Headline News Archive

2008

October

22

• Young people know little about free credit reports. WASHINGTON, DC—October 22, 2008— A recent survey by the Jump$tart Coalition® for Personal Financial Literacy demonstrated that less than half of the high school seniors…

• How to save $8,919.45 a year. In tough times, consumers are looking to stretch their dollars further. Here are six simple ways to save thousands.

• Low marks for Paulson, bailout. A majority of Americans aren't happy with the way Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is handling his job or with the financial rescue package he and…

21

• Beware the digital zombies. In a windowless room on Microsoft’s campus here, T. J. Campana, a cybercrime investigator, connects an unprotected computer running an early version of Windows XP…

• An eroding model for health insurance. Jennifer and Greg Danylyshyn of Pasadena are conscientious parents. They keep proper car seats in their used BMW, organic vegetables in the family diet and…

• Parents push for autism therapy coverage. In Washington state, Reza and Arzu Forough pay more than $1,000 a week for behavior therapy for their 12-year-old autistic son. In Indiana, Sean and…

• Second stimulus plan gains traction. An effort to boost the economy with a massive injection of public funds gained momentum yesterday, as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke tentatively endorsed…

• Medicare says 'no' to bed sores. Hospitals will no longer get paid for some specific treatment errors, including infections, bed sores and objects left inside patients after surgery, under a new…

20

• Mortgage market remains intact. Everybody knows how severe and painful the global financial breakdown has been, with banks unwilling to lend even to other banks. But what about mortgages…

• Debt collectors are busy as credit defaults rise. I got to know Marvin Kaulkin by smoking an occasional cigar together at Bethesda Tobacco, a popular spot in lower Montgomery County. His Rockville firm,…

• Middle-class Americans' retirement at risk. Through most of his working life, steelworker Ray West looked toward a secure retirement. His company pension would bring in around $30,000 a year, his…

• Falling gas prices bring relief in financial crisis. arbara Warner is one of many people here and across the USA relieved about plummeting gas prices. For months, the mother of three fretted as…

• Rules relaxed for 'food stamp' eligibility. As the economy weakens, states and the federal government are trying to help more people qualify for food stamps. Since Oct. 1, new federal rules…

• Las dos caras de la deuda. Sólo de oírla, la palabra "deuda" suena mal. Pero bien pensada y administrada, esta estrategia económica puede ser un puntal de tu vida financiera... o…

• ¿Qué hago con mis inversiones?. Existe una nueva enfermedad que muchas personas están padeciendo. Se llama "evitaritis aguda". Tiene solamente un síntoma que cualquiera puede diagnosticar: cuando el paciente recibe…

19

• Fixing common money mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes. But when it comes to money, even little errors can prove devastating. Bruce McClary, communications director for Clearpoint Financial Solutions, recalls a…

• With HOPE for Homeowners, you'll pay in long run. For homeowners trying to renegotiate their loans under the government's new HOPE for Homeowners program, please read the paperwork carefully - because once again, you'll…

• Plunge alters college funds, college plans. Forget about your 401(k) for the moment. Have you checked your college savings plan? The recent plunge in stock prices has hit these so-called 529…

17

• How you might fare under each candidates' tax proposals. How six hypothetical households would fare under the McCain and Obama tax proposals. Both have said that they would implement their proposals gradually because of…

16

• Lawmakers consider regulatory overhaul. As the nation's financial system continues to unravel, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say the U.S. government appears poised to enact sweeping changes…

• Banks hoard cash as credit card defaults rise. Consumers are increasingly unable to pay off their credit cards, forcing banks to hoard cash to protect against future losses and lend to fewer people,…

• Social Security benefits going up. Social Security benefits for 50 million people will be go up 5.8 percent next year, the largest increase in more than a quarter century. The…

15

• Medicare's costly doughnut hole. For many older Americans, this is a bitter time of year with a deceptively sweet name: the "doughnut hole." It's not a treat from the…

• Smaller banks resist federal cash infusions. Community banking executives around the country responded with anger yesterday to the Bush administration's strategy of investing $250 billion in financial firms, saying they don't…

14

• Credit cards at the tipping point. Dire times are coming for consumers who hold credit cards and the banks that issue them, according to a report released Tuesday. The report by…