Where can you get the best terms on a new loan? Frequently, it is the family bank, meaning Mom and Dad, your successful big brother or your great aunt Doris. You may be able to typically get away with a low interest rate, or possibly no interest at all. Trouble is, loans among family members [...]

1. “Like it or not, you may need help with your taxes.” When Cindy Hockenberry and her husband sent in a tax penalty payment in 2007, they knew there was a chance their math may not jibe with the IRS’s. When that turned out to be true and the total was much higher than projected, [...]

Chances are it is the price of gas, not auto insurance, that is driving you to the poor house. But if you want to cut your auto insurance premiums to the bone, avoid small, fast cars. “It’s a common denominator among vehicles that have the highest losses many of smaller, sportier vehicles, says Russ Rader, [...]

1. “We’ll do it our way.” You’ve been planning your wedding for months if not years and the tiniest detail is taken into account. Too bad that all too frequently, the people you hire to help carry out the plans are oblivious to what you want. When Mary Jane Shroyer of Decatur, Ga., arrived at [...]

PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS Wondering if they can subtract certain things from their taxes &mdash, like red wine as a health related expense nice try. The common question: if they can write off their car as a business expense. For most, the answer is “no.” You usually can not, as an example, subtract the cost of [...]

LIKE BEER PONG AND illegal music swapping, student loans became an unavoidable part of the college experience. Graduate students paid more than three quarters 76 of their 2004 05 school bills using student loans, as indicated by the College Board, a nonprofit organization for education testing and info. And almost half 46 of undergraduates’ costs [...]

President Obama Signed Sweeping credit card reforms into law. The reforms are intended to protect cardholders from certain interest rate hikes, unfair fees, issuing, and billing practices, and usually require greater transparency and accountability from card issuers. While most buyer rights groups applaud the reforms as long overdue limitations on misleading and greedy practices, many [...]