Topic: Cost of Living

Top galleries, list articles, quizzes

Top 10 cities where house prices are rising

House prices continue to fall nationwide, but here and there they’ve begun to turn up as Americans return to the housing market. Which 10 metropolitan areas have seen the biggest increase in the past year? The winners, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), include a state capital, a furniture-making center, and a resort that was once America’s foreclosure capital. Can you guess who they are?
7 gifts for history and geography fans

From a massive atlas to a comprehensive history of the White House, here are 7 of the best history and geography gift books of the season.
5 financial steps to take before you buy a car

The 2012 car models will soon roll out to dealerships. If you’re looking to buy a car, you've undoubtedly done your research in advance about the right model and trim. The key to affording your dream ride works the same way: Get your financial situation under control before you step foot on the car lot. Here are five crucial steps to take that will help you save thousands of dollars when you buy a car:
Hurricane insurance: Do you have it? Need it? Six things to know.

As hurricane Irene heads for the East Coast, here are answers to six key questions about insurance.
Stocks plunge: four factors behind investor pessimism

The stock market is tanking. At midday Aug. 4, the Dow had fallen 300 points. The bond market is also beginning to growl like a bear. Investors are buying long-dated bonds while eschewing shorter-term securities to protect their assets, a clear indication that they feel the economy is likely to weaken further. High-profile economists are also turning gloomy. Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers put the chances of another recession at 1-in-3; Harvard economist Martin Feldstein put it at 1-in-2. What's behind all the pessimism? Here are four big factors that are weighing on stocks and could determine the course of the global economy in the coming months:

All Content

Trayvon Martin case: Online fund for George Zimmerman now being tapped

Some $50,000 from an online defense fund for suspect George Zimmerman has been tapped to cover his living expenses and security, pending trial. He pleaded not guilty this week to second-degree murder in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin.
The Simple Dollar
401(k) savings: Huge plus, even when retiring at 45

401(k) savings defer taxes and can fund second retirement phase for high earner who wants to retire at 45. See question No. 2 in the reader mailbag for 401(k) discussion. 
Unity and spirituality in Russia

A Christian Science perspective.
The Simple Dollar
401(k) plans: A way to save for house down payment?

401(k) plans sometimes allow you to borrow from them. So are 401(k) plans a good way to save for buying a home? Question No. 6 in this reader mailbag.
Youth discontent drives vote to oust Senegal's president

Despite President Wade's achievements in fixing infrastructure, high unemployment and rising prices spur frustration among Senegal's youthful majority.
Top 10 cities where house prices are rising

House prices continue to fall nationwide, but here and there they’ve begun to turn up as Americans return to the housing market. Which 10 metropolitan areas have seen the biggest increase in the past year? The winners, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), include a state capital, a furniture-making center, and a resort that was once America’s foreclosure capital. Can you guess who they are?
The Daily Reckoning
Could you ride out a Great Depression?

When the Great Depression hit, many Americans were able to live off the land and wait it out.  In today's sour economy, that's less of an option.
The Simple Dollar
How to live within your paycheck

With a new, higher paying job or a raise often comes "lifestyle inflation"–the temptation to spend wildly beyond your means. Here are the ways avoid overdoing it.
Stefan Karlsson
Inflation is bad for debtors, worse for creditors

Inflation isn't as good for debtors as is commonly assumed, but it's unequivocally bad for creditors whose investments lose value proportionate to inflation.
7 gifts for history and geography fans

From a massive atlas to a comprehensive history of the White House, here are 7 of the best history and geography gift books of the season.
The Simple Dollar
Credit card debt: Indebted mom wants to buy me a TV. Should I accept?

Credit card debt is burdening mother, so how should responsible daughter respond? Also, contribute to charity or pay off credit card debt? Questions 10 and 4 in this reader mailbag.
The Simple Dollar
Retirement: Fund the 401(k) to the max – or not?

Retirement strategy says get your employer's 401(k) match, then a Roth. Retirement question is No. 1 in the reader mailbag.
Seven days left: Is super committee ball now in Democrats' court?

Following a GOP proposal on the deficit-cutting 'super committee' to raise tax revenues, Republicans say it's the Democrats' turn to show they're serious by making cuts in entitlement spending.
Robert Reich
Greeks' choice–and ours: Democracy or finance?

Greek Prime Minister George Papandereou called for a national vote on the budget cuts Europe has proposed for his country. Shouldn't US voters have had the same choice?
5 financial steps to take before you buy a car

The 2012 car models will soon roll out to dealerships. If you’re looking to buy a car, you've undoubtedly done your research in advance about the right model and trim. The key to affording your dream ride works the same way: Get your financial situation under control before you step foot on the car lot. Here are five crucial steps to take that will help you save thousands of dollars when you buy a car:
The Simple Dollar
Handling life's crossroads

Some decisions are so big that they will affect he trajectory of your entire life. Here are some ways to handle those big decisions.
The Daily Reckoning
The new American standard of living

Americans are getting poorer faster than they got rich
Medicare premiums taketh what Social Security giveth?

Medicare premiums are slated to rise – by about $10 a month – for most recipients in 2012. These higher Medicare premiums will eat into the extra $39 a month that the average Social Security recipient is expected to get from next year's cost-of-living adjustment.
Social Security increase reduced after Medicare premiums increase

Social Security increase less than previously thought after Medicare premiums: The anticipated 3.6 percent increase in Social Security payout next year will only amount to $29 extra per month on average after an increase of Medicare premiums.
A long, steep drop for Americans' standard of living

Not since at least 1960 has the US standard of living fallen so fast for so long. The average American has $1,315 less in annual disposable income now than at the onset of the Great Recession.
Social Security recipients see 3.5 percent raise

Social Security recipients have not received a raise since 2009. That is set to change in 2012, when Social Security checks will be about 3.5 percent more than the last two years.
Economist Mom
AARP's offensive new ad campaign

AARP's new ad campaign deems Social Security and Medicare benefits off limits. But would most members agree with that position if they understood it was just insuring that even more of the debt would be shifted to their children and grandchildren?
Social Security: seniors to see COLA increase in 2012

After an unprecedented two years of no cost-of-living adjustment, Social Security is poised to boost payments in January, a private group calculates. Social Security COLA will be between 3.5 and 3.7 percent.
Stefan Karlsson
Do people earn more or less in Texas?

The average income is lower than the national average, yet whites, blacks, and hispanics all have higher income in Texas than in the rest of the country.
Obama's 'Buffett tax' plan hurts hardworking average families, too

Obama’s new tax initiative supposedly targets millionaires, but he is also proposing limits to deductions and exclusions for families making $250,000 or more. That would hurt average, hardworking families living in high-cost regions.