Personal Finance
In a world full of economic indicators, the best one during the holiday season may prove to be a furry toy hamster.
For Benjamin Cohen, August arrived like a bear this year, tearing into both his life and his finances.
One of the exciting roles of being a father is teaching your children a new skill that will benefit them for life. So when it came time to make a home repair, I brought my crafty daughter to my favorite home improvement store to teach her what we needed to fix it. But instead of heading right to the hardware, my daughter veered to the right to the bright lights and displays of the holiday decorating aisle.
"Hi. I'm Tom and I'm a compulsive spender."
Like many parents, Joan Healy pays her three teens an allowance. But she's not sure she's dishing out the right amount. "I am struggling with what is a fair and reasonable amount to give a teen per month while not jeopardizing the family budget," the St. Paul, Minn., mother of five wrote in an e-mail.
PHILADELPHIA - Investing is never easy.
Year-end tax planning this year will be different from years past, largely because of the recession.
You've survived the year by scrimping, saving and cutting to the bone. But now you face a big test: Buying that special something for your son or daughter during the holiday season.
As we dash into the year-end holiday crush, many parents aren't likely to want to sit down and review the investments in the 529 college savings plans for their children.
As the U.S. economy ramps up for the recovery, we find ourselves creeping up against another roadblock.
Individual retirement accounts have a long track record as a safe tool for saving for the future. All IRAs are not all alike, however. Several Web sites can help sort out different IRA types and provide insights on the tax rules that apply. Here are a few sites that provide good, general IRA information:
Investors wondering whether it's time to buy or sell stocks might be better off watching the calendar than anything else the next few weeks.
The end of the year typically means frantic spending on the holidays, but it also could mean frantically using up your flexible spending account. However, there are some creative ways to do so.
Last week I discussed how disability insurance can be more important than life insurance. But that isn't to say life insurance is not important. If we have someone else depending on our income, then life insurance has a spot in our financial plan. But the question often comes up - how much do I need?
John Hanselman knew that too many steak dinners with clients and too little exercise were adding inches to his waistline.
