 Managing
your wealth
Most of
us have financial goals, whether it is to retire at a reasonable
age, fund our children’s education, do some traveling or simply
manage debt. While overall plans haven’t changed, people’s
attitudes have gone through a period of adjustment — and that’s
occurring across all age groups, local industry experts say.
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Pay
attention to IRS rules for offshore accounts 01-30-12
When you hear about the
Internal Revenue Service cracking down on those who hide money in
offshore accounts, well, you’re probably not thinking much about
Canada.
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Two
percent interest can equal 16 percent gain in bond math 01-23-12
If you made life simple on
yourself and bought U.S. Treasury bonds early last year, you may be
patting yourself on the back now.
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Spending
Smart: Dig deep for right diamond 01-23-12
Smart spenders in the market
to buy diamonds, perhaps for Valentine’s Day, know all about the
four C’s: cut, color, clarity and carat. They are the factors that
affect a diamond’s price. But buyers should also be aware of
diamond-buying secrets that can reap better value for the money you
spend on diamond jewelry.
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It’s
time to rebuild your credit score 01-16-12
When you try to lose weight,
one of the first things you need to do is hop on the scale and get a
real number.
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Give
Orman credit for trying to change credit system 01-16-12
Suze Orman has an intriguing
idea, but it comes wrapped in a flimsy package.
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Uncertain
year ahead for US stocks 01-09-12
BALTIMORE - Investors had
plenty to keep them jittery in 2011. There were the earthquake and
tsunami in Japan, economic woes in Europe, and, here at home,
politically tinged fiscal showdowns in Washington over deep
government spending cuts.
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Safety
paid in 2011 01-09-12
It didn’t pay to follow
the standard wisdom offered by investment advisers in 2011.
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529
college savings plans have their downsides 01-03-12
LOS ANGELES - Sherri and
Cliff Nitschke thought they were planning wisely for their
children’s college educations when they opened a 529 savings
account in 1998.
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Seniors
learn to protect themselves against frauds 01-03-12
Once revered as a Wall
Street genius, Bernie Madoff became a synonym for a crook three
years ago after he was exposed for running the biggest Ponzi scheme
in history.
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Got
a gift card you don’t use or want? Sell it 12-27-11
We want gift cards and like
to give them, but for some reason we don’t always use them and
wind up wasting billions of dollars.
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Organize
charitable giving at year’s beginning, not end 12-27-11
This will be the last year, I
swear. Starting in 2012, I will not cram most of my charitable
giving into December, donations haphazardly made based on the
solicitations I get in the mail, charities my friends mention on
Facebook, or giving patterns of the past. I vow to craft a
thoughtful 2012 giving plan.
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In
a gift-buying bind? Books worth a read 12-19-11
If there is someone on your
holiday shopping list who would like to put the rough times of the
past few years into perspective or start the year right with a more
thoughtful approach to investing, I have some ideas for you.
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Spending
Smart: The many factors that affect spending 12-19-11
You know what they say about
beauty and the beholder? It apparently lies in the eye of the
cardholder too.
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Private
student loans draw consumer bureau’s scrutiny 12-12-11
Megan Connors of Harford
County, Md., says she got a great education at Auburn University but
a brutal lesson on private student loans.
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Bank
fees criticized as opaque, complex 12-12-11
Do checking accounts need to
come with a disclosure label, something like the calorie information
you can find on a bag of chips?
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Higher
confidence bodes well for future 12-05-11
November consumer confidence
numbers give credence to what retailers saw on Black Friday.
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New
plastic not in the cards for some 12-05-11
Stay-at-home parents who
apply for a credit card to use for the holidays might get a
surprising rejection. That’s thanks to a new federal regulation
that might prohibit them from getting approved for a card if they
don’t have an income of their own.
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There
are financial reasons to give thanks 11-28-11
At your Thanksgiving
table Thursday, you may have joined millions of Americans giving
thanks for the good health, happiness and love in your family.
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Student
debt proposal won’t help everyone 11-21-11
With student loan debt
totaling about $1 trillion, and with people wondering how they will
make massive monthly payments in a lousy job market, some recent
adjustments to student loan rules by the Obama administration are
giving people hope.
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