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6 Reasons to Open a Roth IRA for Your Kids 11/17/2015 07:00pm • An extra decade or two of compounded returns may be the best financial gift any parent can give to their kids. This gift can be even more powerful if you encourage your children to open a Roth IRA, which could allow them to never pay tax on the investment gains. Both my children will open Roth IRAs 8 Lessons to Learn After Being Fired 11/17/2015 07:00pm • Getting fired can be the greatest gift your employer can give you. Let's look at the positive side of getting axed. You now have the opportunity to move on and into a new role with a new company doing something you will enjoy. Even if you think you loved your last job, there were things about it t Tips from the Postal Service on holiday shipping 11/16/2015 12:14pm • WASHINGTON — Who better than the U.S. Postal Service to give advice on mailing holiday packages? John Budzynski, consumer advocate for the United States Postal Service, Budzynski, tells WTOP it’s USPS' busiest time of year, and the new emphasis on online purchases and shipping means that it's 5 Simple Ways to Rack Up Rewards Points This Holiday 11/11/2015 07:00pm • Frequent flier miles and hotel loyalty points aren't just for road warriors anymore. Even if you're not a frequent flier with top-tier status and hundreds of thousands of miles under your belt, you can still collect lucrative perks and points in outside-the-box ways, from using shopping portals to d 9 ways to save when holiday shopping with credit cards 11/09/2015 07:00pm • The gift of credit card perks. Your holiday shopping plan may need to include a credit card strategy, too. That's because buying with some credit cards gives you purchase protection, a refund if the price drops, an extended return period or a longer warranty. Plus, card issuers may have deals wit From Buddy Holly to Frank Sinatra, singer-songwriter Paul Anka hits Strathmore 'His Way' 11/05/2015 02:55am • WASHINGTON — He hit the airwaves at the birth of rock 'n roll, hung out with the likes of Buddy Holly and The Rat Pack, battled Bobby Darin in a friendly rivalry to see who could top the music charts, and penned a number of legendary hits for other artists from Tom Jones to Frank Sinatra. N 6 reasons to start your holiday shopping early 11/04/2015 07:00pm • Each year, the holiday shopping season starts a little earlier, and this year is no different. With Halloween behind us, major retailers began holiday sales this week to officially kick it off. There's no doubt that there will be steep discounts during "Deals Week" leading up to Black Friday and 11 surefire ways to waste money during the holidays 11/04/2015 07:00pm • Retailers use "can't miss" sales, dazzling displays, sweet holiday scents and music to entice people to spend more money during the holiday season than at any other time of year. And it works. Holiday sales are expected to reach $630.5 billion in 2015, a 3.7 percent increase over last year, accordin What Are Your Best Saving Options as You Near Retirement? 10/28/2015 08:00pm • As retirement gets closer, Americans know they need to save more. But what is the best approach for the over 50 crowd? As you near the end of your working life, are you better off putting money in a company 401(k), an individual retirement account or a health savings account? The self-employed, who Protecting holiday gift packages from porch thieves 10/27/2015 12:55pm • WASHINGTON – FedEx and Amazon expect to move a record number of packages this holiday season, but click-happy consumers can avoid having packages pile up on porches as attractive targets for thieves. Suggestions for preventing porch pirates from pilfering packages include having them delivered Director William Friedkin visits DC for 'Exorcist' commemoration and shares his favorite scenes 10/26/2015 02:55am • WASHINGTON — He won Best Picture and Best Director for "The French Connection" (1971) then proceeded to make arguably the scariest movie of all time with "The Exorcist" (1973). This Friday, Oct. 30, legendary director William Friedkin will join writer William Peter Blatty atop the infamous Year-end financial planning guide: Moves you need to make before Dec. 31 10/22/2015 10:45am • WASHINGTON — When December rolls around, do you ever wish you had more time to look over your finances and do something that would lower your taxes or put more money in your pocket before those opportunities go away at year-end? If you answered yes, then this three-part, year-end planning seri Trick or treat? How to spot retail traps 10/21/2015 02:00pm • Treats and trickery are popular themes this month as families prepare to celebrate Halloween. They're also strategies used by retailers to get consumers to spend more. Customers focused on getting a bargain may not notice the following traps used to part them with their hard-earned cash. And t Eddie Murphy honored for comedy by Kennedy Center 10/19/2015 03:48am • WASHINGTON — It was a raw Sunday night at the Kennedy Center as celebrities paid tribute to legendary actor and comedian Eddie Murphy. Murphy was awarded the 18th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, an award that has gone to such comedy titans as Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lily Pay Yourself First: Save for Retirement, Then College for the Kids 10/14/2015 08:00pm • Most parents want to provide as much as possible for their kids. But between summer camps, private schools and college, parents sometimes overextend themselves, putting their retirement savings on the back burner. Juggling multiple financial goals can be difficult. For many families, there's a gap