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Investors Have to Be Careful With Real Estate 10/24/2016 08:00pm • The housing market isn't getting red hot any time soon. So instead of just throwing money at anything related to real estate, investors wanting exposure to the housing sector will need to be careful how they put their cash to work. The matter stems from a change in attitude from the largest generat What Happens to Your Credit Card Debt After You Die? 10/23/2016 08:00pm • Nothing quite rocks your world like the death of a loved one. There's so much to do, so many people to talk to, so many things to sign -- and you have to do it all while dealing with the enormous, sometimes debilitating feelings of sadness and loss that come with the passing of someone to whom you w How to Cash in Your Retirement Plan for Medical Bills 10/23/2016 08:00pm • A sudden illness or health mishap can affect your financial health just as much as your physical health. One in five U.S. consumers has medical debt on their credit report, according to a 2014 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau survey. If you're sick, the stress from taking time off from work and The Pros of Investing in the Technology Sector 10/20/2016 08:00pm • Technology has been the clear standout sector within the Standard & Poor's 500 index. The sector returned 12.4 percent for the third quarter and some of the largest names -- like Apple (ticker: AAPL), Microsoft Corp. ( MSFT), Intel Corp. ( INTC), Cisco Systems ( CSCO) and Facebook ( FB) -- repo Signs Your Child's Identity Has Been Stolen 10/20/2016 08:00pm • Your child may be living a double life. You may someday be surprised to learn that your precocious 4-year-old daughter owes tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt, or that your 13-year-old son is in hot water with the IRS for accepting a hefty tax refund for a job he never had. Any parent Hillary Clinton Wins Third Debate by Hanging on to Women 10/19/2016 08:00pm • All Hillary Clinton had to do in the third and final presidential debate was to hang onto the female voters who have kept her comfortably ahead in national and battleground state polls. And she did it -- with a well-practiced sounding series of pledges and statements of policy, but also with a big Donald Trump the Debate Loser Is a Real Danger 10/19/2016 08:00pm • In many ways, Donald Trump's performance during Wednesday night's presidential debate was standard stuff: the blizzard of lies, the incoherence, the thin skin and concomitant angry interruptions and asides. But for all that Trump managed a new low for himself and for the political system when he po Your Home Is a Better Investment Than Bonds 10/19/2016 08:00pm • With bonds paying next to nothing, where can you turn for a respectable yield, guaranteed? Well, how about your home? Many homeowners look upon the homestead as a valuable asset they can tap for retirement through downsizing or a loan. They typically count on building equity the old-fashioned way, How Managing Your Money is Like Playing Baseball 10/19/2016 08:00pm • This year's World Series kicks off on Oct. 25, and we'll soon know which two teams are facing off. Whether you're a baseball aficionado or can't tell one end of the bat from the other, you might be interested to learn that you can apply some fundamentals of the sport to money management. As we near How Managing Your Finances Is Like Losing Weight 10/19/2016 08:00pm • People looking to manage their finances can take a note from the weight-loss pros. Many of the same tricks and challenges apply to both activities, whether it's losing 25 pounds or saving $25,000. "It can be a challenge to make changes in both of those areas because it's really about changing our ha Can REITs Survive an Interest Rate Hike? 10/18/2016 08:00pm • Real estate investment trusts saw strong gains so far in 2016, outperforming the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index, but whether REITs can retain those strong gains is in question. According to the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, an advocacy group for the industry, the How to Start Saving for Retirement in Your 30s 10/18/2016 08:00pm • A friend who is about to turn 30 recently confessed to me that she hasn't been saving for retirement. She asked me if her entire retirement is wrecked now. The answer is no. Many millennials have not yet begun to build a nest egg. A recent Wells Fargo and GfK survey of 1,005 employed millennials age The Student Debt Challenge Helps More Student Loan Borrowers 10/18/2016 08:00pm • About six months ago, the White House announced a campaign -- the Student Debt Challenge -- to raise awareness of the existence of income-driven repayment options. In this week's post, the Student Loan Ranger updates readers on the initiative's impact. There's no argument that college can be expensi How your credit card issuer determines your credit limit 10/18/2016 06:00am • Finding out what your limit would be on a credit card you're interested in is both simple and impossible. It's simple because you just need to apply for the card to get a firm answer. But it's also impossible because you can't get an answer unless you apply. You could try to guesstimate: A good r 5 Things You Need to Know About Prepaid Cards 10/17/2016 08:00pm • Prepaid cards have gained popularity. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, in 2012, prepaid cards had $65 billion uploaded on them; by 2018, that amount is expected to spike to $112 billion. It's easy to understand their appeal. Younger people like prepaid cards because they see it