According to 2005 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the proportion of households consisting of one person living alone increased from 17 percent in 1970 to 26 percent in 2005. In 2005, 10 percent of the nation's households contained five or more people, down from 21 percent in 1970. During the same time period, av

It sounds like a marriage made in heaven. On one side, there are people who are struggling with debt who can't qualify for lower rates from conventional lenders or credit card companies. On the other, there are folks with a few thousand to invest who might like to get a higher return than they'd get in CDs or money ma

It seems there's plenty of help out there for people in debt trouble. You'll see services advertised on late-night TV, in newspaper classified advertising sections, even blaring on the radio.   But there's good credit counseling and bad credit counseling. You will need to distinguish between nonprofit organization

July 2007 Don't Wait for a Layoff to Plan for One   Going to the Hospital? Prepare Financially as well as Medically   Whether You Choose Credit Counseling or are Ordered to Attend, Check out the Agency First   June 2007 Prevent Financial Fireworks This 4th - Do a Midyear Financial Checkup

The formal name is refund anticipation loans, or RALs.  They're marketed primarily to cash poor taxpayers who use their annual federal and state tax refunds as a piggy bank for discretionary items or increasingly, essentials like food and rent. Do

 With all the financial responsibilities we face, it's often tough to put yourself first. But retirement savings must be a priority, and sometimes to drive that home, it pays to see some statistics The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) reported

It's unlikely the real estate market will return to the fever pitch of the mid 2000s anytime soon and maybe that's not such a bad thing. But even though homes are languishing on the market, it's not a bad time

 It's a much different picture renovating a home in 2007 than in 1997. Fueled by huge gains in the price of real estate, homeowners a decade ago were tapping home equity with little care since prices were expected to keep

Misinformation and insomnia make great bedfellows. Late night television is filled with too good to be true solutions for everything from unmanageable mortgages and other debt woes to healthcare. These advertisers must know that their primary target is a viewer