A new year, a new batch of resolutions! Alas, these promises to ourselves rarely produce long-lasting results. (Depending on the source, nearly nine in 10 resolutions don’t take.) Worse, failed resolutions could be harmful if …
Planning
5 Myths About Retirement Homes
Developers have made great strides in recent years, presenting seniors with vastly more appealing alternatives than the traditional nursing home. Still, misconceptions about retirement villages abound and may lead …
Skittish Market’s Winners and Losers Point the Way
A highly volatile stock market may have given you whiplash in 2011. But as the year draws to a close, the final numbers don’t look so dramatic: the S&P 500 is poised to end the year almost exactly where it began, and about as …
4 Ways to Start Your Kids with Credit
Most parents with heavy credit card debt want their kids to avoid the same mistake. But they are not sure how to coach them and, according to a new survey, would love for credit card management to be a required class in high school.
5 Tips for Surviving the Fund-Raising Minefield
In the old days it was easy. A hasty triple tap of the close-elevator button and a speedy 5 p.m. getaway were it all took to stop Bill in accounts from guilting you into sponsoring his half-marathon for the 15th time that year. …
Guru Gaffe: Investors Losing Faith in ‘Bond King’
Bill Gross, a legendary bond fund manager, is about to close the books on a terrible year for his $241 billion PIMCO Total Return Fund. His missteps underscore the risks of a concentrated investment and in staying too long with a …
The Blackberry Moral (Or: The Trouble With Too Many Options)
We were intrigued but not surprised by a recent article in the New York Times detailing troubles at Research in Motion, maker of the Blackberry. Among several problems facing the Canadian tech company is an overabundance of …
The Hidden Pitfalls of 529 College Savings Plans
The year-end push to contribute to a 529 state college savings plan is in full force. These plans make a lot of sense. But they also have drawbacks. Here’s how to make the most of them.
Lead by Example? Hardly — Boomer Kids Out-Saving Their Parents
Boomers have never been great at putting money in the bank. Maybe they should listen to their kids.
Financial Scams Target Boomers
Baby boomers are still looking out for their parents, even as they have fallen into the crosshairs of financial con artists themselves. It’s a bona fide boomer nightmare: they are becoming their mom or dad—at least as it …
Governor Pre-Judges Health Care Panel Findings
On Wednesday, Charleston’s Post & Courier.com revealed that South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has actively used her influence to prevent the implementation of federal health care reform — and, arguably, spending federal …
Why You Should Shop For Cars When You’re Grumpy
Nearly all accounts about why people have the tastes and preferences that they do center around the idea that the human brain has been “wired” to have those tastes and preferences because of advantages they provided to our …
