Online Features
Money & Finance
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Make your house look like a 'million dollar listing' for less
(BPT) - A new report reveals houses are selling faster and for more money, yet another indicator of a rebounding housing market. According to the National Association of Realtors, full-year sales of previously owned homes increased by 9 percent in 2012 over the previous year. Plus, home prices jumped up 12.3 percent, th...
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Solid retirement planning a must for Generations X and Y
(BPT) - When it comes to making plans for retirement years , today’s younger workers are struggling to make heads or tails of all the resources and products available to them through work and personal investments. Younger professionals who fit into the Gen X and Gen Y categories also are not taking advantage of financi...
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Extend your car's longevity with these spring cleaning tips
(BPT) - The open road lies in front of millions of drivers who are ready to lower the windows and feel the warm breeze. Nothing curbs the excitement of a spring drive more than car issues that could have been avoided by simple maintenance to combat the lasting effects of driving through winter. Many people consider spr...
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Top three reasons to find your banking bliss
(BPT) - What would you do with an extra hour this week? Maybe you would sit down to watch your favorite TV program, jump back into that book you’ve been dying to finish, or pick up the phone to catch up with an old friend. Gaining an hour this week may be as simple as having a good relationship with your bank. “A recen...
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2013 tax season tips
(BPT) - It’s tax season and, as always, there are many new rules that can create traps for the unwary. But with a few tips and tricks, you can help minimize your taxes and maximize your overall long-term financial position. Consider the following five tax tips from Robert Fishbein, vice president and corporate counsel, Prudential Financial , who has more than 25 years of experience in tax law. 1. Last minute retirement funding - You can still make a $5,000 2012 contribution to your tradit...
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Five common credit report errors to watch out for
(BPT) - Everyone makes money mistakes. Some are harmless – like writing last year’s date on checks or buying a big-screen TV the day before they go on sale. Others can be downright harmful, especially when they could mean the difference between getting a good interest rate and paying thousands more in interest over the ...
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A strong financial education makes good 'cents'
(BPT) - Millennials, also known as Generation Y or those born between 1978 and 1994, are money movers. They’re wielding more purchasing power, spending $200 billion annually, and are expected to outspend the baby boomer generation by 2017, according to Kelton Research. At the same time, they face an increasingly complex...
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A bright idea: Tips to save money, energy with LED light bulbs
(BPT) - What could you do in 23 years? A lot, apparently – you could trip your way to an Oscar win like Jennifer Lawrence. Better yet, what about banking billions by 23 like Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg? You could have a baby, send them to college and buy them their first (legal) libation … all before having to change a...
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How to take advantage of home improvement tax rebates before time runs out
(BPT) - When U.S. lawmakers made a deal to keep the country from going off the “fiscal cliff” at the end of 2012, they reinstated a tax break of up to $500 to help homeowners earn money back for energy efficient home improvements. The tax credit included in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 is the first home impr...
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Taking the intimidation out of saving for retirement
(BPT) - Saving for retirement is a scary prospect for many Americans. In fact, just 14 percent feel confident they will have enough money to live on when they retire, according to the 2012 Retirement Confidence Survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute . And 60 percent say they have less than $25,000 saved for ...
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Relax while planning your wedding with these financial and budgeting tips
(BPT) - Planning and organizing a large and complex special event can quickly overwhelm a bride and groom-to-be, especially if the couple has no previous experience or training in large event organization. In addition to all the details of the invite list, the location for all activities for the big day and the special ...
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How to manage money when you're between jobs
(BPT) - Though the U.S. economy has been gradually improving, job changes - both involuntary and voluntary - remain a fact of American working life. “It's also a fact that bills need to be paid whether you're employed or not,” says J.J. Montanaro, a certified financial planner with USAA . To help you cover expenses and protect your finances as you transition from one job to the next, Montanaro offers these tips. 1. Decide how to collect your final pay If leaving your job wasn't your ide...
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national news
Boston poised to begin condom giveaway in high schools

A bowl of free New York City condoms are seen in a lobby at the AIDS Service Center of New York City (ASC/NYC) lower Manhattan headquartersBy Stephanie Simon (Reuters) - Students at all Boston public high schools may soon be able to obtain free condoms at the front office - as long as they sit through a few minutes of counseling about safe sex - under a policy due to be voted on Wednesday by the school board. Condoms are already available in 19 high schools with on-site health centers. The policy, up for a vote by the Boston School Committee, would expand distribution to all 32 high schools in the system. Parents would have the right to exempt their children. Several U.S. ...


2013-06-19 14:52:05 -0500
Jury selection in Trayvon Martin murder case moves into final phase

Defense Attorney O'Mara and prosecutor de la Rionda talk as jury selection continues in George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial in SanfordBy Barbara Liston SANFORD, Florida (Reuters) - The final round of jury selection began in Florida on Wednesday in the trial of a former neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, who is charged with the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager in February last year. Lawyers on both sides are working to whittle down a group of 40 potential jurors to form a panel of six and at least four alternates with the expectation that prosecutors and lawyers will deliver opening arguments on Monday. ...


2013-06-19 13:48:47 -0500
Theft of F-35 design data is helping U.S. adversaries: Pentagon

Handout photo of three F-35 Joint Strike Fighters flying over Edwards Air Force BaseBy David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The theft of sensitive design data by hackers targeting programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter takes away a big U.S. advantage by allowing rivals to speed up development of their own stealth aircraft, a top Pentagon official said on Wednesday. Defense acquisitions chief Frank Kendall told a Senate hearing he was reasonably confident that classified information related to the development of the F-35 was well-protected. "But I'm not at all confident that our unclassified information is as well-protected," he said. ...


2013-06-19 13:41:54 -0500
New York City residents sort their garbage as part of new composting program
NEW YORK -- Staten Island resident Donna Lokhammer can add another chore to her list: sorting through her garbage for organic waste like potato peels, coffee grounds, and chicken bones, and gathering these scraps in a bin to be put out on curb every Saturday morning. “I’m not so crazy about the size of the [...]
2013-06-19 14:29:37 -0500