Liz Weston
Personal Finance Expert and CFP
Liz Weston is a certified financial planner and personal finance journalist with over 20 years of experience in financial advice.
Global Business / Economy
Is Consent in the Age of Financial Super Apps a Legal Fiction — or Something That Could Be Fixed If Anyone Actually Wanted To?When you click "I agree" on a financial super app, do you actually know what you're consenting to? Liz Weston, David Z. Morris, and Nicolas Berggruen examine whether meaningful consent is even possible in today's data economy — or whether it's become a legal fiction nobody has the will to fix.
Financial Technology (FinTech)
Is Embedded Lending the Fintech Product That Finally Makes Credit Invisible — and Should That Make Us More Uncomfortable Than Excited?When credit becomes invisible — baked into checkout with a single click — is that seamless convenience or a risk consumers don't see coming? Ron Shevlin, Liz Weston, and Michael Delvecchio weigh the promise of embedded lending against its potential to normalize reckless, uninformed borrowing.
Global Business / Economy
Is Emotional Spending the Real Reason Most Budgets Fail — or a Convenient Explanation That Lets Structural Problems Off the Hook?Is emotional spending really what wrecks most budgets — or is it a convenient excuse that lets stagnant wages and rising costs off the hook? Liz Weston points to retail therapy and impulsive triggers, Carl Richards argues structural financial pressures make budgeting unrealistic for many, and Lindsey D. Baker says financial literacy is the missing piece that could address both.
Investments / Wealth Building
Should You Ever Pay for a Premium Banking Account — or Are You Just Buying the Feeling of Being a Better Customer?Premium banking accounts promise personal advisors, waived fees, and exclusive perks — but are those benefits actually worth the cost, or are you mostly paying for the feeling of being a better class of customer? Suze Orman, David Bach, and Liz Weston debate whether premium banking is a smart financial tool or an expensive status symbol.
Global Business / Economy
Is the 401(k) Still the Best Retirement Vehicle for the Modern Worker — or a Product Designed for a Career Path That No Longer Exists?The 401(k) was designed for a worker who stayed with one company for decades — but 56% of American workers are worried about retirement savings in a world where job-hopping is the norm. Ric Edelman, Liz Weston, and David Rae debate whether the 401(k) still works for the modern worker or was built for a career path that no longer exists.
Credit & Personal Finance
Is Your Credit Card Rewards Program Actually Rewarding You — or Engineering Your Spending Behavior Without You Noticing?73% of consumers report overspending because of rewards programs — which raises a question about whether those points are actually paying you back or just engineering you to spend more. Gerri Detweiler, Liz Weston, and Robert McKinley debate whether credit card rewards are a genuine financial benefit or a behavioral trap dressed up as a perk.
Credit & Personal Finance
Buy Now, Pay Later vs. Credit Cards: The Battle for Your WalletNearly 60% of U.S. adults have used a Buy Now, Pay Later app — but is it a smarter alternative to credit cards, or just debt with better marketing? Jeffrey Rattiner, Liz Weston, and Michael O'Brien debate whether BNPL empowers smarter spending or quietly sets consumers up for the same old trap.
Credit & Personal Finance
Is Buying Items in Bulk Actually Saving You Money — or Just Making You Spend Faster on Things You Didn't Need This Much Of?That giant tub of mayonnaise looked like a great deal at the warehouse store — but is bulk buying actually saving you money, or just letting you spend faster on things you didn't need this much of? Liz Weston, Tiffany Aliche, and Dave Ramsey break down when bulk really pays off.