Is "financial incest" happening in your house?

Plus, the best and worst states for retirement No Images? Click here   We've got a lot of good stuff this week, including everything you need to know about those creepy email trackers, achieving perfect 850 credit scores, and the best way to close a professional email (turns out "thanks" is often a bad option).  But first, a few quick links of practical magic:  How 'financial incest' creates a lifetime of money problems for kids How to get your medical debt wiped away, no strings attached The best and worst states for retirement, ranked 6 sneaky new tax scams to look out for in 2019 Have a great week!  Janie   Take back your life Email tracking is an effective surveillance tool that's probably all over your inbox. Some trackers inform a sender when and how often an email is read, while others track clicks and downloads or let a sender know when and where an email was opened. A bit alarming, eh? We'll tell you how you can know which emails in your inbox are using trackers and what you can do to disable them.  HOW TO BLOCK EMAIL TRACKERS FROM YOUR INBOX     Deal with it Is a perfect credit score even possible? Yes, it turns out, and we spoke to one woman who finally made it happen: Lyn Alden of New Jersey, who chalks her 850 score up to her long credit history, no missed payments, and very low credit utilization. “I don’t open new accounts too frequently to churn for credit card rewards,” she added, which is a good thing to consider!  But what, exactly, is the winning formula? FICO keeps its scoring model largely a secret, but we do know the 5 basic factors that influence your number. And if you’re chasing the elusive 850, you have to crush it in every category. THE 5 FACTORS OF A PERFECT CREDIT SCORE Pro Tip: Analysts have noticed that when senders sign work emails with any variation of “thank you,” their emails get more responses than those ending with other popular closers like “cheers,” “regards” and “best.” But there's a catch: Closings like "thanks" and "thanks in advance" can be "really presumptuous and kind of passive-aggressive,” according to Victoria Turk, author of Digital Etiquette, because you're thanking someone before they've agreed to do something — and that's not how gratitude works. Here are email closers experts agreed are better to use in professional settings. (One even works for nemeses and friends!)    .     👋You may have noticed our website is now www.huffpost.com. Don't worry, it'll still be the same HuffPost you know and love, just with a new URL. Make sure to update your bookmarks!   HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media Group. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. No moon dust. No B.S. Just a completely essential daily guide to achieving the good life. Subscribe here. Like what you see? Share it. Can't get enough? You'll also love HuffPost's Entertainment newsletter. ©2019 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe    . - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe