America’s middle class has had a rough go of things in recent years, and few in the middle anticipate life getting easier as they get older. In a new survey, three-quarters of American middle-class workers say they expect to keep working past the normal retirement age (65), and one-quarter think they’ll have to work at least until they’re 80.
Planning
What Separates A Pro Athlete From His Money?
When Michael Vick declared bankruptcy, it raised our eyebrows. Sure, we knew his legal defense against dogfighting charges would have cost a lot of money, but not THAT much money. He, like a host of other visible athletes, made …
Back to School? Why It Pays to Retire in a College Town
In a new survey, Coldwell Banker identifies the most and least affordable college town real estate markets. If you’re a retiree looking to downsize and stretch your nest egg, this is worth a look.
Smart Cookies: Girl Scouts Learn Financial Literacy
Think the Girl Scouts are all about making s’mores and campground sit-upons? Think again. A new overhaul of the organization’s merit badge program includes learning some decidedly 21st-century survival skills: budgeting, …
When a Savings Account is Not a Savings Account
Money market mutual funds are not the same as savings accounts. A lot of people don’t understand that, and now the SEC wants to make it clear.
Hey, Education Secretary Duncan, Let’s Teach Kids About Money (Not Just Talk About It)
Speaking to a White House advisory group this week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan highlighted the need for schools to begin teaching students about personal finance as early as kindergarten. He’s dead on. But what’s he …
Sex Change Surgery Is Now Tax Deductible
The Internal Revenue Service isn’t going to fight people any longer who want to deduct the cost of gender reassignment surgery from their taxes.
Talk About ‘Old Money’: Old Folks Got Richer, Young People Much Poorer Over the Years
We’ve all heard of how the rich have gotten richer over the past several decades—the “great divergence,” as it’s been called, in which a small portion of the population has garnered an increasingly outsized percentage of net …
An Ivy League Education: Money Wasted or Money Well Spent?
You’ve heard the advice ad nauseum: An education is an investment in your future. But as we all should know, some investments pay off better than others.
Warren Buffett Is Buying. Is It Time to Celebrate?
It’s possible to over-analyze Warren Buffett’s investment moves. But that doesn’t seem to stop anyone, and the Oracle of Omaha’s latest disclosures are whipping up a stir over prospects for a robust recovery.
Why So Many Unwisely Turn Down Free 401(k) Advice
Free advice on how to manage your 401(k) is widely available and routinely ignored. Here’s why you should give it a try.
On Tour Now: The Balancing Act at the Center of Healthcare Reform
The health reform legislation that President Obama signed in 2010 has been overshadowed by our broad economic problems, and its popularity appears to be hurting even among its supporters. In short, many Americans appear to be …
