Advice on overlooked tax deductions, tax deductions you think you can take but really can’t, the best (and worst) DIY tax-prep services, and more.
Wall Street & Markets
Are sovereign debt crises inevitable?
Thanks to the ongoing debacle in Greece, we’ve become all too aware about the dangers of the rapid build-up of government debt throughout the developed world in the wake of the financial crisis. The potential consequences of that trend are made ever more frightening in a new study by economists Carmen Reinhart of the University of …
Do You Invest the Same Way You Drive a Car?
In both cases, when you are overconfident and take a lot of chances, you’re bound to crash. And when you refuse to ask for directions, it’s really hard to get where you want to go.
The Economy Is Improving, But…
The stock market is rising, though on very light volume. The economy is growing, though most observers are uncomfortable that fiscal stimulus accounts for some —or much—of the gusto. Then there are complex issues aplenty to flummox forecasters, such as the hope that the U.S. export growth can make this recovery sustainable, tempered …
March Madness: Stocks Are Up 68%
Last March we all thought the world economy—not to mention our cherished lifestyle —was headed for the trash basket. The stock market had plunged, retirement plans were ruined, and few people cared that equities looked dirt cheap. But here we are one year later and the stock market is up 68%, rampant fear has morphed into uneasy …
Savings Tip Mania
One list is never enough. So here are 13 money-saving lists: 178 tips in total.
Is Mortgage Refinancing a Loser’s Game?
The Wall Street Journal ran a big story on Wednesday about how homeowners are missing out on big savings because people can’t qualify for mortgage refinancings. This sounds like a tragic twist in what has been a humdinger of a bear housing market. But the more you understand mortgages, the more this bad news looks to be a blessing in …
Warren Buffett’s Boring, Brilliant Wisdom
Warren Buffett is old. He can’t keep up with the times. He’s famously cheap, and wears dorky grandpa glasses and bad suits. Even his seemingly cool nickname, “The Oracle of Omaha,” sort of sounds like a hokey phrase coined in the Roaring ’20s, or perhaps in ancient Greece. But as he’s proved time and again—like last year, when net …
Warren Buffett: housing is on the mend, financial firms are derelict
Over the weekend, Warren Buffett posted his annual letter to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway. You can read it here (PDF).
The 20-page letter is, as always, partly a recap of the Buffett philosophy: only buy businesses you understand, keep plenty of cash on hand, run companies for long-term return and not short-term stock-price …
GDP goes up, stocks go down
This morning the Commerce Department released revised figures for fourth quarter GDP. There was good news: economic output increased at a 5.9% seasonally adjusted annualized pace, up from an earlier measure of 5.7%, showing that the economy is buzzing along even faster than we thought.
Stock futures promptly dropped. Wait. What?
Why Buying a Foreclosed House on the Cheap Is Harder Than You Think
The truth is that there are a lot more buyers and a lot fewer homes on the market than you’d expect.
The Customer Service Confrontation: What to Say to Get Fees Waived
“Pretty please” probably isn’t going to cut it. You want to be polite but firm, knowledgeable but not a know-it-all. And when the time comes, you might have to threaten to close your account—and it’s best if you mean you’d actually do just that.
