Personal Finance

Smart Stocks for New Investors

As the Fool's resident fund geek, I'm a big fan of portfolios that are built on a solid foundation of well-diversified mutual funds. Once that's in place, you'll be in a good position to cherry-pick t

The 10% Savings Myth

"Save 10% of your paycheck." This money chestnut handed down through the ages gives the impression to those who follow it that they'll be just fine -- thanks very much -- by the time they retire.

And the Credit Card Survey Says ...

The nice folks at consumer-action.org have released the results of their 2007 Credit Card Survey, and some of the information isn't pretty. Sure, it's best not to know how sausage is made, but when it

What to Do When You Lose Your Wallet

I spent last Monday looking for my wallet, racking my brain for where in the world it could be. Trying to remember where I had it last, I could only retrace my steps back to Target , where I'd shopped (and bought entirely too much, by the way) earlier in the weekend. After that, nothing. Nada.

Much Ado About 0.25%

Interest rates have gone through the roof in the past six months. The average consumer, however, probably won't notice.

As I wrote earlier this week, rising bond rates have many investors wondering what hit them.

Ask Mrs. Riches: Couple's Credit Crisis

Dear Mrs. Riches:

I recently discovered that my fiancee has a less-than-stellar record of paying bills on time. In fact, her FICO score is in the toilet.

Build Your Own Pension

If you've done any reading at all about retirement planning, you probably know this: Traditional pensions are going the way of the saber-toothed tiger and the dodo bird. These wonderful devices, which promised you certain defined payouts, are being replaced by the likes of 401(k)s, which promise only how much goes into them.

Checking Out Checking Accounts

By John Rosevear

People often select their banks based on things like the nearest branches, national market presence, or the number of nearby ATMs. The only thing some folks need is a branch in the neighborhood.

Speaker: Hedge funds carry systemic risk

Chicago -- A U.S. Treasury official warns people working with hedge funds against ignoring the "real possibility" of systemic risk despite improved risk management.

The comments, made by Anthony Ryan, the Treasury Department's assistant secretary for financial markets, re-emphasized concern that those involved in the markets shouldn't be too comfortable because fallout from last year's multibillion-dollar losses at Amaranth hedge fund weren't as bad as they could have been, the Financial Times reported Monday.

Will That Be Credit or Debit?

By Selena Maranjian

Most store purchases today involve using some form of plastic payment, and that means big bucks for the likes of Citigroup (NYSE: C), MasterCard (NYSE: MA), American Express (NYSE: AXP), and other issuers of credit, debit, and charge cards.

The One Stock You Must Buy

By Tim Hanson

Stop me if you've heard this one. The one stock you must buy is ... the next Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), eBay , and Garmin (Nasdaq: GRMN), all rolled into one.