With all the turmoil in the market, how about a fun blast from the past?   “What Makes Us Tick” is a cartoon produced in 1952 by Sutherland Productions and sponsored by the New York Stock Exchange.   Following the story of John Q. Public, a “Joe The Plumber” from the 50’s, it gives an [...]

If you’ve been watching the news lately, you might’ve seen something about the economy… but in case you’ve been living in a cave, things are bad.  Are we on the verge of another depression?  Should you be scared by what you see happening in the stock market?
Let’s take a stroll through history… all the way [...]

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 [...]

With all the talk of banks going under, what about your stock brokerage?  If it fails, is your money insured?
As it turns out, brokerages are required to be members of the SIPC, or Security Investor Protection Corporation.  It’s like the FDIC in a lot of ways, but unlike the FDIC, the SIPC is not backed [...]

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 University of Iowa sponsors a low-stakes trading market where participants can put wagers on “political futures”. The surprise? Betters are more accurate than polls at predicting election outcomes.
If you look at polls run during the election and we’ve looked at about 600 polls, what we found is 75% of the cases, the [...]

Saving an extra couple of hundred dollars each month is easier than you might think. It starts by taking a hard look at all the little expenses you rack up, and cutting the “money pits” from your daily spending.
The first thing you need to do is track where every dollar goes for one month. [...]

Wouldn’t you like to have your savings in a place that would return double digits even when the stock market is lousy? There might be a way, providing you’re willing to “hedge” your bets.

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 [...]

Do you know the difference between a CPA and a CFU? How about a CFP and a CFA? If you’re going to get financial advice, descrambling this alphabet soup of designations is a must… otherwise, you could end up with a Farm Manager (AFM) instead of a Financial Manager (CFM).
You’ll recognize a few of the [...]

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 [...]

Housing Futures allow you to trade the real estate market as if it were stock. Think prices will go down in one area? Short some housing futures. Think they’ll go up? Buy some futures. So, the concept should be familiar, but with the housing market in the tank, the potential [...]

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.

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.

When you hear the words, ‘non-profit’ you often think of low-paid workers or even volunteers: people in it for the love, not for the money. But there are charities that contribute big to their bosses.

You want to donate food to help starving people: how big a bite is that charity taking? How to give charities a check before you write them a check.

The President of the United States is expected to help manage the world’s biggest economy. But when it comes to money, which of the current candidates does the at managing their own?

If you carry a balance on one or more credit cards, you’re not alone: according to the Federal Reserve, nearly half of American families do. And nearly half of American families also have some sort of bank savings accounts. If you have savings, should you use that money to pay off your credit cards?

You’ve got a little extra cash coming in…do you invest it, or would it be smarter to pay extra on your mortgage? Let’s find out: simple answers to complex questions: that’s coming up on Money Talks.