The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is testing a new website that it hopes will answer all your money questions in the near future. Here’s your chance to let them know what you need most.
Planning
Graduation Day Advice: 5 Steps to a Great Career
A stirring commencement speech in the heartland lays out the path to business success. Keep learning and just do the right thing are a good start. But there is more.
New From Social Security: Find Benefits Information Online
To save on costs, last year the government stopped mailing future Social Security benefits estimates to workers each year. Now that information is online. It’s a good starting place when planning your retirement.
Stop Fighting Over Interest Rates — There’s a Better Way For Congress To Fix the Student Debt Crisis
Interest rates on federal subsidized Stafford loans were cut from 6.8% to 3.4% during the current economic downturn. This “temporary” reduction is scheduled to expire this summer, halfway through an election year. With
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Why Annuities are the Answer (But Such a Tough Sell)
The decline of traditional pensions and steady erosion of Social Security benefits has begun to leave most retirees without a source of guaranteed lifetime income. Plugging that hole is emerging as the most important retirement issue of our day.
Alumni Credit Card? First, Lose the Greedy Pitch
Colleges are slamming graduating students with credit card offers that sound sincere but amount to a hard sell. Yes, the right card will help build a good credit score. But watch out for the accompanying advice on how to go about it.
How to Get Even for Poor Customer Service
Two-thirds of our economy is in the service sector. So why is service so bad?
How Baby Names Can Help Marketers Predict the Next Big Thing
Few parents would admit to naming their baby after a hurricane. But unconsciously that might be exactly what many of us are doing — or at least appropriating the sounds of a name that, if the storm grows large enough, is …
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.
Are Online Dating Services a Waste of Money?
Based on the numbers alone, the advantages of online dating services seem obvious. The sites grant access to larger pools of potential dates than you could ever find on your own, and the more people you connect with, the greater …
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 …
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.