Reach out and touch someone - Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:32:57 EST
The iPhone and its ilk are brilliant at transforming from a cell into a TV, PC and stereo.

Don't try to invest like the pros - Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:30:08 EST
Investing has a few simple rules that everyone knows are true yet most people find amazingly hard to live by. Diversify; don't chase hot returns; don't think you can outsmart the market. If you did nothing more and nothing less, your success would be all but ensured.

Your kids don't need life insurance - Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:59:02 EST
Don' be misled by advertisements promising a high cash value for a small premium. There are better steps you can take to secure your child's future says Money Magazine's Walter Updegrave.

Mortgage rates end five-week descent - Thu, 31 Jan 2008 10:49:53 EST
Mortgage rates ended their five-week descent following the Fed's decision to cut its federal funds rate by half of a percentage point, Freddie Mac reported Thursday.

Truth or dare for your financial adviser - Wed, 30 Jan 2008 10:41:11 EST
Conventional wisdom says you should pick a financial adviser you connect with, and one who has good references and no problems with regulators. Sure, that's a good way to start, but it won't tell you if he or she is likely to chase market trends or put a desire for fees ahead of your best interests. The questions below will give you insight into any planner's style and candor.

Business partners in love - Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:02:43 EST
For Jessica Jensen and Jason Pelletier, running a business together seemed like a natural. They had worked together in the late 1990s, when they both put in 60-plus-hour weeks as consultants, helping other companies figure out better ways to run their businesses.

Investing amid recession buzz - Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:24:47 EST
Question: My wife and I have about $50,000 to invest, some of which will go toward a new home we plan to buy within two years and the rest toward retirement. Given all the recession buzz, we're wondering which investments have the best outlook over the next couple of years. Should we get into emerging markets funds to capitalize on a weak dollar? Buy a large-cap stock fund that can ride out problems with the economy? How about bond funds or CDs? --Matthew Beck

Boomers: How to age gracefully - Wed, 30 Jan 2008 13:15:39 EST
Everybody knows about the sandwich generation. That's us. We have kids in college and aging parents who may need financial help. We - the boomers - are smashed in between, trying to pay for it all and save a little something for our retirement too. No surprise - it isn't going so well. Only about 40% of boomers have managed to save $100,000 or more, and hardly anyone is maxing out a 401(k) plan.

Rocky market, smart strategies - Mon, 28 Jan 2008 14:49:24 EST
Volatility. That's the one thing that seems predictable in today's stock market. Share prices are swinging up and down more violently than they have anytime in the past five years. And that seems likely to continue.

Retired at 40 - Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:35:50 EST
Eighteen months ago, Todd Nielsen was stationed at Balad Air Base in Iraq, 55 miles north of Baghdad. It was Nielsen's second tour at Balad, where he was fire chief, putting out blazes amid the daily attacks on the base. But the worst part of his deployment wasn't the mortar fire around him or the sandstorms or the boredom at night. For Todd it was knowing how much his wife Julie, a master sergeant stationed at an Air Force base north of London, and their three children - Kayla, Colin and Annika - worried about him.

'I was billed for another guy's trip!' - Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:28:45 EST
A reader gets stuck with a $2,400 tab, and now his credit card company won't remove the charges. Money Magazine's Donna Rosato sets the record straight.

Pensions: Growing like clockwork - Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:14:55 EST
You may think that pensions are as dated as the proverbial gold watch. That's understandable. After all, they're arcane and rarely publicized (except to say how they are disappearing), and it's often unclear how much they're really worth. But understanding your pension will help you plan for retirement and value yourself better in the workplace. Here's what you should do.

4 hot vacations at cool prices - Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:29:03 EST

If you really want to invest in Iraq... - Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:18:04 EST
Question: A friend told me the Iraq Stock Exchange is open for business. How do I buy shares that trade there? Also, how safe and secure is it? - Bryce Frederickson, Lawton, Okla.

Help! My boss doesn't offer a 401(k) - Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:31:57 EST
Question: What should I do if my employer doesn't offer a 401(k)? I feel like I took a pay cut when I accepted my job since I am losing a significant benefit. I already do an IRA, but would like to do more. --S. R., Fort Lee, New Jersey

Invest now? Or in dribs and drabs? - Fri, 07 Sep 2007 09:28:46 EDT
Question: Each year my wife and I contribute the maximum to our retirement accounts. My question concerns the timing of our investments. Are we better off spreading out the money we invest over the entire year - or should we invest the money as soon as we can? - Eric, Seattle, Washington

Investing's 6th sense: The B.S. detector - Thu, 12 Jul 2007 06:15:23 EDT
Question: A talk radio station I listen to runs an ad for an advisory firm that claims to be "safe money advisers, not Wall Street brokers." The ad promises that if you roll over money into an account at their firm, they will immediately match 10 percent, so that if you invest $100,000, you'll actually have $110,000 working for you. There are other ads on the program that say you can earn high returns but your account value won't go down if stocks do. Have you heard about these types of investments? What are they and how do they work?- Alex Klebern, Northfield, Illinois

Money for life without a 401(k) - Tue, 10 Jul 2007 09:49:38 EDT
Question: I'm in my early 30s and have yet to save for retirement. Unfortunately, my job doesn't provide a pension or a 401(k), so I need to rely on myself to save money. Can you give me some advice on how I can get started? - Annette, Ewing, New Jersey

Roth IRAs vs. 401(k)s - Fri, 20 Apr 2007 14:48:43 EDT
Question: I'm 25 and recently switched employers. Although my new company provides a lucrative profit-sharing plan that everyone is automatically enrolled in after one year of work, my new employer does not offer a match in the 401(k). I can budget approximately 20 percent of my income for retirement savings, but I'm confused about how to allocate those savings.

Bigger home, bigger tax break - great deal? - Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:36:00 EDT
Question: My wife and I are in the 33 percent tax bracket. We're getting the standard tax breaks for owning our home, having a child and making charitable contributions, but we're getting hit hard with taxes. Do you think we should buy a bigger home to get a bigger tax break? - J. Court, Houston, Texas