It’s hard to live without a checking account. But it’s also hard to live with the fees you can rack up if you overdraw it, and banks are only too happy to help you do it. For example, many clear checks by size rather than sequence.
Say you have $1000 in your account. You write 4 checks throughout one day: three [...]

The bailout of our banking system, considered a short-term solution by many experts, could end up costing you big in the long-term.  Of course, there’s the $700 billion required to buy up bad mortgages, but there are also a host of potential costs that you may not be aware of.
First, you should probably expect some [...]

I wanted to take this opportunity to say a few words about the situation we’re in, how we got here, what’s likely to happen in the days ahead and what you should be doing to protect your family’s finances. These are my thoughts alone…not any station’s, network, or website. And while I have more than [...]

The FDIC just released a list of more than a hundred troubled banks.  Is yours one of them?  More importantly… should you care?
The FDIC’s “Troubled Bank” List currently contains more than 100 banks which were recently revealed as having capital issues.  But, let’s just keep things in perspective.  According to the FDIC, during the banking [...]

There are a few situations where using your credit card has some distinct advantages over paying with cash. For example, there’s protection in plastic when you make big purchases, like a TV. If your purchase was damaged or defective, you can always withhold payment while you and your credit card company work with [...]

It used to be that when you wrote a check, you had time to make a deposit to cover it, because the money wouldn’t leave your account for days. But now, thanks to modern technology and new banking regulations, that float’s gone from days to hours… but that doesn’t mean you can’t buy some [...]

Credit Unions traditionally offer higher interest rates and lower fees than banks. The only problem: if you want to make a deposit or use an ATM, visiting a branch of your union might not be convenient or even possible. But, thanks to “Credit Union Sharing”, that’s all about to change.
Credit unions are joining [...]

If you’re keeping money in the bank, you know how low rates are. And if you’ve done any food shopping lately, you know how high prices are. But what you may not have considered is what low savings rates and high inflation can do to your savings.
Think about this… the inflation rate this year [...]

If you’ve got a retirement plan at work, stocks, mutual funds or other types of investments, you’re already well on your way to savings-land. But, there are 5 common mistakes that will quickly steer you off track, definitely cost you money and potentially screw up your savings for good.

Mismatching your investment with your goal [...]

Paying your bills online not only saves money, but trees, water and all kinds of other resources as well. But making electronic payments… especially automatically… carries some unique problems as well. Should you or shouldn’t you?

There are few people who haven’t considered a loan from a family member. But before you tread this potentially perilous path, consider getting some outside help.

You know you made yourself a promise to to do better both physically and financially this year. Well, we’ve got some tips to beef up that bank account.

Among the most common New Years resolutions is to sticking to a budget. If that sounds familiar, you’ll appreciate the next story: money reporter Stacy Johnson provides some expert guidance when it comes to tracking the family finances.

You don’t really have to worry about inflation this year…. unless you drive a car, go to college or pay for health insurance. Where price increases will be great in 2008…

Do you think you know what’s going to happen to interest rates, the economy and the stock market this year? Compare your guesses to those of the experts.