Consumers have been good about paying down their debt. But they stink at managing what debt remains. Here are five ways to keep control.
Budgeting
The New Normal: From Families to Nobel Winners, It’s All About Less
The wealth of American families has fallen to levels last seen in the early 1990s. Yet a shrinking payout for Nobel Prize winners suggests that even our brightest minds must adjust to the new normal.
Does Financial Education Work? Clinton Global Initiative and PwC Bet $160 Million That It Does
The financial literacy movement is getting a valuable boost. At the second gathering of the Clinton Global Initiative America, which runs today and Friday in Chicago, the accounting giant PwC will unveil a $160 million campaign …
Saving for College: Most Parents Flunk the 529 Test
With student debt at $1 trillion and counting, and tuition rising 8% a year, it seems impossible that anyone would not know about the smartest college savings tool out there: the 529 plan. Alas, stunning numbers of Americans are in the dark.
What Student Debt Crisis? Survey Says We’ll Spend $5 Billion on Graduation Gifts
A new survey shows that Americans will collectively spend more than $4.7 billion on gifts for students graduating college or high school this year. For some perspective, our country’s collective student loan debt has cracked the …
What President Obama Wants You To Tell Your Kids About Money — and When
A useful new government website has just gone live, offering easy teaching points for parents who want to help their kids grow up knowing a thing or two about compound interest and 19 other key financial concepts.
Save Hundreds on These 10 Essential Household Goods
Was it Smart for ‘Octomom’ to Declare Bankruptcy?
Nadya Suleman has made no secret of her financial troubles, which came to a head this week when the “Octomom” filed for bankruptcy. The mother of 14 owes creditors nearly $1 million, court papers showed, roughly 20 times as much …
5 Key Financial Questions for People in Their 50s
We spend most of our working years accumulating savings for retirement and after that spending them carefully so they last. We need to spend a little more time managing the transition. Here’s how.
How an Ad Will Persuade You to Talk to Your Kids About Money
Coming soon to a magazine, newspaper or Web page near you: emotionally charged public-service messages designed to jolt parents into having “the talk” with their kids. Not that talk. The tougher one about how to budget, save and …
Millennials Are Biggest Suckers for Selfish Impulse Buys
Members of Gen Y—the “millennials” born roughly between 1980 and 1995—are perhaps the most studied demographic in history. We know everything from how often they post on Facebook and Twitter, to what degree they really want to be able to wear jeans at work. Here’s one more factoid about this group that retailers are sure to take note …
Retiring Abroad Is More Hype Than Reality
For years we’ve been hearing about the advantages of retiring abroad: low taxes, low cost of living, great climate and exciting cultural attractions. It’s all true in certain countries. Yet there hasn’t exactly been a mass exodus of retirees from the U.S.