A pair of studies released Thursday found that more homeowners are choosing to let an underwater home go into foreclosure, despite their ability to continue to make payments. Researchers at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University found that 31% of foreclosures appeared to be strategic, up from 22% in last year.
Beth Braverman - Apr 30, 2010 4:12 PM ET
The strategy
Buy a safety razor -- yes, the kind Grandpa used. While the razor costs about five times more than the typical multiblade cartridge kind, its blades will run about $30 a year, vs. $50 and up for cartridge refills. Plus, a safety razor lasts a lifetime and looks a heck of a lot better on your bathroom shelf than a plastic one. Will you get a good shave? Absolutely MORE
Carolyn Bigda - Apr 29, 2010 4:55 PM ET
Weigh in with your own advice for readers facing tough financial decisions or grappling with challenging situations involving money, manners, and ethics.
When your children are making more than you are, is it okay to expect them to contribute to joint vacations, meals out, etc? --Sara Taylor
A Money Editor - Apr 28, 2010 5:26 PM ET
Weigh in with your own advice for readers facing tough financial decisions or grappling with challenging situations involving money, manners, and ethics.
Is there a good way to collect on a debt from a relative who hasn't paid up despite a written loan agreement? --D.R. Bishop
A Money Editor - Apr 26, 2010 5:23 PM ET
Weigh in with your own advice for readers facing tough financial decisions or grappling with challenging situations involving money, manners, and ethics.
Question: Is it ethical to check on your spouse's credit card balances? --Michael
A Money Editor - Apr 23, 2010 5:32 PM ET
Charles Schwab said Tuesday it will pay $200 million to settle a portion of a lawsuit filed over losses suffered by its YieldPlus bond fund, which plaintiffs alleged had been marketed as a safe alternative to cash. More Money had written about this case earlier this month.
In a statement, the company said that settling "allows the company to avoid the distraction and uncertainty of a trial, and the further possibility MORE
Lisa Gibbs - Apr 20, 2010 6:33 PM ET
A new survey out today from Hewitt Associates finds that 401(k) investors haven't been very busy lately. Just 16% of participants made any kind of fund transfer in 2009, vs. about 20% the year earlier. In other words, relatively few people noticed the 27%-return rally in the works and said to themselves, "Hey, I should jump back into stock funds." That's good... and it's bad. And it's an opportunity to MORE
Pat Regnier - Apr 20, 2010 3:47 PM ET
By Kate Ashford
Robert And Sharon Nelson have no trouble saving. They're setting aside nearly 14% of their income for retirement and have amassed more than $250,000 overall. And since Robert is an instructor at Penn State, the couple's 4-year-old daughter, Olivia, is nearly set for college -- the school will pay 75% of her tuition if she attends.
But Robert, 40, and Sharon, 37, a sales commission manager, want to retire MORE
A Money Editor - Apr 19, 2010 5:57 PM ET
In the wake of Friday's civil fraud complaint filed against Goldman Sachs, the blogosphere has had all weekend to reflect upon the implications of the news. Here's some of the best commentary:
"Wall Street has gotten a lot of mileage," notes Ezra Klein, "out of the accusation that the political system simply doesn't understand how Wall Street works. And that's, well, correct. The problem is that Wall Street also doesn't understand MORE George Mannes - Apr 19, 2010 10:43 AM ET
Weigh in with your own advice for readers facing tough financial decisions or grappling with challenging situations involving money, manners, and ethics.
Question: When out to dinner with friends, what's the most polite way to get heavier drinkers to pay proportionately more for their share of the check? -- Jason Young
A Money Editor - Apr 19, 2010 9:09 AM ET
Post questions about your investments, savings, credit, debt, retirement planning or any other aspect of your financial life, and our team of experts will provide the answers.
A Money Editor - Apr 19, 2010 8:44 AM ET
Tell us the most outrageous fee or other practice you've ever been hit with by a bank, credit card issuer, mutual fund company or brokerage. Or the worst service by a financial services company or other violation of your rights as an investor, saver or consumer. Money editors will round up the most egregious ones for our first-ever Financial Beef Awards.
A Money Editor - Apr 19, 2010 8:42 AM ET
Financial reform news from around the Web:
The 1,300-page financial reform bill before Congress contains plenty of controversial provisions. Here's a rundown of five issues that promise heated debate between lawmakers and lobbyists. [Mother Jones]
An anonymous veteran banker opens up about what he sees as a faulty financial system and the necessity of breaking up banks that are Too Big To Fail. He also discusses the need for whistleblower protection. [The MORE
Beth Braverman - Apr 16, 2010 5:04 PM ET
The Securities and Exchange Commission's civil fraud charges against Goldman Sachs will no doubt help stoke populist anti-Wall Street sentiment. But the specifics of the complaint, if they turn out to be true, are also a blow to the intellectual underpinnings of anti-regulatory philosophy. And it could give Democrats the advantage in pushing their financial reform measures over the top.
Pat Regnier - Apr 16, 2010 4:01 PM ET
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A Money Editor - Apr 15, 2010 5:25 PM ET
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