Howard Wolfe watched gold prices soar for several years before he finally decided to jump.
Last year, the Mississippi retiree answered an advertisement for a company selling gold bullion. He wired $20,000 when the metal was retailing for $1,100. As of last week, gold was selling for
Read More »In bygone days, when more workers had comprehensive health-care insurance, the price of medical procedures was not much of an issue. But now, with many people having to make do with high-deductible plans—if they have insurance at all—price becomes a huge consideration.
“We are seeing more and more of this, and it’s only going to grow over time,” said Martin Rosen, executive vice president and co-founder of the Health Advocate, a Philadelphia consulting firm.
Read More »The date that turned John Owens’ girlfriend into his wife didn’t cost much. He filled a cooler full of beer and sandwiches and took her on a night fishing trip with another couple.
“It was a great night, and it cost me a couple of bucks for bait and that was it,” said Owens, now head of marketing for ING Direct USA in Wilmington, Del.
Read More »Kathy Kristof, Tribune Media Services
Last month, Federal Reserve rules went into effect that barred banks from automatically charging existing account holders overdraft fees on ATM and debit-card transactions.
But more consumer protections concerning overdrafts could be on the way.
Read More »The advertisements for debt settlement are nearly irresistible to the overextended. They make the process sound almost painless; some even promise that government programs will stomp down debts.
Read More »Dametria Williams started her financial life as a statistic—a poor single mom, just like her mother and grandmother before her.
But the San Francisco health-care worker decided to break the cycle of poverty. Now the 38-year-old is a college graduate on the cusp of opening her own business. She is also raising a high-achieving teenager who is in position to win merit-based college scholarships.
Read More »Investors, made nervous by two years of roller-coaster performance in the stock market, have been pouring money into bond funds over the last year, seeking a haven for their assets. But if interest rates start to rise next year—as most expect they will—these mutual funds that hold bonds may not look quite as profitable, experts say.
Read More »Financial professionals are waging a heated battle over a little-noticed part of the financial reform bill moving through Congress that’s all about one word: trust. For individual investors who pay professionals to help them invest or plan for retirement, it may be the most important piece of the legislation.
Read More »After spending the bulk of my career writing solely for newspapers, I stepped into the blogosphere a year ago and discovered a whole new world of financial advice. The World Wide Web is host to hundreds of financial bloggers, who provide everything from solid counsel to something of a support group for the budget-challenged.
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