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We're overspending, and we may be in denial about it
Thursday, May 17, 2012 5:35:58 AM CST
It’s no secret that many Americans have long relied on credit cards and other forms of debt to get what we want, or what we need.
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NYT: Soaring college costs hobble a generation
Saturday, May 12, 2012 5:07:50 PM CST
The extraordinary rise of college debt has been enabled by a basic economic dynamic: an insatiable demand for a college education, at almost any price, and plenty of loans.
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Health care costs for retired couples going up
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 8:29:46 AM CST
Couples retiring this year can expect their medical bills throughout retirement to cost 4 percent more than those who retired a year ago, according to an annual projection released Wednesday by Fidelity Investments.
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Arf! The costs and benefits of the family dog
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 8:26:55 AM CST
For a lot people the recurring costs of pet ownership are enough to stretch their monthly budget over the limit of what they can really afford.
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Most employees leave 401(k) on autopilot
Tuesday, May 8, 2012 11:49:12 AM CST
Most of you just don’t want to be bothered by your 401(k) plans even though you’ve signed up for them.
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Americans feeling more OK about debt
Tuesday, May 8, 2012 6:12:21 AM CST
The financial shocks that began in 2007 prompted a lot of Americans to change their free-spending ways, especially when it came to taking on debt. That may be changing.
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Boomers buying food for parents, cars for kids
Thursday, May 3, 2012 8:57:54 AM CST
Baby Boomers have a lot of bills to pay these days. Most those bills aren’t theirs. They’re helping to pay medical and utility bills for their aging parents, and even buying groceries for their moms and dads.
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Warren Buffett keeps missing the mark
Thursday, May 3, 2012 8:03:44 AM CST
Warren Buffett’s disciples are certainly a loyal bunch, missing out the superior returns they would have received by investing in the plain vanilla Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index
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Jean Chatsky: Retirement trumps tuition
Wednesday, May 2, 2012 1:37:48 PM CST
Parents are panicked their kids will be saddled with years of debt if they’re forced to take out hefty student loans to pay for college. But that doesn’t mean mom and dad should go into debt to foot the bill.
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States taxing the poor most
Wednesday, May 2, 2012 5:53:56 AM CST
In an effort to help families work their way out of poverty, most of the United States do not tax the incomes of working-poor families. A handful of states do, however. 24/7 Wall St.
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Soaring market boosts retirement accounts
Tuesday, May 1, 2012 9:10:12 AM CST
A soaring stock market over the past three months has paid off handsomely for America’s retirement accounts, according to new data from Fidelity Investments.
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Americans expect to work longer, retire later
Monday, April 30, 2012 5:26:15 AM CST
The average age at which Americans expect to retire has been steadily creeping up since the mid-1990s, and has now reached 67 years old, according to a new poll.
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US taxpayers get off easy, compared to some others
Friday, April 27, 2012 5:48:10 AM CST
If you just filed your taxes this month, chances are you’re not feeling a huge amount of goodwill toward the U.S. tax system. Still, you may want to hold off on those plans to move overseas to avoid the tax man.
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Money secrets can ruin your relationship
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 5:28:28 AM CST
A detailed survey conducted by TODAY.com and SELF.com found that 37 percent of men and 56 percent of women acknowledge having lied to their partner about money.
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Never too young to save for retirement
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 12:37:06 PM CST
Some people think about saving for retirement in their twenties, others start contemplating rocking chair resources after they hit the big 40.
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A visual look at results of our money secrets survey
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 6:17:14 PM CST
TODAY.com and SELF.com Tuesday released results of an extensive survey we conducted earlier this year on relationships and money. As we reported earlier, 37 percent of men and 56 percent of women acknowledge having lied to their partner about money.
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Obama, GOP square off on student loans
Friday, April 20, 2012 12:45:27 PM CST
At a time when American employers are complaining they can't find enough highly-skilled and well-educated workers, a political battle is shaping up over the looming rise in the cost of student loans.
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Gen Y faces retirement as a go-it-alone affair
Thursday, April 19, 2012 1:07:18 PM CST
Think of retirement as a family dinner table. It's an heirloom that is meant to weather the years, and a central fixture in the lives of each relative.
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Making your kid pay for college is good, study says
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 6:06:57 AM CST
If you’re doing everything you can to save for your children’s college education, chances are it’s because you think that will give your kids the best start in life.
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Affording college tuition may mean having to wait
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 12:18:50 PM CST
This is the season when college acceptance letters start coming in the mail and lots of families are trying to figure out how to pay the hefty tuition costs.
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Retirement may be mission impossible for Gen X
Wednesday, April 18, 2012 7:23:52 AM CST
It’s no shock that Generation X — those born from 1965 to 1981 — may get short changed in their golden years.
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Towns outlawing extreme garage sales
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 5:55:37 AM CST
Tough economic conditions have led to a rise in home-based vendors who see garage sales, aka yard sales, as a business and not just a way to clean out the basement.
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Baby Boomers are ready for retirement, mostly
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 5:12:44 AM CST
Baby Boomers, with their inheritances, homes, and old-fashioned pensions, may appear to be on track for a solid retirement — but some experts say the forecast for the generation born from 1946 through 1964 isn’t necessarily so rosy.
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Buffett rule debate about fairness, not federal deficit
Monday, April 16, 2012 6:09:01 AM CST
It's almost tax day, which means that most people have by now seen just exactly how much of our hard-earned money will being going to Uncle Sam this year. You might have noticed that we’re also hearing a lot more about the so-called Buffett rule.
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US taxes cost some expatriates their citizenship
Monday, April 16, 2012 3:31:01 PM CST
Last year, almost 1,800 people renounced their U.S. citizenship or handed in their Green Cards. That's a record number since the IRS began publishing a list of those who renounced in 1998.
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Don't panic if you haven't filed your taxes yet
Monday, April 16, 2012 9:52:10 AM CST
It’s almost tax day, and even if you really waited until the last minute this year, there are options out there for you. The first thing to keep in mind is that you aren’t alone.
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Don't raid 401(k) to feed credit habit
Wednesday, April 11, 2012 12:57:14 PM CST
It’s never a smart move to compromise your financial future for a quick fix today. Sharon Epperson warns against raiding your 401 (k) before retirement to pay off your credit card debt.
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IRS 'nice bad guy' act has some side-effects
Monday, April 9, 2012 5:31:27 AM CST
The IRS has for years faced intense pressure to make the painful process of paying taxes more palatable by at least providing a zippy refund. But that service may be coming at a price.
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Are these dubious charges on your credit card bill?
Friday, April 6, 2012 4:08:45 AM CST
Here’s a handy list of credit card charges that consumers have complained about during the first part of 2012. Do any of them appear on your credit card?
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Borrowing up but consumers resist credit cards
Friday, April 6, 2012 3:49:17 PM CST
Americans took out more loans to buy cars and attend school in February but used their credit cards less frequently for the second straight month.
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States with the best credit scores
Thursday, April 5, 2012 5:55:55 AM CST
In January 2010, the average credit score in the United States was 692, according to Experian's National Score Index. Today, it’s between 700 and 710.
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State governments target tax-cheating software
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 2:27:38 PM CST
Cash-strapped state governments that are searching every crevice for money have found a new target: computer programs that enable businesses to keep two sets of books simply by plugging a flash drive into their cash registers.
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NJ makes play for unredeemed gift cards
Monday, April 2, 2012 4:35:38 PM CST
Remember that gift card you got from Aunt Francine but never spent? New Jersey would be more than happy to take it off your hands.
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Senior citizens owe billions in student loans
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 5:45:25 AM CST
When you think of student loans, you think of students and recent graduates -- younger people in their 20s and 30s working to pay off the thousands of dollars in debt from undergraduate and graduate schools.
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How to give away your lottery winnings
Monday, April 2, 2012 6:00:59 AM CST
The winners of the Mega Millions lottery could use hundreds of millions of dollars to buy an island or even a sports team. Or they could give a big chunk of it away. Here's how.
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What your winning lottery ticket buys
Friday, March 30, 2012 5:39:36 AM CST
Welcome to the 1 percent, hypothetical lottery winner. Here’s what you can buy with your winnings. Well, after the tax man is done shaking you down anyway.
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Mega Millions a mega headache? 1 winner’s advice
Friday, March 30, 2012 9:25:17 AM CST
Cynthia Stafford, who won $112 million in the California lottery, appeared on CNBC Thursday to offer advice to potential winners of Friday’s Mega Millions record jackpot.
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5 nontradtional ways to enjoy retirement
Thursday, March 29, 2012 1:59:21 PM CST
Here are five trends that are making retirement more fun — and accessible — for retirees of all kinds. Senior co-housing: A Danish trend takes hold The concept is that individuals and couples live in private homes but share ownership a central common house.