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A BW senior correspondent details his quest to repair his retirement portfolio and get his family's finances in order It could have been worse. At the end of February—a year and change since my wife and I had shifted our money to professional wealth management advisers—our equity holdings were down 48% for the 16 months they had managed it. But our ...

In these rough economic times where everyone's pinching pennies and trying to look for ways to save a couple of bucks when they can, filling income tax deductions can be a big help and add up to a significant amount that you can invest in your pension or savings. To fill out an income tax deduction, you need to dig out ...

Investment losses, job loss or downsizing, an upward adjustment on your adjustable rate mortgage, and higher prices on everything from gas for your car to rice for the table are only some of the current factors that could derail your financial planning for your golden years. When your income is not covering all your expenses, it can be tempting to simply ...

There's nothing like a little hard-won experience. Personal finance expert Lynnette Khalfani got out of $100,000 in credit-card debt in three years. Now the author of books like "Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom," she writes and speaks about how others can follow her example. BusinessWeek's Ben Steverman recently spoke to Khalfani about the "bling-bling lifestyle" that leads young ...

Ripple effects of a dour economy are making this college application season as nerve-wracking for some admissions officers as it is for applicants. But for savvy families, there may be new opportunities. "A lot of schools are going to be concerned about meeting their requisite enrollment thresholds," says Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers. "They ...

How well are America's workers prepared for financial uncertainties and for the eventuality of retirement? In their own estimation, millions of employees haven't found a secure path to a bright future, whether that future begins in a retirement 40 years from now or at the end of the month, when the bills come due. Those are the disturbing findings of a ...

The Pension Protection Act, which both strengthens employers’ existing pension obligations and discourages them from undertaking new obligations, also makes a broader point to US workers: “The overall message of the bill is, you’re on your own,” says James Lange, a lawyer, CPA and author of Retire Secure. Even so, the 2006 law has also made it less daunting for workers ...

Baseball fans love to see what a big hitter might unleash at bat. Babe Ruth, the Great Bambino, won an astounding seven World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. He had a career slugging percentage of .690. The home-run race in 1998 between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa caught the attention of every kid with grass-stained ...

Ever wonder how much money you can save by cutting your commuting costs? How about enough to pay for two trips to Ireland plus several major home improvements? As chief of marketing for the Maryland Transit Administration, Buddy Alves set out to see how much money he and his wife could save on their commute from the Baltimore suburbs to their ...

Our readers offer their own tips for what you can do now for a happy retirement: Spend less. Save more. Most of all, make sure you have someone to share your retirement with. Start by living below your means, says Gabe Renzo, 63, of Dearborn Heights, Mich. Young people today, he believes, don't save enough money, and the main reason they ...

As the economy weakens and prices soar on everything from gas to groceries, Americans are looking for quick ways to cut their expenses and hold on to more cash. Fortunately there are plenty of ways to chop your spending without a lot of time or hassle. Some of these cuts will save you just a few dollars, while others can net ...

No one can guarantee you a healthy and prosperous retirement. Life is just too unpredictable. But you can increase your odds of enjoying your twilight years in comfort by pursuing a regimen of common-sense steps. Here are six top ones: h4. Decide carefully on health care You can do at least three things to help secure your health in retirement: Take ...

When times are tough, companies find cost savings wherever they can. Now some employers are doing away with the 401(k) match, a benefit once considered almost sacred. The list of companies that have suspended or cut back corporate matching in their defined-contribution retirement plans this year is not trivial. It includes General Motors (GM), Frontier Airlines (FRNTQ), car-rental company Dollar Thrifty ...

It's one of a heap of financial worries that come with a layoff: What happens to your company-sponsored retirement plan? The answer depends on how long you worked for the company, the amount you saved up and whether the money's in a 401(k) or a pension plan. For the most part, federal regulations protect retirement savings, even if a company goes ...

You can never be too safe. In no industry is that more true than in healthcare. No matter your job title, you are impacting patients' lives every day. You may think that medical malpractice insurance only applies to physicians and nurses, but in actuality, almost every healthcare professional can obtain some form of malpractice coverage either through your employer, a professional ...

If you've just been laid off, your first questions probably involve unemployment insurance. How does it work? How much will you collect? Where do you sign up? The answers depend on where you live. Some unemployment insurance policies are set at the federal level, but states set most of the rules and run most of the programs, explains Rich Hobbie, executive ...

If you're like a lot of folks, you may have just received a "Dear Valued Customer" letter in the mail from your credit card company. No, you aren't being fired, but it might feel like it. If you have an affiliate card issued through one of the big banks, it starts like this: "This challenging business climate has led Citibank, the ...

If you're 40 or younger, it's tough to predict how much money you might need when retirement is decades away. A few key calculations, however, can help you make sure your savings plan is on track. h4. Saving Depends on Life Stage Rebecca Pace, a Cincinnati-based financial planner and CPA, recommends putting aside at least 10 percent of your income when ...

If you’ve declared bankruptcy in the past, be prepared to defend that decision to a potential employer. It’s illegal for an employer not to hire or promote you because you filed bankruptcy, but it’s sometimes OK to consider bad credit, which usually precedes bankruptcy. Companies often check credit when a job involves finance, accounting, cash or valuable merchandise and when a ...

If you want to spend less time worrying about your money, then it’s time to get your financial act together. These six strategies can help improve your financial situation and simplify your life at the same time. h4. 1. Put Your Savings on Autopilot If you haven’t maxed out your 401k or other retirement plan at work, add an extra $50 ...