The Fed and it's Chairman Ben Bernanke showed Wall Street some love by cutting the key federal funds rate by a half a percentage point. Tess Vigeland talks with Peter Morici about what the rate cut may mean to the average consumer.

If there's one thing retirees can count on these days, it's offers of a free lunch — and seniors are falling victim to the scam. To find out more about these free-lunch seminars, Tess talked with Patricia Struck, a securities regulator for the state of Wisconsin.

The subprime mortgage mess has made it harder to buy and sell a home. But if you're already a homeowner, here's another option: Become what Kate Ashford of Money magazine calls an accidental landlord. She talks with Tess Vigeland.

Tess Vigeland takes a measure of how much garbage she sends to the landfill. Can she reduce her trash to zero after two weeks? And what about you? Are you up to the challenge?

The subprime crisis is having an adverse effect on a plethora of different markets in the U.S. and beyond. But Chris Farrell says the subprime mess isn't as bad as people think.

Economics editor Chris Farrell addresses listeners' questions about getting early retirement payments, separating tax payments from what a spouse owes, and staying with a fee-based financial planner.