Karin Price Mueller is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com, a personal finance web site that offers smart and objective advice on everything money. She also writes the Bamboozled consumer affairs column for The Star-Ledger, and a monthly money column for Inside Jersey magazine, and she's been the recipient of many national and local journalism awards. Mueller lives in Monmouth County with her husband — Star-Ledger reporter Mark Mueller — and their three kids and two English Mastiffs. Whatever they don't eat goes into her retirement savings accounts.
Karin Price Mueller
401(k) plans and hidden fees
Q. Whenever I move funds around in my 401(k) — my spouse and I have five altogether — I am not charged anything, and I can freely rebalance existing balances any time I like. But within my IRA, I am charged $7 or $9 any time I move them around, so I’ve been hesitant to roll all these 401(k)s into an IRA. Are there hidden fees in my 401(k) that I don’t know about ?
Donations to schools and sports teams
Q. If my kid’s school or sports team collects donations to give to a charity, and I give, can I deduct the cost of what I donated?
Talking to your parents about a will
Q. My parents don’t have wills. How can I convince them that they should? To them it’s about privacy so I figured talking about probate could be the answer.
Good news for NJ retirees
Q. I have read about the new exemption on retirement income being phased in next year. The phase-in of the $100,000 exclusion increases at a rate of $20,000 per year, but after the full exclusion kicks in, there appears to be a significant income limitation on using the exclusion beginning in 2021. Can you explain?
These are deductible expenses
Q. I know you can deduct certain costs for professional help, like accountants and financial planners. Who else can you deduct?
Could this investment strategy soar?
Q. I am getting ready for a big long discussion with my stock broker. He wants to change some mutual funds.
Social security and survivor benefits
Q. I decided to receive my Social Security benefits at age 62. As my wife reaches age 62, she also will accept the reduced amount. Question is: After my death, can she drop her Social Security value and receive my Social Security value maximum amount at my age of 70?
The debate between Medicare vs. long-term insurance
Q. What’s the difference between long-term care insurance and the kind of care that Medicare pays for?
Help for a disinherited loved one
Q. I have a question about executor fees. What would happen if the executor takes the fee for the sole purpose of giving the money to a grandchild of the decedent who was left out of the will? How would that work related to the IRS or state?
Where rental homeowners can find money help
Q. Is there any relief for people who have to sell their rental properties to pay for their main property because of financial difficulties?