When times got lean three years ago, a host of companies stopped matching employee 401(k) contributions and you had to wonder if the benefit would ever be restored. Temporary measures that pad the bottom line have a way of sticking around – like the toll on a bridge that has long since been paid for.
Planning
College Graduates Face Record-High Debt In the Age of Record-High Unemployment
The news just keeps getting worse for college graduates. According to a report out today from the Project on Student Debt, college seniors who graduated with student loans in 2010 owed an average of $25,250—the highest level …
How to Retire in a Bear Market
A lot of folks in and near retirement are finding out the hard way what studies have long shown: Market declines are especially damaging in the years just before or after you quit work for good.
Bond Yield Hits Historic Low: 0%
The Treasury Department set at zero the fixed portion of the yield on Inflation bonds, guaranteeing that new buyers will never earn more than the rate of inflation for the 30-year life of their investment.
5 Ways to Recognize a Financial Scam
With a tough economy making timely retirement less likely for many folks, retirement-related financial scams may be on the upswing. Here are five ways to know if you are being played.
Why We Can’t Buy Happiness — But Try to Anyway
In 1972, the percentage of Americans who said they were “pretty happy” was about 50%. In the years since, the U.S.’s standard of living has risen dramatically, and our gross domestic product per capita has increased by 96%. That …
Americans Saved Less Money Last Month
In September, consumers spent more but made less than expected. As a result, the national savings rate dropped to 3.6%, which is the lowest level it has been since the beginning of the recession. And that has some people nervous.
Want to Retire Early? It’s Not About Making More Money
Like happiness, retirement readiness doesn’t have all that much to do with how much you earn. It’s more about what you do with what you have.
Why You’re Probably Financially Better Off Than You Feel
There’s no question that for many (if not most) Americans, today’s economy is challenging for numerous reasons we need not list. For a lot of people, though, their sense of economic vulnerability is greater than their actual …
How to Calculate the Real Cost of College
Giving Season: Signs of Relief for Struggling Nonprofits
The giving season is just around the corner, and things are finally looking up for nonprofits that have struggled to raise funds during the recession.
Can Income Based Repayment on Student Loans Save the Economy?
Virtually everyone in this country agrees that an uptick in new business creation is essential to solving our deep economic and employment problems. Unfortunately, there’s a huge obstacle standing in the way: U.S. graduates owe …
