Purchasing Power, please read on.

Why you should set up your Social Security account online as soon as possible

If you’ve been collecting a regular paycheck in the U.S., then your employer has been deducting Social Security taxes. These deductions are typically itemized on your paystub as “FICA SS TAX”. Your employer matches these contributions and sends both portions to the Social Security Administration.

Even if you already know about this deduction, you may not have realized that information about your Social Security tax payments and future benefits are available to you online at the Social Security Administration (SSA) website.

If you have not already created your my Social Security account online, then you should do so as soon as possible. Read on to find out why you should set up an online account and how to do it.

How to protect your credit reports

In my prior post on protecting yourself from cybercriminals, I shared steps you can take to stay ahead of fraudsters trying to use your personal data against you and steal your identity. While all of those actions should be used to protect yourself, there is one action I recommend you consider implementing now:

Create a fraud alert or freeze access to your credit reports.

Protecting yourself from cybercriminals

Financial damages from cybercrime are growing at an alarming rate. The total global impact of cybercrime to individuals, businesses, and governments in 2023 was estimated to be an astounding $11 trillion, and is expected to cost the global economy more than $20 trillion by 2026. In the U.S alone, the FBI recorded more than 880,000 cybercrime complaints by individuals with potential damages totaling $12.5 billion in 2023, up from $3.5 billion only four years ago. By some estimates, roughly one-third of U.S. residents have experienced some form of identity theft and that figure is expected to rise.

How to minimize fees to maximize your big money returns

As referenced in my new book Making Big Money Decisions and recent blog posts, transaction fees can take a big bite out of your returns. The good news is that the costs for holding investment funds and selling a house in the USA continue to decline, allowing you to keep more of your money. Since these investments are usually large, even small differences in the fees you pay can add up to significant amounts of money. If you are interested in finding out more about these transactions costs and tips for ensuring you are paying the lowest fees, then please read on.

How biased are your information sources?

As a personal finance author and advocate, I do my best to create useful content based on unbiased information. I’m able to do this because I don’t take compensation to promote products and services offered by others so I’m free to “tell it like it is.” A benefit of being financially independent.

A financial services company or advisor that advertises or sells specific investments or brands, may have an inherent bias and conflict of interest. In other words, if an advisor is compensated to push specific products or services, then they are biased. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are getting ‘bad’ advice, but you may not be getting the ‘best’ options.

When it comes to media sources, even financial media, there are different degrees of bias. If you are interested in expanding your media literacy by learning more about news and information biases and how to ensure you’re getting the most impartial information, then please read on.

Are your investments outperforming the market?

How do you know if your investment portfolio is performing better (or worse) than the market?

The answer is your investment alpha.

Alpha is a measure of an investment’s performance compared to a benchmark, like a market index.

If your investments are not meeting or exceeding your benchmark(s) over a time period, then you may need to reevaluate your investments and strategy.

As referenced in my book Making Big Money Decisions, investing in underperforming assets generates considerable opportunity costs and suppresses wealth accumulation. Use the content in this post to ensure you’re getting the best return on your invested money.

By reading this post, you will learn why alpha is a key performance indicator for managing your investment portfolio, and how to calculate and use it to optimize your investment strategy.*

16 online resources for making big money decisions

Statistics on the state of personal finance show that many adults, particularly young adults, struggle with financial literacy and are concerned about their ability to fund life goals like buying a house and retiring comfortably.

One way to overcome these concerns is by making the unknown known through financial planning and money management. Like many things in life, getting started is probably the hardest part. Time is an essential element in both life and personal finance, so use it to your advantage by starting your planning as early as possible.

How the NAR settlement will impact your house closing costs

When buying or selling a house, you will incur costs to close on the sale of the property. It is important that you understand these costs since they can add:

3% to 4% to the cost of buying a house;
1% to 3% to the cost of selling a house, excluding the commission a seller pays to realtors involved in the sale which typically ranges from 5% to 6% of the sale price.

The actual amount you will owe as a buyer or are owed as a seller will be detailed in your Closing Disclosure form.

For sellers that use the services of realtors, the current scheme of also paying the buyer’s realtor commission at closing will no longer be the norm thanks to a groundbreaking settlement with the National Association of Realtors (NAR).