CATEGORIES

New Strategies For Smart Borrowing

Rising interest rates and new tax rules mean taking a different approach to how you shop for loans and manage your debt.

Ready Set Retire

The most critical phase of retirement may just be the year before you leave your job. Use the time to get your plan squared away.

Higher Inflation Has Advantages

Modest cost-of-living increases will benefit seniors and savers in 2018.

Buy These Free-Range Bond Funds

Last month I promised to discuss bond funds whose managers aren’t hemmed in by allegiance to an index or the ultraconservative viewpoint that Treasury bonds and notes are the center of the universe.

What I Learned When Stocks Tanked

Watching your portfolio increase in value is a blast. But watching as stocks decline is far more instructive. The market has recently provided that unpleasant learning experience, and I learned something unexpected.

Show Business Can Be Good Business

The market is not much fun lately, but certain stocks are. Even if we are headed into a recession (and there are signs we may be), businesses that entertain people tend to do all right.

This Trader Helps Others Do It, Too

He teaches technical analysis plus emotional discipline as keys to investing success.

Make Your Money Last

Create a stream of income that will see you through retirement.

Falling Stocks Can Ding The Economy

Corrections cause consumers to keep a tighter grip on their wallets.

How Big an Umbrella?

Having too much liability insurance is better than having too little. And it’s affordable.

Financial Moves To Make 10 Years, 5 Years and One Year Before Retirement

For a smooth ride to retirement, take these financial steps when you have 10 years, five years and one year to go.

Community Investment Opportunity Knocks

A new type of fund gives some investors a tax break, but it’s not for everyone.

Find A Laptop That Fits You

If you’re upgrading, you won’t have to spend a bundle to get what you need.

Making It In The Gig Economy Great Side Hustles

Renting out your house is only one way to make money. This expert recommends some of the top gigs.

The Outlook For Dividends

A few companies are cutting them, but payouts are healthy overall.

Good Funds in Bad Markets

These managers have stellar track records, delivering strong gains in weak categories.

How To Afford Long-term Care

Your options range from conventional coverage to tapping your life insurance benefits.

Profit From Being A Patient Investor

Call him Ishmael. On New Year’s Eve, 1948, he is born at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. Ishmael’s parents scrape together a “pre–nest egg” of $3,000 out of savings and gifts from relatives. They invest the money in a mutual fund called Lexington Corporate Leaders, which has a portfolio assembled to reflect America’s industrial economy. When Ishmael is 12 years old, his parents tell him about the account but make him promise not to touch the proceeds until the last day of 2008, when he’s 60.

When A Tree Falls, Who Pays?

WHAT HAPPENS IF MY TREE falls onto my neighbor’s property? Does my insurance pay, or does his?M.U., Duluth, Minn.

The Nongambler's Guide To Vegas

Las Vegas is emerging as a trendy tourist destination with quirky attractions, diverse eateries and a funky arts scene. And if gambling is your thing, read our tips before you bet.

Surviving Amazon

Warehouse giant Costco continues to prosper despite the growth of internet retailing.

Will White House Worries Hit Stocks?

Forget parallels to Watergate. The economy is in much better shape today.

Teaching Skills For The Game Of Life

His nonprofit uses chess to help kids succeed in and out of school.

Fly To Europe Without The Frills

Fares from budget airlines may not be such a deal after you add in extra fees.

Ready, Willing and ABLE

More states are offering tax-friendly accounts that give people with disabilities the tools to build a financial future.

Best Places To Get Investment Advice

Our favorite websites, blogs and newsletters for recommendations about stocks, bonds, funds and more.

I'm Taking A Flier On Boeing Shares

At times like these, I am grateful to be investing my own money. That’s because I decided to go all in on BOEING (SYMBOL BA, $339), and recent events make that look risky. I’m willing to accept the risk, but I’m not sure what I’d recommend to anyone else.

Good Funds For Down Markets

Worried about a bear market? Use our picks to play defense.

How To Pay For Grad School

Probably the worst Christmas present I ever got was a bill for $31,000 in student loans from Uncle Sam in December 2015. A few weeks earlier, I’d received my master’s in mass communications.

Readers Weigh In on When to Retire

A huge thank you goes out to all who have taken the time to write to me about your retirement experiences.