The year-end push to contribute to a 529 state college savings plan is in full force. These plans make a lot of sense. But they also have drawbacks. Here’s how to make the most of them.
The Beginning of the End of the 9-to-5 Workday?
The traditional eight-hour workday may soon be the exception rather than the rule. New evidence shows that we’re reaching a tipping point in terms of workplace flexibility, with businesses seeing the wisdom of allowing employees …
Brace For a January Blizzard — of Credit Card Offers
Fewer Americans are defaulting on their credit card bills. That’s good news for our budgets and credit scores, but the improvement is also making credit card issuers happy. Fewer charge-offs means they’re in a better position to …
2011 Is Priciest Year Ever for Gasoline: $3.53 Per Gallon, Over $4K Spent Per Household
By the time 2011 ends, the typical U.S. household will have spent $4,155 gassing up their vehicles. That’s one out of every $12 of median household income—the highest proportion for filling up in three decades.
You’re Paying $100 a Year to Watch Sports on TV—Even If You Don’t Watch
As a rule, consumers don’t like paying for things they don’t enjoy. Even so, despite the widespread consumer desire for an a la carte model, in which pay TV customers could select (and be charged) only for the channels they want, …
Psych Experts: There’s Nothing Crazy About Giving Christmas Presents to Pets
Wanna hang a stocking for your cat? Or wrap a new rhinestone collar and place it under the tree so your dog can open it on Christmas morning? Knock yourself out, say psychologists.
5 Most Surprising Findings From the 2010 Census
Over the past 10 years, our population growth has slowed, we’ve found it increasingly hard to leave home to start a career, and our salaries have decreased for the first time on record. But, it’s not all bad news.
Lead by Example? Hardly — Boomer Kids Out-Saving Their Parents
Boomers have never been great at putting money in the bank. Maybe they should listen to their kids.
Curious CapitalistEurope
Why Europe’s Back Door Bailouts Won’t Work
Watching the euro zone crisis is like watching a dysfunctional family come together at the holidays. They gather with the best of intentions and the highest of hopes, yet every meal or touch football game in the backyard presents …
Bank of America Shares Fall Below $5 to New 2011 Low
Bank of America, the second largest U.S. bank by assets, fell more than 5% on Monday to below $5 per share for the first time in 2011, and the lowest level since March of 2009. The $5 threshold is more than just a psychological …
Stop Changing the Oil Every 3,000 Miles Already!
The idea that the oil must be changed in a car every 3,000 miles or three months is a myth that even Jiffy Lube admits is not true. Nonetheless, the majority of drivers still insist on changing the oil more often than necessary, …
Saudi Prince Gains Another U.S. Media Foothold With $300M Twitter Stake
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the richest men in the world and a prominent shareholder in several major Western corporations, has purchased a $300 million stake in Twitter, the increasingly influential microblogging …