The safety of municipal bonds is often taken for granted. After all, the theory goes, if a state or city runs short on cash, it can always tax the heck out of its constituents to make up the shortfall. Corporations, on the other hand, don’t have that kind of fallback.
But California’s recent budget troubles have [...]
Bank customers used to the perks of free checking accounts — unlimited check writing, online banking, debit card use and ATM access, to name a few — might have to recalibrate their expectations soon. That’s because overdraft fees, which banks use to subsidize the expense of free checking accounts, have been under fire by consumer [...]
The Vanguard Wellington fund (VWELX) turns 80 today. No worries, this is not going to be some trip down nostalgia lane — who cares about old for old’s sake? Rather, what’s compelling about the $40-billion geezer is that it encapsulates the key factors that are the foundation of successful fund investing.
Before I run through those [...]
As the King of Pop, Michael Jackson was bound to have a complicated estate. But in the days following his tragic death last week, the biggest estate-planning hurdles have had nothing to do with the size and complexity of Jackson’s legacy. They’ve been the bare-bones elements of estate planning: having an updated will, an appointed [...]
For an elderly person with few assets, a reverse mortgage can be a lifesaver: It enables cash-poor retirees to tap equity in their house for living expenses, home repairs or health care needs. If you’re 62 or older, reverse mortgages allow you to borrow against the value of your home and not repay the loan [...]
