Financial Budgeting
New Study Finds Those Who Are Not Under Financial Stress Will Be Soon
“Moderation in all things” was a quote written in the second century B.C. by the Roman playwright Terence, and the phrase has withstood the test of time. Taken to the extreme, many things normally good for you can actually be harmful….
Are You Getting Enough FBAR?
As consumers we may be bombarded with how much fiber we need. Yet FBARS may be more important than fiber! The Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, also known as an FBAR or as Treasury Form TD F 90-22.1, has come out of the du…
Is Going Long Microsoft Another Bad Ira Sohn Conference Idea?
David Einhorn, President of hedge fund Greenlight Capital, owns almost 9.1 million shares of Microsoft (MSFT). On Wednesday, he gave a speech at the Ira Sohn Investment Conference where hedge funds give out investment ideas to raise money for charity. …
Teens get summer job boost in Boston
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino praised a business partnership yesterday for adding to the number of badly needed summer jobs for youth and challenged others to follow suit.
Massive mortgage fraud case ends
The 12th and final defendant involved in a massive Massachusetts mortgage-fraud ring has been sentenced to 70 months in prison, closing a case that stemmed from a federal investigation into sales of 21 properties from Cohasset to South Boston.
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If your flight’s price falls after you buy, don’t kick yourself before seeking a refund
You booked your summer travel early, only to see the airfare drop. On average, ticket prices are higher than a year ago, but select fares have dropped since March, particularly on routes with the most competition or the fewest bookings.
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Survey Says: RIAs Are Adding Clients Faster
Ameritrade released the results of its registered investment advisor sentiment survey recently. The survey, which was conducted by Maritz on behalf of Ameritrade,included 501 RIAs surveyed over the period from March 21 to April 1, 2011. The survey ind…
Ford Bonds Hit A Wall
Yields rose on government benchmarks despite continued sovereign debt woes in the euro zone and further signs of a growth lull in U.S. data. Nevertheless, resilient equity traders drove benchmark index values higher by lunchtime in New York taking furt…
Credit Card Defaults and Unemployment Rates on the Rise Again
After months of credit card defaults and unemployment rates decreasing, the latest S&P/Experian credit indices and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that April 2011 is a whole different story. Data released through the month shows a…
America’s Best Cities For Finding A Job
Juju.com releases a monthly Job Search Difficulty Index, which measures the difficulty of finding employment in 50 major cities around the country. The Index is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed workers in each metropolitan area, as repor…
Putnam chief backs tax breaks for retirement plans
Putnam Investments chief executive Robert L. Reynolds yesterday called on the Massachusetts congressional delegation to fight any proposals to curb tax incentives that encourage workers to contribute to retirement accounts.
Accusations fly at hearing on consumer panel
A House committee hearing into the structure of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau disintegrated into heated accusations of lying to Congress yesterday, with the panel’s chairman accusing Elizabeth Warren of giving misleading testimony …
Staycations? Not this holiday — gas prices are down
In the last two weeks, Faissal Daaboul, who owns a service station in Swampscott, has cut his price per gallon nearly 20 cents to just under $3.70 for regular. If commodity markets continue to cooperate, he’s hoping to trim another dime by Memori…
Fidelity, Schwab allow deposits by smartphone
You may never have to deposit a check in person again. Two of the nation’s biggest discount brokerage companies, Fidelity Investments and the Charles Schwab Corp. , said yesterday they are launching new software apps to let customers make deposit…
Oprah’s show is ending, but her effect on people’s saving and spending won’t
Oprah Winfrey’s impact on your finances won’t end with her show. For 25 years, “The Oprah Winfrey Show’’ held enormous sway over how its audience chose to spend and save.
Before taking on a reverse mortgage, it’s important to know options, costs
More and more seniors are turning to reverse mortgages to supplement their retirement income. If you are considering making this move, you need to understand some of the options and the initial and recurring costs associated with them.
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Poll shows more feeling strain of high gas prices
As $4-a-gallon gasoline becomes commonplace, drivers have made tough choices: scaling back vacations, driving less, or ditching the car altogether. And a new Associated Press-GfK poll shows the impact of sustained high prices is spreading among seniors…
At more and more companies, service comes with a cost
Q. I am writing about my frustration with Dell. I called them with a computer problem and they would not speak to me unless I paid them first. I was aware of this ahead of time (I had heard it from others), but I do not think it is right. Although what…
The cost of clean carpets
Consumer Reports’ tests, which covered more than 2 miles of carpet and bare floor, show that some vacuums really are new and improved. But some new models aren’t as good as those they replace.
A fund investment is one way to give grads a financial head start
It’s hard to beat cash as a gift for new college graduates. It can help them assemble an interview-ready wardrobe, avoid the potential indignity of moving back in with parents, and chip away at student loan debt. This year’s grads face a to…
Keep your cookout simple and cost worries will fade
An awesome barbecue doesn’t have to cost a lot. Just ask celebrity chef Guy Fieri.
Revamped mortgage disclosures will help borrowers know what they really owe
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has begun testing two prototypes of mortgage disclosure forms that the new agency hopes will help borrowers applying for home loans.
Taking Social Security benefits involves more than time, money calculation
Q. I disagree with you about when to take Social Security benefits. I discounted $1,600 a month from age 66 to age 90 back to its present value on my 62d birthday using 5 percent and got $220,000. I discounted $1,200 a month from age 62 to age 90 and g…
It’s time for businesses to think about vacations
Vacations can be frustrating for a small business owner who’s focused on getting the work done. Just when business is picking up, staffers are asking for time off. Even new ones.
Special Report: Summer Travel — 2011
The global travel industry is coming off of one of its worst downturns in history. Now, from corporate road warriors to families in minivans, people are on the move again. Find out who, what, where and how much.
Job hunting can be depressing, but optimism is key
It has been a long haul for the long-term unemployed like Ellen Clarke, 53, of Chelmsford. Even as the economy improves, Clarke faces an unspoken bias. She has been out of work for more than two years, and companies prefer to hire those who are already…
They’re game for playing
Neither stitches, a dislocated finger, nor chronic back problems has stopped Bob Fierman, 61, from playing organized basketball twice a week for years in the over-50 league at the Newton Jewish Community Center.
Net gains
For years — decades, really — Marjie Satter carted around a bulky ledger to keep track of the car wash business she and her husband own in Medway. She liked holding the book and reconciling the numbers by hand.
Working vacations
On some days David Locke and his 16-year-old son trod across the African savannah for hours looking for acacia trees, noting seedlings, or examining mature plants for damage. Other days they would hike 6 to 10 miles through the bush while they counted …
Easy dose it
Lois Newsome keeps her medication list taped to a wall next to the refrigerator. It’s a bit of a lifeline: At 83, she is a breast cancer survivor and a diabetic; she’s had arthritis and high blood pressure for decades, and now she’s s…
Family ties
When they retired, Helen and Alan Leviton could have lived anywhere. After all, during Alan’s career as a chemical engineer, the couple had moved more than a dozen times, both in and out of the country.
Inherit the windfall
Few people ever win the lottery, but many come into unexpected inheritances. They make a killing selling their house, cash in big-ticket stock options, or sell a business.
Small talk
After the last of their two adult children moved out, Karen and Keith Percival contemplated selling their colonial on an acre of land in Topsfield and buying something smaller.
Mental health’s age-old issue
Older Americans are generally happier than the young, surveys show. Seniors are less stressed, enjoy more free time, and have a more positive outlook. Yet they also endure great losses: the end of their careers, deaths of loved ones, illness, disabilit…
Can’t Sell That Vacation Home — Try Renting
Watch: What Not to Put In Your 401k
15 Companies That Are Hiring Now
10 Tips for Surviving the Housing Market
Getting to Know Annuities
More Unmarried Couples Living Together in Retirement
Financial Infidelity: Secrets That Destroy Couples
Budgeting For a New Baby
Having a baby is very exciting. But after thinking about the associated costs and expenses, all this excitement can quickly turn into stress. Budgeting for a new baby is important to prepare adequately for the arrival of your little one. Parents can fall into the trap of wanting to buy their newborn the best of everything, especially if it’s the first child, which can sometime result in over-expenditure. It is therefore very important to plan and budget for the arrival of your newborn.
Looking for a balance between college, retirement
Joe D’Urso, a recovery room nurse, wants to retire early. He’s also determined to finish paying for both his children’s college educations. These days, however, those goals aren’t particularly compatible. Like many families, the…
More Americans Move Abroad To Live the Good Life
Make your phone interview a ringing success
Telephone interviews have certainly grown in terms of popularity. It is a method of quickly screening candidates without either party having to tangle with the logistics of an in-person interview (e.g., weather, traffic, etc.). Here are some telephone …
Is a start-up or an established firm the kind of place for you?
Are you a big company person or a start-up person? A few questions to consider:
After a grim year, employers are once again optimistic about hiring
Things are looking up. A year ago, talk of a jobless recovery dominated discussion as Massachusetts and the nation slowly climbed out of a deep recession. Economists are painting a brighter picture for 2011, anticipating solid job growth in the last si…
Changing jobs in a still tough market requires extra legwork
Thinking about changing jobs? You’re not alone. After waiting out the recession, workers who hesitated to risk secure positions for the promise of new companies are again testing the job market. An estimated 84 percent of workers are planning to …
Extra training, education help workers stand out
Lisa Nelson already had a bachelor’s degree, five years of experience, and a certificate in biomedical informatics, a growing field that applies information technology to health care. But in 2009, she decided that wasn’t enough and began wo…
Five Easy Ways to Save Money
It is important for everyone to save money not just for an emergency situation, but so that you are able to put money towards investing for the future and to enjoy life by going on holidays with the family and purchasing things that you want. Here are five easy ways to save money.
Ten Financial Resolutions for 2011
With the new year just around the corner, many people will be contemplating the changes they want to make for 2011. Here are ten financial resolutions that can help you to be in a better financial position by the end of 2011.
5 Ways to Reduce Your Debt
In recent times, financial institutions have made it too easy for people to apply for credit cards and personal loans, resulting in people over-spending on items they did not necessarily need or could not necessarily afford. In order to achieve financial security it is important to minimize and control debt. Here are five ways in which you can reduce your debt and achieve financial freedom.
A different city
Oswald Mondejar experiences it when he recruits candidates for health care jobs in Cambridge and on the Cape. Martha Fields heard it from leaders who were coming to Harvard University for a conference. And Michele Carroll saw it in the faces of her fri…
Critical care
It’s one of the biggest problems facing the US health care system: Women and minorities are treated differently than white men. There are wide disparities in everything from nutrition to insurance to testing to treatment. The Globe recently asked…
Pros of the Healthcare Reform Bill
The highly controversial bill is still being analyzed by many professionals, but there appears to be several pros to the healthcare reform bill.
Video in a flash
The average video maker or enthusiast faces a litany of choices when looking to buy a camera.
Few Americans Are Budgeting For Retirement
54% of Americans have never even calculated how much money they will need in retirement.
10 Tips for Reducing Your Grocery Budget
Here are 10 tips for reducing your grocery budget that will help you save money each month.
The Fundamentals of Financial Budgeting
Here is an explanation of the fundamentals of financial budgeting to help you better plan your household expenses.
Harmonix may have to repay bonuses after downbeat Rock Band sales
Stung by slowing sales of the Rock Band videogame series, Harmonix Music Systems Inc. of Cambridge may be forced to repay millions in bonuses to its parent company, the entertainment conglomerate Viacom Inc.
From crumbling to chic
HAVERHILL – On the once-contaminated site of a decaying shoe factory, a thriving neighborhood is growing with the opening of hundreds of chic apartments, part of a renaissance in this Merrimack River mill city, which has seen plenty of hard times.
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Readers tip hands on saving
If you’ve followed our Spending Smart series this month, you’ve already garnered plenty of ideas on how to save money, or at least be smarter about spending it. Today, for the last day of the series, we leave you with a clip-and-save list, including gr…
The caring community
WINCHESTER – Anne Lang, head of human resources at Winchester Hospital, pulls out a simple, black box and flips it open. Inside is a small but telling stack of reasons why this 229-bed community hospital is the state’s top place to work.