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Money & Finance
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Making the most of your money when it comes to estate planning
Setting up an estate plan is a good investment for the future. But you can also be a careful steward of your financial assets now, with careful and organized planning as you go through the estate planning process.
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One size doesn't fit all life insurance needs
Life is full of phases and milestones, and each one could change your life insurance needs. Whether you're starting a new job or retiring, single or just married, deployed by the military or leaving the service, buying a home or having a baby, each transition in your unique circumstances merits a financial re-examination.
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This back-to-school season, stock up on college funding advice
Back-to-school shopping season means big sales for retailers selling pencils, backpacks, clothes and tech gadgets. Young parents know that as children get older, their back-to-school list grows with them. Eventually for many, that list will grow to include dorm necessities, textbooks and yes, college tuition. Parents, if...
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Private investors not the only ones adding gold to portfolios
Since the onset of the recession when many investment portfolios took a hit, there has been a lot of talk about the value of investing in gold as one way for investors to protect against market volatility and preserve wealth. Now, as policy makers both here and in Europe take steps to stimulate economic growth, there is ...
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Growing families looking for larger homes
More and more households have extended family living together under one roof, and the tight fit has some families in the market for a larger home. For the "Sandwich Generation," a generation of people who are caring for their aging parents while supporting their own children, there are advantages to having children and grandparents under one roof such as sharing of household responsibilities and finances and increased focus on family time together. With these advantages, however, there may be...
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Social Security recipients embrace electronic payments, give high marks to Treasury-recommended prepaid card
If you receive one of the 6 million paper checks for your monthly Social Security or other federal benefit, the time has come to switch to the safety and convenience of electronic payments.
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Safeguard the big day: How to protect the wedding of your dreams
Planning a wedding has many important components, with decisions to make on everything from finding the perfect flowers to choosing the right location. For brides- and grooms-to-be, one important choice that shouldn't be overlooked is the idea of purchasing wedding insurance. Because no matter how carefully a couple plan...
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Turn health into wealth
Health care today is expensive, but there are ways that you can give your wallet a break. One of the best ways to make health care more affordable is to avoid the need for medical care in the first place. More than 75 percent of health care costs are attributed to chronic illness, most of which are controllable, if not p...
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Disability insurance: protecting your future
There is a common misperception that most disabilities are caused by accidents. In reality, the majority of disabilities are caused by illness. You might think it won't happen to you. And perhaps it won't. But in 2009, more than 15 million Americans experienced a disability that prevented them from working.
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Eight reasons to review your life insurance
Life insurance might not be as common as you think. Did you know that 30 percent of American households have no form of life insurance whatsoever, leaving millions to struggle to cover day-to-day expenses if a main breadwinner were to pass away? Even if you already have life insurance, financial and insurance professiona...
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Renting: a financially smart option for small business
Starting a business is a huge endeavor for entrepreneurs, especially when larger expense items are on the required equipment list. During a business's first few years of operation, renting equipment, rather than purchasing it outright, can allow the company to save money and invest toward becoming established.
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For today's teens, the time to plan for college expenses is now
When it comes to planning for college, most parents are sure of just two things: They want their child to get a college degree, and they'll need a smart savings plan in place to ensure college expenses are covered.
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national news

Boy Scouts statue titled Trail to Manhood outside the National Scouting Museum in IrvingBy Marice Richter GRAPEVINE, Texas (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to lift a ban on openly gay scouts that had been in place throughout the organization's 103-year history, capping weeks of intense lobbying on both sides, the group said in a statement. More than 60 percent of the group's National Council, composed of some 1,400 delegates, voted to end the ban effective January 1, 2014. A prohibition on openly gay adult leaders remains in place. ...


Thu May 23 18:30:11 UTC 2013

U.S. President Barack Obama pauses during speech at the National Defense University in WashingtonBy Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he directed Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a review of Department of Justice guidelines for investigations that involve journalists and report back by early July. Obama has come under criticism for his administration's pursuit of journalists who have reported leaked material. In recent weeks, it emerged that the Justice Department seized Associated Press phone records as part of a probe into leaks about a 2012 Yemen-based plot to bomb a U.S. ...


Thu May 23 17:52:12 UTC 2013

Jodi Arias addresses the jury during the penalty phase of her murder trial in PhoenixBy Tim Gaynor PHOENIX (Reuters) - An Arizona jury weighing whether Jodi Arias should be put to death for the brutal murder of her ex-boyfriend deadlocked on Thursday and the judge ordered a retrial of the penalty phase of the case. Arias, a former waitress from California, was found guilty this month in the murder of Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home in June 2008. He was stabbed 27 times, had his throat slashed and was shot in the face. ...


Thu May 23 19:06:11 UTC 2013
[Updated at 6:55 p.m. CT] DALLAS – The Boy Scouts of America, one of the country’s largest and oldest youth organizations, decided on Thursday to break 103 years of tradition by allowing openly gay members into its ranks. The controversial move was approved by more than 60 percent of the approximate 1,400 votes cast by [...]
Thu May 23 18:55:38 UTC 2013