http://www.miamiherald.com/business/personal-finance/index.html http://media.miamiherald.com/images/logos/rss_sitelogo.gif http://www.miamiherald.com/business/personal-finance/index.html 140 25 News, sports and entertainment from MiamiHerald.com en-us Copyright 2010 MiamiHerald.com Personal Finance 60 Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:07:57 EDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's PubSys miamifeedback@miamiherald.com http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528043/new-features-debut.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528043/new-features-debut.html Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Money isn't the answer to all life's problems, but dollars in your pocket surely smooth the way toward a mortgage, education and retirement. The features debuting in today's Money section are designed to help you hold onto the green. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528027/your-inheritance-is-your-business.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528027/your-inheritance-is-your-business.html Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Q: My father died recently and left me an inheritance, which can go a long way to letting us retire comfortably. I'm a teacher, two years from retirement. My husband is a business owner who has been struggling for a long time, making me the major breadwinner, which is fine with us both. http://www.miamiherald.com/2008/01/02/364523/price-watch.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2008/01/02/364523/price-watch.html Tue, 09 Sep 2008 17:44 EDT Find out who is selling the cheapest gas http://www.miamiherald.com/2008/10/28/745374/economy-qa.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2008/10/28/745374/economy-qa.html Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:22 EDT McClatchy reporters answer your questions about the economy http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528042/be-wary-when-responding-to-jobs.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528042/be-wary-when-responding-to-jobs.html Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Pay attention to Scott Anglemyer, executive director of the Workforce Partnership in Kansas.<p/> ``Be careful about job offers on sites like Craigslist,'' he warns. ``We tend to find fraudulent job posts everywhere, but it's more prevalent on some sites than others because they're not moderated job sites.'' http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/13/1527153/lawsuit-against-banks-for-overdraft.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/13/1527153/lawsuit-against-banks-for-overdraft.html Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Major banks lost a bid to quash lawsuits questioning the way overdraft fees were calculated and charged.<p/> The lawsuits from around the country, consolidated to federal court in Miami, claim that banks went out of their way to charge excessive fees when debit-card users made purchases that exceeded their checking account balances. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/13/1527145/regulators-close-3-more-banks.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/13/1527145/regulators-close-3-more-banks.html Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Regulators on Friday shut down banks in Florida, New York and Louisiana, raising to 30 the number of failures this year of federally insured banks. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514974/dad-wants-to-give-the-kids-their.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514974/dad-wants-to-give-the-kids-their.html Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Q: My wife and I are conservative investors and like to spread our investments out, so as not to be committed to a specific form of investment. Regardless, we would like to give our children a small number of shares in a company [as yet undetermined] to mark their 10th wedding anniversary, as a surprise. We are finding that formal stock certificates are now a thing of the past, that transfer fees make a small stock purchase unwieldy and if we were to put the stock into their name, they would have to have their own brokerage account. Do you have any suggestions, before we trash this idea and move into a more conventional gift? http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514975/if-you-cant-understand-it-you.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514975/if-you-cant-understand-it-you.html Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:00 EST ``Credit card debt, does it ever end?''<p/> That's a haunting line delivered by comedian Amy Poehler in a 2006 Saturday Night Live skit brilliantly and simply titled Don't Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford. (You can see it on Hulu.com). http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514977/gold-and-silver-prices.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514977/gold-and-silver-prices.html Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Selected world gold prices, Friday<p/> London morning fixing: $1,135.00 up $0.50<p/> NY Handy & Harman: $1,135.00 up $0.50 http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514978/before-you-buy.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514978/before-you-buy.html Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Before paying more for fancy features, remember: <p/> The price difference between the two items is cash you get to put in pocket.<p/> Even a saved $10 will buy three dozen eggs or two quarts of organic milk next week. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514980/that-big-refund-is-a-waste-of.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514980/that-big-refund-is-a-waste-of.html Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:00 EST If you are feeling proud of the tax refund you snared after a weekend of working on taxes, we have some bad news for you.<p/> You might have blown it. Although people love getting refunds, a refund typically means you wasted your money. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514976/you-may-think-you-need-that-prestige.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514976/you-may-think-you-need-that-prestige.html Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:00 EST You may think you need that prestige brand or those extra gigabytes, but when you stop to think about it, you may change your mind. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/06/1515310/boca-raton-bank-closed.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/06/1515310/boca-raton-bank-closed.html Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Banking regulators closed Sun American Bank in Boca Raton, one of several bank seizures Friday, and turned over its operations to First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co., a Raleigh, N.C.-based bank. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/28/1502680/scholarships-out-there-if-you.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/28/1502680/scholarships-out-there-if-you.html Sun, 28 Feb 2010 01:00 EST If you're looking for scholarships, the computer is your best friend. But it isn't your only friend. <p/> All the scholarships are not neatly gathered at one central site, ready for the plucking. In fact, the local scholarships for which you might have the greatest chance of qualifying may be the hardest to track down. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528027/your-inheritance-is-your-business.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528027/your-inheritance-is-your-business.html Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Q: My father died recently and left me an inheritance, which can go a long way to letting us retire comfortably. I'm a teacher, two years from retirement. My husband is a business owner who has been struggling for a long time, making me the major breadwinner, which is fine with us both. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514974/dad-wants-to-give-the-kids-their.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/07/1514974/dad-wants-to-give-the-kids-their.html Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Q: My wife and I are conservative investors and like to spread our investments out, so as not to be committed to a specific form of investment. Regardless, we would like to give our children a small number of shares in a company [as yet undetermined] to mark their 10th wedding anniversary, as a surprise. We are finding that formal stock certificates are now a thing of the past, that transfer fees make a small stock purchase unwieldy and if we were to put the stock into their name, they would have to have their own brokerage account. Do you have any suggestions, before we trash this idea and move into a more conventional gift? http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/28/1502678/putting-that-inheritance-money.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/28/1502678/putting-that-inheritance-money.html Sun, 28 Feb 2010 01:00 EST Q: I am about to receive an inheritance from my mother's estate. The amount is enough to pay off a condo that I own as an investment (it is currently rented out). I am torn between doing that and starting a tax deferred annuity or other investment option. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/21/1489742/trustees-in-limbo-awaiting-inheritance.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/21/1489742/trustees-in-limbo-awaiting-inheritance.html Sun, 21 Feb 2010 01:00 EST Q: I am the trustee of a revocable trust that became irrevocable on my mother's death in January. Both accountants I've consulted agree on two facts: There is no federal inheritance tax this year and, unless a new law is passed, the basis for all assets reverted to the basis of the person who created the revocable trust. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/14/1477584/in-a-quandary-over-former-employers.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/14/1477584/in-a-quandary-over-former-employers.html Sun, 14 Feb 2010 01:00 EST Q: I am hoping you can provide some guidelines regarding my 401(k), as I have recently joined the unemployed. I have been given the following four options: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/07/1465622/dont-limit-yourself-to-an-either.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/07/1465622/dont-limit-yourself-to-an-either.html Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:00 EST Q: I need your help in trying to decide what I should do next with my finances. I am 46 years old, married with two children, 17 and 20. My husband and I have paid for our house, prepaid for our daughters' college. I have worked for a government agency for the past 20 years and I hope to retire within 10 to 15 years. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/01/31/1453516/bankers-entirely-wrong-about-tenants.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/01/31/1453516/bankers-entirely-wrong-about-tenants.html Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:00 EST Q: We were advised by some friends, doctors like my husband, that our joint accounts should be titled tenants by the entirety, in case he gets sued. But when I went to our bank, the banking agent said they don't have that type of titling here in Florida. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/01/24/1440638/that-old-lotto-scams-the-theft.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/01/24/1440638/that-old-lotto-scams-the-theft.html Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:00 EST Q: I got a reward notification stamped by an International Lotto Commission in Madrid telling me that I'm a stake winner in a $257 million lottery that was held the end of 2009, and my share is $5.5 million. It comes from the Desk of the President with File Ref. and Claim File numbers and instructions to contact my agent with Safeway Seguros who will get 5 percent for collecting for me. They said my name was drawn from 25,000 names from Europe and America as part of an international promotions program they conduct twice a year. They just need me to contact this man and they will process and remit my winnings to a bank of my choice. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/01/17/1428867/new-rules-allow-roth-ira-conversions.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/01/17/1428867/new-rules-allow-roth-ira-conversions.html Sun, 17 Jan 2010 01:00 EST Q: My husband and I, both over 60, work and earn over the Roth IRA contribution limit. We have two traditional IRAs and plan to convert at least one of them into a Roth this year. Once we convert, however, will we be able to contribute to the new Roth IRA, even though we earn more than the Roth IRA income limit, or do we have to keep a traditional IRA open in order to make contributions? In other words, will the new Roth IRA be a ``frozen'' investment because we cannot add anything to it each year? http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/01/10/1418003/divorced-mom-gets-her-derailed.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/01/10/1418003/divorced-mom-gets-her-derailed.html Sun, 10 Jan 2010 01:00 EST Q: I am 52 and amicably divorced with joint custody of our child. We split costs for him, and I do not receive or pay alimony. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/01/03/1407109/resolve-to-follow-the-three-rs.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/01/03/1407109/resolve-to-follow-the-three-rs.html Sun, 03 Jan 2010 01:00 EST Managing wealth can be a mighty challenge. Just ask the many who have been wounded, financially and emotionally, in this past decade of great financial expectations and little patience. http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/12/20/1384497/rooms-for-under-100-in-san-francisico.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/12/20/1384497/rooms-for-under-100-in-san-francisico.html Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:00 EST The Good Hotel is a good hotel. Its rooms are small and spare but contemporary-cool, and they have everything you need: a bathroom, a safe, TV, free wireless, an iPod dock and clever art. Some rooms are even air-conditioned. http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/11/22/1339772/skicom-names-its-most-affordable.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/11/22/1339772/skicom-names-its-most-affordable.html Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:00 EST Keystone, near Denver, with lots of lodging and flight options and moderately priced condos. Ski.com specials include The Lodge at Keystone, which the website describes as ``the nicest property at Keystone.'' A Keystone lift ticket is valid at Breckenridge and Arapahoe Basin and also offers some limited access to Vail and Beaver Creek. The resort also offers night skiing, which is included with the lift ticket, on day of arrival with airline boarding pass. If you stay in a Vail Resorts-owned or managed property, you receive The Adventure Passport for free. http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/10/11/1270837/a-glorious-day-in-venice-on-a.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/10/11/1270837/a-glorious-day-in-venice-on-a.html Sun, 11 Oct 2009 01:00 EDT For centuries, Venice has captivated travelers with an array of romantic images: gondola rides through glistening canals at sunset, homes painted in vibrant hues of periwinkle and plum. http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/10/04/1259120/icelands-economic-meltdown-opens.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/10/04/1259120/icelands-economic-meltdown-opens.html Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:00 EDT In better times, Nina Bjork, one of Iceland's fashion glitterati, would be busy styling photo shoots for the island's top design houses. But since Iceland's economy collapsed in October -- one of the first victims of the global financial crisis -- Bjork has had to try her hand at a new career: fashion tour guide. http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/09/27/1247405/going-to-the-big-apple-can-be.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/09/27/1247405/going-to-the-big-apple-can-be.html Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:00 EDT When you hear the term budget travel, we know what you think: cheap hotels, C-list attractions and meal portions that wouldn't satisfy your average toddler. http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/09/06/1214047/travel-tips-save-money-on-car.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/09/06/1214047/travel-tips-save-money-on-car.html Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:00 EDT Travelers have been seeing sales on airfares and hotel rooms, but the same can't be said of car rentals, where rates have been going up. Here are our tips for using alternate locations to get a more reasonable rate on your next rental. http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/08/30/1202945/gloomy-outlook-has-its-bright.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/08/30/1202945/gloomy-outlook-has-its-bright.html Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:00 EDT A famous radio announcer used to start his broadcasts by shouting, here's good news tonight!'' In these days of economic slowdown, there are many instances of good travel news, as travel suppliers urgently try to increase their business. http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/08/23/1192363/disney-on-the-cheap-yes-you-can.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/08/23/1192363/disney-on-the-cheap-yes-you-can.html Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:00 EDT Disney World has been on our kids' minds this year, but it wasn't in our family budget. What's a parent to do? With a disciplined approach to the Big Three expense categories -- food, lodging and admission fees -- it's possible to ''do Disney'' without piling up bills that are scarier than The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (a ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios that left my 6-year-old screaming to do it again, and me searching for my stomach). http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/08/23/1192387/tips-for-booking-that-last-minute.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/08/23/1192387/tips-for-booking-that-last-minute.html Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:00 EDT Finding last-minute flight and hotel deals can be tricky, but with some flexibility, creativity and maybe even a bit of gambling, you can find what you need. Just do a little Web surfing and follow these tips: http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/07/19/1142319/go-ahead-you-can-promise-them.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/07/19/1142319/go-ahead-you-can-promise-them.html Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:01 EDT With nine children, my parents didn't have many options when it came to family vacations. They figured take us camping or stay home and watch us tear down the house. http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/07/19/1142317/rest-easy-with-affordable-lodging.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2009/07/19/1142317/rest-easy-with-affordable-lodging.html Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:01 EDT Families with children see double when it comes to lodging: two rooms, two baths, two desks, two closets. And when they get hit with the bill, they may see red. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528028/irs-takes-extra-steps-to-help.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528028/irs-takes-extra-steps-to-help.html Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:00 EST For the second straight year, the Internal Revenue Service is reaching out to folks in financial trouble.<p/> The agency plans to hold 1,000 open houses on Saturdays where taxpayers can work out their payment problems with IRS officials. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528029/a-dot-com-dream-lives-on.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528029/a-dot-com-dream-lives-on.html Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:00 EST A decade ago this week, the dot-com bubble began a leak that quickly popped. Simple business plans that hinged on consumers' appetite to buy anything and everything online were crushed by the reality of economics. Investors in common noun-type names like Pets.com or eToys.com saw their fortunes disappear as quickly as they appeared. But 10 years later, the dreams of dot-com riches lives on. On Thursday, what may be one of the most valuable Internet domain names is due to be sold at auction. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528030/looking-for-a-job-heres-how-to.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528030/looking-for-a-job-heres-how-to.html Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:00 EST It's not easy looking for a job these days.<p/> South Florida's job market is strained with double-digit unemployment, and with fewer tourists making the pilgrimage here this season, the usual tourist-season job openings may just not be available this year. http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528031.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528031.html Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Does your resume really sing or is it just ho-hum? Does it move briskly, focusing on your key accomplishments, or does it limp along with a boring regurgitation of job titles? http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528041/gold-and-silver-prices.html http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/03/14/1528041/gold-and-silver-prices.html Sun, 14 Mar 2010 01:00 EST Selected world gold prices, Friday<p/> London morning fixing: $1,118.75 up $14.75<p/> NY Handy & Harman: $1,106.25 up $2.25