Marketplace Money Stories

Through all the conflicting data on the impact of the BP oil spill, Gulf residents are trying to quantify past, current and future damages so they can get compensated. Some are considering refusing the money, but retaining the right to sue the company.

Tess Vigeland and Marketplace's economics editor Chris Farrell answer listener questions. This week Chris helps a dad figure out how he can pay for his daughter's college tuition and he offers advice on how to invest in retirement accounts.

Tess Vigeland talks to Reuters personal finance columnist Mitch Lipka about the challenge consumers face when trying to find out about potential fees related to bank accounts.

The number of Americans who own their homes outright has changed over the decades. In 1950, more than half were free and clear of a mortgage. Now, as Jennifer Guerra tells us, it's far less than that. But she did find some.

This week, 14 mortgage servicers cut a deal with federal regulators to change the foreclosure process. They also said they'd review foreclosures that took place in 2009 and 2010. But for many consumers, including some of the nearly two million households in foreclosure, that's not enough.

Combining social media with scholarships, Connect Fund is a new tool college students can use to find financial aid specifically tailored to them. And it came from the mind of a fellow college attendee.

Students are deciding what college to attend. So here's some advice: Choose the one that's cheaper.

Marketplace Money host Tess Vigeland and tax expert Frank Degen answer a tax question about how to categorize gifts that your employer gives you, and explain what minimis fringe benefits are.

Marketplace Money takes to the streets to find out who has done their taxes and who is putting it off.

In our final installment of Getting Personal, we find out if a senior citizen can avoid a very hefty tax penalty.