Online Features
Money & Finance
How age and ethnicity influence women's financial security
(BPT) - The need for retirement security cuts across all social, gender and ethnic lines. The fact is, everyone is going to age and will need support after leaving the workforce. Studies show that women approach this issue differently than men, and women of different ethnicities have varying viewpoints when it comes to ...
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One more use for your tax refund: Take control of your debt
(BPT) - If you’re anticipating a tax refund this year, chances are you’ve already thought about how you’ll spend the money. Maybe you’ll pay bills, fund your summer vacation or treat yourself to something nice. Here’s one more excellent use for your tax refund: take control of your debt. From bolstering your savings to...
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Retirement planning? Tips for getting the most out of Social Security
(BPT) - The majority of Americans support continuing the Social Security program, even if they are decades away from drawing benefits, a 2010 survey by AARP found. Nevertheless, with the program’s future financial viability an ongoing subject of political debate, many people may undervalue the role Social Security can...
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Preparing your credit profile for the spring real estate season
(BPT) - When you are out shoveling snow and scraping ice off the car’s windshield, winter can seem like an eternity. Yet when it comes to your credit profile, house-hunting and the spring real estate season is just around the corner. “Warm weather will bring an increase in homes on the market and buyers shopping, so it...
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Get the most from your mobile phone service
(BPT) - With more than 320 million mobile phones in the country, it’s no surprise that most Americans say wireless phone access is so important that it would be the last item they would give up if money were tight. What may raise an eyebrow is what else they’re willing to cut to keep their mobile phones: cable TV, perso...
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Five tips to get the best deal on the right tax software
(BPT) - Finding the right tax software can be just as important to ensuring the best possible return as making sure you have all the necessary documents and information. And when you factor in all the different tax software products available and the associated costs, finding the right program can be just as complicated...
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Will your taxes go up in the new year?
When the clock strikes midnight on December 31, 2012, many Americans will celebrate the arrival of a new year with streamers, confetti and a round of “Auld Lang Syne.” But when they wake up the next morning, January 1, 2013, they may not be as excited to learn that their federal taxes have increased. As things stand no...
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As high-tech holiday shopping surges, security becomes a priority
(BPT) - Whether it’s at the mall, on a computer or on a smartphone, the holiday shopping season is here. As shoppers hunt down the most coveted items, the best deals and the most convenient ways to get them, where and how they shop is evolving. With the increasing ease of shopping online or on a mobile device, new conce...
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'Til death do us part, but how do you handle 'in sickness and in health'?
(BPT) - Apparently “in sickness and in health” can mean different things to men and women. As the population ages and the need for extended health care increases, a recent nationwide omnibus survey of 1,005 American adults shows that men and women approach the issue of long-term care planning and insurance from differen...
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How to get a discount on expensive health care prescriptions
(BPT) - After Carol Vanderploeg’s family experienced a double-job loss last spring; she worried about affording the $1,300 average monthly cost of her husband’s epilepsy prescriptions. The couple only had enough pills to last a few months when they moved to Augusta, Ga., in search of new jobs. Even after finding anothe...
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Boomerang kids: When your empty nest fills up again
(BPT) - With a slowly growing economy and a still sluggish job market, there has been a continued increase in children moving back home after having lived independently on their own. These so called “boomerang kids” are popping up more frequently and when this situation is managed improperly, it can cause serious tensio...
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Smart credit card use for holiday shoppers
(BPT) - What would holiday shopping be without credit cards? Using credit cards wisely can help you score some good deals, and offers a layer of consumer protection that cash and debit cards can’t. Still, if you get carried away with holiday spending, the season’s “Ho, ho, ho!” can turn into “Oh, oh, oh!” come January w...
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By Chris Francescani (Reuters) - A massive storm front swept north through the central United States on Sunday, hammering the region with fist-sized hail, blinding rain and tornadoes, including a half-mile wide twister that struck near Oklahoma City. News reports said at least one person had died. By 9:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, more than two dozen tornadoes had been spotted in parts of Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas and Illinois, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and local news reports. ...
PHOENIX (Reuters) - Jodi Arias, facing the possible death penalty for the murder of an ex-boyfriend in Arizona, was due back in court on Monday for the final phase of a four-month-long trial. Arias, 32, was found guilty of murdering Travis Alexander, whose body was found slumped in the shower of his Phoenix-area home five years ago. He had been stabbed multiple times, had his throat slashed and been shot in the face. The same jury that convicted Arias of murder, found last week she had acted with extreme cruelty and ruled her eligible for the death penalty. ...
By Tom Polansek and Mark Weinraub SHERIDAN, Illinois (Reuters) - With the U.S. spring planting season off to a historically slow start, an increasing number of farmers are counting on powerful tools to catch up: Monster machines that sow 36 rows of corn at once and feature high-tech innovations like computer-guided directional equipment. The technological wizardry from companies like Deere & Co and AGCO Corp is pitted in a frantic race against time, with farmers scrambling to get seeds in the ground because a slow start depresses yields and reduces the size of their harvest. ...