Municipal bonds have become an exciting investment

September 7, 2008

Municipal bonds are exciting this year - just what their investors hate.

Recent columns

• Your college student is a target for ID thieves

  September 2, 2008

  Parents have plenty of advice for children headed off to college. Here's one more piece: Protect yourself against identity theft.

• Social Security fixes aren't election fodder

  August 31, 2008

  One of the most important issues of this presidential election is hardly talked about - Social Security.

• Forgiveness is in the offing for federal, state education loans

  August 26, 2008

  The newly updated Higher Education Act included two words that will please families dealing with hefty education debt: loan forgiveness.

• How should Phelps invest all that new gold?

  August 24, 2008

  Michael Phelps' challenge didn't end when he clinched his eighth gold medal. Now he must figure out what to do with the tens of millions of dollars he's expected to earn through endorsements.

• Name confusion could delay your tax rebate

  August 19, 2008

  Didn't get your tax rebate yet? It could be your name.

• College loan path has gotten trickier

  August 17, 2008

  College tuition bills are coming due. And if you haven't secured your financing just yet, be prepared for a bigger challenge than usual.

• States regulate annuity security

  August 12, 2008

  Many people are worried about the security of their money on the heels of the third-largest U.S. bank failure last month.

• Updated law cuts college confusion

  August 10, 2008

  Confused about tuition costs or the terms of private education loans? Wish you knew the price of textbooks before signing up for a class? Well, you no longer will be in the dark.

• Thumbs up for FICO revision

  August 5, 2008

  Fair Isaac Corp. is revising the formula for its widely used FICO credit score for the second time in a year.

• Keeping your money safe

  August 3, 2008

  Three bank failures in three weeks. More are expected this year. Could your institution be next?

• Act now to claim bonus air miles

  July 29, 2008

  Here are some deadlines you don't want to miss:

• Helping women think about retirement

  July 27, 2008

  Women worry more about retirement than men.

• New tool for those debating retiring

  July 22, 2008

  Retirement planning has always been more art than science.

• Beware those who promise to repair debts

  July 20, 2008

  Have thousands of dollars of credit card debt and little money? The online ads for debt settlement might seem the answer to your troubles.

• Diversity best hope in bear market

  July 15, 2008

  It's official. We're in a bear market.

• Where they stand on taxes

  July 13, 2008

  This is one in a series of articles on the presidential candidates' positions affecting personal finances.

• Many tax rebates yet to be mailed

  July 8, 2008

  Nearly 105 million down, another 19 million to go.

• In tough times, make your 401(k) a priority

  July 6, 2008

  Rising gas and food prices and a stock market slump are starting to prompt people to reduce or suspend contributions to their 401(k) retirement plans.

• Millions could lose tax rebate

  June 24, 2008

  You'd think by now that everyone has heard about the tax rebates being handed out to stimulate the economy.

• Stretching your dollars

  June 22, 2008

  To save a buck, would you separate two-ply toilet paper to create two rolls out of one?

• Easy solution: Hire your own kid

  June 17, 2008

  The job market for teenagers has been shrinking for a couple of years, but this summer it's looking exceptionally brutal.

• Some steps to take for surviving loss of job

  June 15, 2008

  Unemployment can strike anywhere, any time. And as we see right now, it's striking more often.

• Consider merging college loans

  April 22, 2008

  Next month, we'll know the new variable interest rates for federal education loans, and those rates could be among the lowest we've seen in several years.

• Simplifying more complex tax forms

  March 13, 2006

  At some point, most of us graduate from the 1040EZ.

• Where's my pension?

  December 4, 2005

  Paul Horowitz has been on a five-year quest, searching for a union pension he was promised decades ago when he worked in New York delicatessens.

• Create your living will, then be sure to discuss it

  March 27, 2005

  MOST OF US might never have heard of Terri Schiavo if she had put her medical wishes in writing.