Flipboard 2025 Investing

uncertain and thoughtful man holding documents, standing in front of a house undergoing repairs

My friend insists that in 2026, homeownership is a scam because of taxes, insurance, and repairs. Is renting actually now smarter long term?

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.
May 19, 2026 Miles Brucker
Hospital Bill

My coworker says he never pays hospital bills because they eventually settle for pennies. Is that actually true?

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.
May 15, 2026 Carl Wyndham
AI-generated image of a woman worried about foreclosure.

My loan modification was denied without an explanation, and now I’m at risk of losing my home. What can I do?

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.
May 12, 2026 Penelope Singh

We just listed our house for sale last week. Now the guy down the street is listing his house for the exact same price as ours. What should we do?

What happens when you and your neighbor are both trying to sell your homes at the same time for the exact same price?
May 8, 2026 Jane O'Shea

My sister and I want to sell the house we inherited from our mom, but we can’t track down our brother’s widow who owns a third of the house. What now?

If one of the co-owners of an inherited house is nowhere to be found, it complicates any attempt to sell the house.
May 7, 2026 Peter Kinney
Man worried investment and stock market

My friend says investing is pointless because "you can't beat the system." My portfolio hasn't done great, does he actually have a point?

If your friend says investing is pointless because you cannot beat the system, they are touching on a real debate in finance. Researchers have spent decades testing whether ordinary investors, professionals, and even hedge funds can consistently outsmart the market. The short answer is that beating the market is very hard, but that does not make investing pointless.
May 5, 2026 Miles Brucker
Real estate agent discussing property paperwork with a couple on a porch.

We listed our house and got a full-price offer within hours—sight unseen. Should we take it or wait for better offers to come in?

You may be surprised by how quickly aggressive offers come in when you list your home.
April 30, 2026 Quinn Mercer
Foreclosurefailedbidinternal

I put in a bid on a house that was foreclosed, but lost to a lower offer—how is that even possible?

Before buying a home that's been foreclosed, there are some important things you need to know.
April 23, 2026 Quinn Mercer
Worried Sibling reviewing financial documents

My brother says investing is pointless because "the rich control the market." Is there any truth to that or is he just whining?

When someone says “the rich control the market,” they’re tapping into a real frustration. Wealth in the U.S. is highly concentrated, and richer households do own a much larger share of stocks than everyone else. That can make investing look like a rigged game where ordinary people are just along for the ride. But the bigger question is whether that makes investing pointless for everyone else, and the evidence says no.
April 16, 2026 Carl Wyndham