Since the Federal Reserve last met in October, credit has become harder to obtain, Wall Street has convulsed again and the housing slump has intensified. And policymakers at the central bank now appear to have changed their minds about the need to drop interest rates again. ...more

December 10, 2007

Baby boomers are quitting the work force, so Wall Street's going to work. Its latest pitch: "payout" mutual funds that provide retirees with regular income. These funds come on the heels of a slew of new income-generating insurance products, including immediate-variable annuities, "longevity insurance" annuities and tax-deferred variable annuities with living benefits. ...more

December 9, 2007

If you're a bond investor hankering for higher yields, here's a radical suggestion: Try stocks. ...more

December 2, 2007

The deteriorating housing market forced the White House to lower its projection for economic growth next year and raise its forecast for unemployment. Inflation is expected to moderate. ...more

November 30, 2007

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke moved Wednesday to break down even further the aura of secrecy that historically has enshrouded the institution that sets interest rates, taking steps to keep Main Street and Wall Street more closely wired to decisions that can make or break lives and businesses. ...more

November 15, 2007

The head of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, is right to give no hint that interest rates will be cut again soon. ...more

November 14, 2007

Decades after the civil rights movement, the income gap between black and white families has grown, says a new study that tracked the incomes of about 2,300 families for more than 30 years. ...more

November 13, 2007

Hey, don't let off the rating companies so easily. Imagine, that's what I heard after writing a headline that said: "Let's All Blame The Rating Companies For Every Thing." ...more

November 3, 2007

Wall Street plunged Thursday, pulling the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 360 points as investors found themselves confronted by two uncomfortable prospects: an end to interest rate cuts and a slowing economy. ...more

November 2, 2007

This is the year that the PW and I are more or less celebrating our 20 years of retirement. It really is less of a celebration for me because I was only retired for three of those years before I realized that we needed another income in order to continue a more than modest lifestyle. I have never been in a position of not being able to find a decent job because I have had plenty of experience in many hobbies, that while expensive, were capable of earning money if need be. Not being able to accept a more modest lifestyle may eventually prove to have been a mistake. In looking around among my friends and peers I am seeing as many as half are perhaps in the same boat as I. Of course I am speculating and have no certification of that statement. I can only speak of my own experience as a federal retiree. ...more

October 18, 2007