Flipboard 2025 Investing

Many families discover only after a loved one dies that a significant portion of their finances existed entirely online. That can include bank accounts, brokerage accounts, retirement plans, cryptocurrency, payment apps, and rewards programs. If nobody knows the passwords or recovery methods, recovering those assets can become a stressful and expensive process. The good news is that inaccessible does not always mean lost, but the outcome depends on what type of account is involved and how well the deceased planned ahead.

Most people walk past old paintings without giving them a second thought. Some end up in attics. Others gather dust in storage rooms. But every once in a while, a forgotten piece of art turns out to be something extraordinary. This is the story of one painting that went from near-obscurity to rewriting auction history.

Most yard-sale shoppers hope to find a bargain. Maybe an old lamp worth a few hundred dollars or a vintage toy that collectors love. One family in New York found something much, much, much bigger. Well, what they found wasn't that big...but its value was enormous.

Luxury watches have a seductive story attached to them. They are tangible, portable, beautifully made, and in some cases they do hold value better than many other consumer goods. But if your husband is calling every pricey watch purchase an investment, the real answer is more complicated than that sales pitch suggests.

You’ve probably heard of the Rule of 72, the quick trick for estimating how long it takes money to double. The Rule of 114 is its less famous cousin. Instead of showing when your money might double, it helps estimate when it could triple.

Your friend is not imagining things. Cash can lose purchasing power when inflation runs higher than the interest your savings account pays. But that does not automatically mean emergency funds are a mistake. It means the real question is not whether to hold cash, but how much to hold and where to keep it.

Home renovations must always balance practicality and affordability with quality.

Whoever's name is on the title to a house claims all the gains and losses when the home is sold.

Your friend is not wrong to cringe at property taxes, insurance bills, and surprise repair costs. Those expenses are real, and in many markets they have risen sharply in the past few years. But calling homeownership a scam goes too far, because the long term math depends on time, location, financing, and what would happen to your rent if you do not buy.

Transferring money out of a trust as part of an inheritance comes with some specific procedures.

If you have ever stared at a huge hospital bill, your coworker’s advice might sound almost magical. Just ignore it, wait it out, and eventually the hospital will take pennies on the dollar. There is a grain of truth there, but the full story is a lot messier and a lot riskier.

A loan modification denial can feel like the system just shut the door on you without giving you a real chance. But here’s the important part: a denial is not the end of the road. You still have options, and in many cases, you can challenge the decision or come back with a stronger case.