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6:16 PM EST 11/19/2009
Grab Your Reinstated 401(k) Match Post-HasteMany employers who eliminated 401(k) matching funds during the recession have reinstated them or plan to do so in the year ahead. If you reduced or halted your 401(k) contributions for that reason, you may soon get notice from HR that your match is back, if you haven't already -- and you should act ...
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4:43 PM EST 11/18/2009
Act Now on Refinancing -- or Kiss Those Low Rates GoodbyeProcrastination can be costly in financial affairs, especially with the biggest combined asset and debt most of us own and owe: our home and the mortgage we pay for it. There's a window of opportunity right now in the mortgage market that seems likely to close in months ahead -- one you may reg...
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4:11 PM EST 11/16/2009
Jump on Discounted Home-Improvement Products for Future ProjectsLowe's lousy profit report today underscores the problems that big home-improvement retailers face when homeowners delay planned additions and remodeling amid economic uncertainty. If you've already set aside some cash for a such a project, though, Lowe's woes -- and those of similar outlets -- ac...
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1:58 PM EST 11/13/2009
Financial Media Seized by Schizophrenia in Uncertain TimesIn times like these when it's unclear what to make of the economic recovery, the media turns into a raving schizoid with its financial coverage. As a news consumer, don't get too worried -- or relieved -- about the back-and-forth mix of ominous and elated headlines you're seeing. The schizophre...
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4:16 PM EST 11/17/2009
Airfare Shopping Made Tougher by Demand for Economy SeatsIf you're planning airline travel in the months ahead, you'll need to work a little harder and smarter to snag the lowest possible fares. Figures released today showed a sharp drop in business-class bookings for September and a concurrent rise in economy-class travel amid continued belt-tighten...
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5:30 PM EST 11/13/2009
Feast on a Cheap McMansion While You CanThey go by such names as garage mahals, hummer houses and starter castles and soon you may add another -- dinosaur mausoleums. And while they've been widely disparaged, McMansions are among the best bargains in many housing markets now. These big, boxy homes often slapped up on treeless farmlan...
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1:15 PM EST 11/10/2009
How to Be First in Line for Growing Number of Unfilled JobsWhile the jobless rate continues to rise, so too is the number of positions going unfilled by U.S. employers, which bodes well for a pickup in hiring in the new year. An estimated 2.48 million jobs were unfilled in September, up 57,000 from a month earlier and the highest level since June, the Bu...
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1:51 PM EST 11/9/2009
Existing Home Sales Spike Belies a Market Still StrugglingToday's existing-home sales report seems to offer cause for celebration, but before you rush to sell your house to cash in, best look beyond the smoke and mirrors. Sure, sales volume leaped 9.4% in September to its highest level in two years. The biggest month-to-month gain in at least a decade f...
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4:01 PM EST 11/11/2009
Gift Cards Still Have Pitfalls, Despite Better Consumer ProtectionsGift cards take much of the spirit out of gift-giving -- the thoughtfulness extends little further than choosing a dollar amount and maybe a specific merchant -- but there's no denying the popularity of the convenience they offer. Consumers bought $25 billion worth for holiday gifts last year, ac...
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1:14 PM EST 11/5/2009
U.S. Productivity Gain Brings Greater Job Security for WorkersFearing you may lose your job can really kick your work effort into higher gear -- especially when your struggling employer is putting pressure on to squeeze more productivity out of a shrinking workforce. That's just what happened in the third quarter when U.S. worker productivity posted its big...
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