Home prices at lowest point in more than 10 years

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:48:38 -0600

Home prices fell to their lowest point in more than a decade in January, but that helped to lift the pace of home sales, according to a report from an industry trade group.

Consumer bureau targets overdraft fees

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:14:20 -0600

The new consumer bureau said Wednesday that it plans to target a kind of bank fee that makes customers see red: Overdraft protection penalty fees on checking accounts.

Fighting back in a tough economy

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:37:11 -0600

It's been more than four years since the financial crisis first knocked you back on your heels. You've probably been on the defensive ever since, doing your best to deflect whatever punches the economy has thrown your way. Of course, the trick to any good rope-a-dope strategy is to sit back and let your opponent tire out before you unleash your own flurry of blows.

Falling victim to your job's low expectations

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:28:47 -0600

If you aspire to become a great manager, simply striving to meet your company's actual (versus espoused) standards probably won't get you there.

Fannie, Freddie legal fees: $110 million and counting

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:11:02 -0600

A watchdog agency said Wednesday that the legal tab for former leaders of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is at least $110 million.

More Americans plan to save their tax refund

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:00:27 -0600

Americans are going to be a lot more tightfisted with their tax refunds this year, with more people planning to save the cash they get back from Uncle Sam instead of spending it.

Can I use my IRA to buy an apartment building?

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:55:57 -0600

Can I purchase an apartment building as an investment with the money I have in my IRA? -- Bernie Sauer, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

Help for the uninsured: Local currencies

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:36:34 -0600

When a doctor spotted a lump on Alisha McNamara's lungs earlier this year, she and her husband Michael started panicking.

Multi-million dollar foreclosures

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:31:45 -0600

Even these mega-mansions in some of America's wealthiest neighborhoods are not immune to the housing crisis.

Consumer bureau targets fine print

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:09:38 -0600

The country's new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is taking aim at big financial firms and small print, while itself enduring fire inside the Beltway.

The other foreclosure settlement

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:59:18 -0600

Millions of borrowers who suffered financial losses because their mortgage lenders played fast and loose while processing their foreclosures now have two ways of getting a payback.

Community banks team up to fight the megabanks

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:43:38 -0600

Faced with growing competition from the likes of Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo, more than 100 community banks have joined forces to take on the megabanks.

$34,000 in debt, wants to start a business

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:58:34 -0600

We spoke to five families who face challenges that could keep them from meeting their financial goals. With a few tweaks to their game plan, they can get back on course. Here, Heyward's story -- and the recommended financial fixes.

Nonprofit founders put passions ahead of planning

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:51:06 -0600

Scott Pankratz and Julie Osborn are phenomenal planners and money managers -- except when it comes to their own investments.