About one in four married couples younger than 35 bought their first home together before they actually tied the knot, according to a recent study from Coldwell Banker.

 

The millennial generation is marrying later but -- contrary to its slacker image -- is facing up to "financial realities" right now, psychotherapist Robi Ludwig told U.S. News & World Report.

 

"The boundary of needing to be married before purchasing a home has been broken," says Ludwig, a lifestyle correspondent for Coldwell Banker.

"It requires you to be financially transparent and you have to have the maturity and forethought to say 'What do you want in the next five, 10, 15 years?' going into homeownership."

Lower interest rates have likely encouraged this trend. Why not grab the opportunity to buy if you know you're getting married eventually? It just makes financial sense.

That is, unless you split up.

 

This post comes from Stacy Johnson at partner site Money Talks News.  

A class-action lawsuit filed against Skechers USA Inc. over claims that just wearing their shoes would provide the benefit of exercise was settled today — opening the door to payments to consumers who purchased them.

The sneakers at issue in the case — Skechers' Shape-ups, Resistance Runner, Shape-ups Toners/Trainers, and Tone-ups — were sold between August 2008 and August 2012. Those who have submitted claims in the case — more than 500,000 consumers — will be eligible to receive refunds up to $84 per pair of Resistance Runners, $80 for Shape-ups, $54 for Podded Sole Shoes, and $40 for Tone-Ups.

It has taken a while for the case to get to this point. The Federal Trade Commission a year ago reached an agreement with Skechers, which admits no wrongdoing in the matter, to repay consumers and dial down its claims. 

This post comes from Emily Brandon at U.S. News & World Report.

The oldest baby boomers have already turned 65, and the older population of the U.S. is beginning to swell. The age-65-and-older population grew 18% between 2000 and 2011 to 41.4 million senior citizens, according to a recent Administration on Aging report.

These numbers are expected to further balloon over the coming decade as baby boomers continue to reach traditional retirement age. Here's what retirement looks like for the typical person age 65 or older in the U.S.:

Low incomes

Most retirees have very modest incomes. The median income for people age 65 and older was $27,707 for males and $15,362 for females in 2011. The typical household headed by someone age 65 or older had a median income of $48,538. The median income increased by 2% between 2010 and 2011 after adjusting for inflation. Almost 3.6 million elderly people (8.7%) lived below the poverty level in 2011.

 

This post is by Des Toups of partner site Carinsurance.com.

Think your car insurance company’s rules are unfair? Perhaps you should make up your own.

That was the task before 1,000 drivers in a new survey commissioned by CarInsurance.com. Motorists were asked how they would screen customers and price car insurance policies if they ran an insurance company.

Most said they wouldn’t penalize drivers for factors that aren’t directly related to operating a car.

But they would hold drivers much more accountable when moving — ramping up punishments for those who break the rules and aggressively monitoring those who pose the highest risks. 

Who says there's no inflation? Food prices are expected to rise as much as 4% this year, according to Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, meaning household budgets will be eating the difference.

That is faster than 2012's food inflation rate, driven higher by the rising cost of beef, pork, chicken, fruits and other staples. Take a look at our latest Undercover Secrets video to learn the skinny on what's going on with food prices this year. 

This post comes from Emily Brandon at U.S. News and World Report.

The Social Security Administration launched a website specifically for smartphone users last week. People who visit SocialSecurity.gov via smartphone, including Android, BlackBerry, iPhone and Windows devices, will be automatically redirected to the agency’s new mobile-friendly site.

“We are committed to meeting the changing needs of the American people and the launch of our new mobile site helps reinforce our online presence and adaptability to advances in technology,” says Carolyn Colvin, acting commissioner of Social Security. “I encourage all smartphone users looking for Social Security information to take advantage of our new mobile site.”

The mobile site allows you to create or sign into your Social Security account, where you can check your earnings record, review the taxes you’ve paid and get an estimate of what your future payments will be. Those who are already receiving benefits can sign up for direct deposit, get a benefit verification letter or update their personal information.

 

This post comes from Karen Datko at partner site Money Talks News. 

Mock me, if you will, but I still remember the official song of the Girl Scout camp I attended as a young girl many years ago. ("There's a camp along the dusty road ….")

Summer camp can be among the most memorable and wonderful experiences of a child's life. So, picking the right camp is very important.