In this edition of Getting Personal, Chris and Tess talk about negotiating with collection agencies, comparing mutual fund fees, retirement account myths and teaching finance.
Wall Street breathes a sigh of relief as a buyout spares Countrywide from bankruptcy, but what about its customers? Tess asks Jane D'Arista what a bank merger means for you.
Life is hard enough without having to decipher everything. This week, a phrase that may put some of those mortgage costs back in your pocket: "mortgage insurance deduction."
Housing meltdown or not, home prices are still out of reach in many cities. Rachel Dornhelm reports how friends, and sometimes strangers, are teaming up to buy together.
Economics editor Chris Farrell puts up a fight for the average investor and sets the story straight on recent Supreme Court rulings that limit shareholder's rights to sue.
With the stock market off to an unimpressive start and economic fears at fever pitch, investors are touting the safety of gold. Tess turns to Peter Morici for a fact-check on all the hype.
With oil pushing $100 a barrel, the impact is felt more places than the gas pump. Lisa Napoli takes a look at the less obvious ways the high cost of energy squeezes consumers.
Are we better off than our parents or falling behind? Tess talks about the the past and future of the middle class with authors Elizabeth Warren and Gregg Easterbrook.
For some, the American dream keeps inching farther away. Stacey Vanek Smith looks at the challenges many minority citizens face as they attempt to join the ranks of the middle class.
