At a time when you can pay bills online and deposit checks remotely using a cell phone, it’s amazing how many Americans don’t have bank accounts. One in nine households is without a checking account.
Planning
Can Energy-consumption Data Change Consumer Behavior?
Do you know how much energy you consume every 15 minutes? Most would say that’s a hard — if not impossible — question to answer, but San Francisco-based utility provider Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) now has access to that information for 30,000 of its residential customers, thanks to its “SmartMeter” program. PG&E’s …
3 Best Ways to Say ‘No’
Struggling with productivity and time management? Try these simple guidelines to improve your focus simply by saying “no.”
How Fining Bad Banks Can Fix Our Biggest Money Problems
When the government came down hard on Big Tobacco a decade ago regulators required that a portion of any penalties go toward educating youth on the dangers of smoking. Amid the big bank Libor scandal and a stream of continuing bank fines, regulators now should require that a portion of future bank penalties fund financial education. It’s …
Is Dollar-Cost Averaging Dumb?
Investing all at once beats trickling money into the market two-thirds of the time, says a report from Vanguard. But let’s not throw dollar-cost averaging under the bus just yet. What’s piece of mind worth?
With Obama Win, Wall Street Cop Stays On the Beat
This week’s election was a cliffhanger for many people, but the stakes were higher than most for the director and staff of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The agency, which opened its doors in July 2011, was a …
Millennials: Turns Out the ‘Entitled Generation’ Is Willing to Sacrifice
The idea that all millennials act the same way, or that millennials as a group are entirely self-centered and unwilling to sacrifice is just plain wrong.
Why Retirees Can’t Absorb a Tax Hike
With the election upon us and the fiscal cliff looming, tax rates are on a lot of minds–especially retirees and those saving for retirement. A new survey shows how higher rates would curb retirement saving.
‘Hurricane Deductible’: Technicality Could Cost (or Save) Homeowners Thousands
Homeowners whose properties were damaged by Hurricane Sandy probably don’t care much about exactly how fast the storm’s winds blew. All they know is that it was strong enough to knock a tree down on the roof. But due to the fine print of insurance policies, the precise speed of the wind could mean a difference of tens of thousands of …
Retirees Embrace Junk Bonds at Just the Wrong Moment
Yield-starved retirees are taking a flyer on junk bonds, just as credit quality in that market takes a turn for the worse. Look out below.
Should the Federal Government Be Subsidizing Flood Insurance?
As Hurricane Sandy continues to batter the Eastern seaboard of the U.S., one thing is for certain: insurance companies will be ponying up for billions of dollars in property damage caused by high winds. Last year’s Hurricane …
By One Measure, At Least, We’re All Better Off Than We Were 4 Years Ago
Retirement account balances are up in every state since the last presidential election, a new study shows. If only those balances were up as much as the market.