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Money & Finance
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Window checklist: 5 questions to ask your contractor before replacing windows
(BPT) - Summer’s a good time to tackle home improvement projects that will look great, but also save energy. Window replacement is one project that will help increase the energy efficiency of your home and improve curb appeal. There are often telltale signs a home may be in need of new windows, including air leakage, d...
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Five questions to ask before you tie the knot
(BPT) - “I’m so lucky I’m marrying my best friend,” is a phrase you often hear in wedding toasts. Now that you’ve found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, make sure you protect each other by considering the bigger financial picture. According to Wedding Paper Divas , 47 percent of engaged couples...
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Tips for taking the worries out of finding an investment advisor
When it comes to financial advice, who do you trust? With so many financial professionals to choose from, how do you evaluate who will best be able to guide you? It can be difficult to know who to turn to, and how to gauge the trustworthiness of potential advisors. Economic events of the past few years have fostered a ...
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Thirteen smart financial steps to take in 2013
Many Americans dutifully make New Year’s Resolutions, but unfortunately most get  broken or forgotten before too long. So let’s not call these “New Year’s Financial Resolutions.” Instead, here are 13 smart financial steps that you can take to help get and keep your finances on track in 2013: 1. Establish a budget. Many...
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Tips for managing your credit while traveling
(BPT) - When it comes to the excesses and indulgences of vacation, you might like to think that “what happens in Vegas (or wherever you travel) stays in Vegas.” Unfortunately, poor spending and credit choices made on vacation definitely come home with you, so it’s important to take steps to protect your credit – both be...
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Insurance fraud: A $40 billion battle
(BPT) - The last thing anyone wants is for his or her insurance rates to increase. Most policyholders would be surprised to know it’s the last thing their insurance company wants to happen, too. That's why most major carriers have a department of investigators dedicated to stopping one of the primary causes of rate hike...
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Don't duplicate the stress: think taxes year-round
(BPT) - Now that the April 15 tax filing deadline has passed, so too has the stress associated with filing taxes for most people. This year, resolve to think about taxes early and often so you don’t get caught in a last-minute panic.  Not only does this advance preparation help reduce anxiety, but it also positions you...
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A borrower's guide to impressing a mortgage lender
(BPT) - Who doesn’t like to make a good impression? Whether it’s a first date, meeting the future in-laws for the first time or interviewing for a job, making a good first impression can pave the way for some of life’s happiest experiences. That’s especially true for home-buyers, whose ability to secure their dream home...
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Don't miss out on extra savings this tax season
Tax season is in full swing, and many families are gathering all their information to help them calculate how much of a refund they’ll receive this year. Families have several opportunities to qualify for tax exemptions or refunds, which can add up to a sizeable refund check from the federal government. If you’re expecting a refund this year, be sure to put it to good use. For example, if you have any outstanding credit card debt, a payday loan online or other debts, consider using the re...
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Soul-lifting home improvements that are good for your wallet, too
(BPT) - No matter how value conscious a homeowner may be, few people ever make a home improvement simply to increase their house’s resale value. People also undertake home improvements to enhance their enjoyment of their home – or to fix a problem, which, in its own way, is good for the soul, too. When it comes to deci...
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As housing market warms, keep these buying tips in mind
(BPT) - Ready to buy your first home, or move up to a larger home for your expanding family? Home sales seem to be finally warming up after a five-year chill, as demand gradually builds among first-time homebuyers and existing homeowners seeking more room. Historically low mortgage rates, rising rents and relatively po...
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Financial considerations beyond the 'fiscal cliff'
(BPT) - With the agreement reached at the eleventh hour of 2012 to avert components of the so-called “fiscal cliff,” nearly all taxpayers will be affected in some way.  With that in mind, there are still many things you can do this year to prepare for potential additional tax changes and to take control of your financia...
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national news
Lawyer Cliff Sloan faces tough assignment: Closing Guantanamo

The interior of an unoccupied communal cellblock is seen at Camp VI, a prison used to house detainees at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo BayBy Steve Holland and Lesley Wroughton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Cliff Sloan has represented Jon Bon Jovi's band in legal matters and argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Now, he has perhaps his toughest assignment: Helping to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Washington attorney was named on Monday as the State Department's Guantanamo Bay envoy, a central player in President Barack Obama's renewed push to make good on a 2008 campaign promise to shut the installation where the United States holds terrorism suspects. ...


2013-06-17 20:09:29 -0500
Airlines' performance improves, lags other industries: U.S. poll

A passenger plane approaches to land as other aircraft taxi to the runway at the San Diego International Airport in San Diego, CaliforniaBy Chris Michaud (Reuters) - U.S. consumers are more satisfied with airlines in recent years but the industry still gets relatively low marks, mainly due to the onboard experience, according to a new customer poll released on Tuesday. The American Consumer Satisfaction Index, which surveys some 70,000 U.S. customers annually on more than 40 industries ranging from apparel and hospitals to banks and insurance, found only television and internet service providers ranked lower. ...


2013-06-18 00:16:15 -0500
Lawyers probe jurors for hidden agendas in Trayvon Martin murder case

Trayvon Martin's parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin on the fifth day of jury selection at Seminole circuit court in SanfordBy Barbara Liston SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - A white man with a chest-length gray beard wrote in a questionnaire for prospective jurors that he could keep an open mind about George Zimmerman's guilt or innocence but he failed to mention the $20 donation he made to the murder defendant's legal fund. The donation came to light in open court Monday under questioning by state prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda. "Don't you have a stake in this already?" Rionda asked the man. ...


2013-06-18 00:18:00 -0500
Snowden: U.S. ‘not going to be able to cover this up by jailing or murdering me’
Edward Snowden, America's most-wanted whistle-blower, says the truth about the government spying program he revealed will eventually come out, regardless of what happens to him. "All I can say right now is the US Government is not going to be able to cover this up by jailing or murdering me," Snowden wrote in a live [...]
2013-06-17 09:42:20 -0500