MiamiHerald.com: Personal Finance

Tom Hudson: Will Fed signal a pullback?

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:35 EDT

Is moderate enough? For months the Federal Reserve has been describing the U.S. economy as growing at a moderate pace. While the growth has been positive, it hasn’t been enough to move the central bank away from pushing money into the system with hopes of getting the economy to pick up speed.

Michelle Singletary: Can you chart a dad’s value?

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:35 EDT

When it comes to our parents, we tend to assign value by how much we spend. Don’t believe me. Let’s compare Mother’s Day to Father’s Day.

Michelle Singletary: Money is the real star of timely new dramas

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 22:56 EDT

We can deny it if we want, but we love to be entertained watching shows about people derailing their lives.

Falling gold prices indicate a rise in optimism

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 00:00 EDT

Gold prices have been falling this spring, from a record high of $1,887.70 in the summer of 2011, as the U.S. stock market has climbed to record highs. Now that investors worldwide feel more optimistic about stocks and bonds, the price of gold could fall even further this summer — unless a crisis in the Middle East or elsewhere shakes their confidence.

Tom Hudson: All eyes on bond market

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 22:55 EDT

What will happen with the bond market at the 2 percent threshold?

Think buying real estate’s a no brainer? Think again

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 11:35 EDT

With real estate values still off their peak and interest rates so low, buying seems like a no-brainer … but there are other considerations.

Michelle Singletary: Calculating the real cost of that speeding ticket

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:26 EDT

For many drivers, the fear of rising auto insurance rates keeps them from driving too fast or leaving their license at home.

Tom Hudson: Can Jaime Dimon hold onto both jobs?

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:26 EDT

A fortress balance sheet may not be enough to protect JPMorgan’s CEO from the building chorus of criticism. Jaime Dimon has guided JPMorgan since 2005, navigating through the financial crisis, serving as the de facto spokesman for big banks and becoming the poster boy of the arrogance in high finance. He has survived a multi-billion dollar trading scandal and now faces regulators’ questions over actions of its energy traders and credit card collection procedures. No fewer than eight government agencies have launched investigations into JPMorgan.

Michelle Singletary: The rich have issues, too

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:58 EDT

With so many families still trying to recover from the Great Recession, the wealthy aren’t feeling much love from the American public.

Tom Hudson: JCPenney is facing a hard sell

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:58 EDT

It’s probably been a long time since you shopped at JCPenney. That’s the case for most of us. But for the sake of its employees and shareholders, it needs to figure out how to bring buyers back. And soon.

Money lessons from Mom

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:53 EDT

Studies underscore what families already know: mothers are key players when it comes to financial literacy.

Andrew Menachem: Debunking the myths about volatility

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:55 EDT

When the stock market goes up, most investors feel good. They’re happy with their investment decisions and start counting all the money they’ve made on paper. Of course the opposite occurs when the market goes down. Investors get scared and wonder why they ever bought stocks in the first place.

Michelle Singletary: Eight steps to making better financial choices

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:35 EDT

When it comes to your money, what you decide today can affect your finances for years to come.

Meg Green: There’s trouble ahead for extravagent parents

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:36 EDT

The dilemma: My parents have lived the good life, especially since they retired here in Florida 18 years ago. They own a beautiful home, belong to a country club, have traveled extensively and have a summer home in Michigan, where we’re from and where I live.

Tom Hudson: Whither the Oracle of Omaha?

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:35 EDT

The tone on Wall Street in the week ahead will be set from a convention center in Middle America even before the opening bell Monday. When the world’s highest profile long-term investor spends his weekend eating Dilly Bars, sipping Cherry Coke and pontificating about elephants, it has the potential to move the market.

Tom Hudson: What will the Fed do next?

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:46 EDT

There is little that is riveting about a cost-benefit analysis. Still, we perform them all the time without applying such an formal academic-sounding name to it. If I have a cup of coffee after 4 p.m., will I be able to go to sleep at a reasonable time? Do I cut cable TV and rely on what’s available through NetFlix and Hulu?

Michelle Singletary: The cure for re-fi envy

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:46 EDT

Do you have refinance envy? Come on, admit it. You’ve been at an event or having lunch with co-workers and someone brags about the interest rate she just got by refinancing her mortgage. You stay silent, grieving that you can’t take advantage of the low rates. You grumble when you read news stories like this one from The Associated Press on April 18: “Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages fell closer this week to their historic lows, making homeownership more affordable and refinancing more attractive. … The average rate for the 30-year fixed loan dipped to 3.41 percent from 3.43 percent last week. That’s not far from the 3.31 percent rate reached in November, which was the lowest on records dating back to 1971.”

Make that refund count

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:43 EDT

Most of us will fritter away that ‘extra’ money from Uncle Sam. Here are some better ideas.

Garage sales: Is it worth it?

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:07 EDT

It’s spring cleaning time — and that means garage sale season. But in order to be successful, you have to assign realistic values to your stuff.

Tom Hudson: And you thought tax season was over

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:08 EDT

Most of us are tax cheats. Not the lying-about-our-income kind but the not-paying-online-sales-tax kind. When you spend money with an online retailer you are supposed to pay what’s called a use tax for most items. Consider it a sales tax but instead of the retailer adding it on to your receipt, you are responsible for doing it come tax time.