U.S. Personal Finance Roundup: Bond Strategies, Young Entrepreneurs and Retirement Debt Pressure

With U.S. Treasury yields on the rise, financial planners say they are seeing growing interest in bonds, especially among investors looking to lock in fixed income in retirement. Some bond strategies can help cash earn a safe return of about 5%. ^[1]

Meanwhile, the entry-level labor market has become tougher to enter, pushing more young Americans to choose entrepreneurship. ^[2]

On retirement and debt, the U.S. government can withhold 15% of Social Security benefits to repay student loans, and proposals have been introduced to stop the practice. The report also notes that debt among older Americans is rising: both the number of older households carrying debt and the amounts borrowed are increasing. ^[4]

In a personal-finance Q&A, a mother, a divorcée, died, and her child, as executor, asks whether to file for probate. The article says the only debts were utility and credit-card bills, which will be paid off. ^[3]

Another reader, who is 80, has $400,000 in home equity and is considering whether to sell because the stairs are dangerous or spend thousands renovating. The article notes that the reader has a low-interest-rate mortgage. ^[5]

On employment, switching jobs to get a higher salary is most effective in some industries; with inflation outpacing wage growth, finding a new job is one route to a raise. ^[6]