Biography
Award-winning personal finance columnist and author Gail MarksJarvis cuts through the stock market chatter, investing hype and the get-rich- ...
Inside Penny Pritzker's portfolio: How a billionaire invests
May 19, 2013
How do the wealthy stay wealthy? The mandatory financial disclosure released last week by commerce secretary nominee Penny Pritzker provides a rare look at an American billionaire's entire investment portfolio. Pritzker inherited much of her wealth, long stashed in hundreds of domestic trusts and at least one offshore family trust. But she also has built a reputation as a savvy executive who has managed and built companies within her family's operations.
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MarksJarvis: Stock investors blink, then buy after talk of tapering stimulus
May 15, 2013
With a growing expectation that the Federal Reserve will take the training wheels off the economy, investors turned squeamish about stocks late last week.
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Thanks, Mom ... for the money advice
May 10, 2013
You probably didn't find a Mother's Day card thanking your mom for helping you figure out how to handle your money.
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MarksJarvis: Financial pros try to address lack of trust
May 8, 2013
It's about time.
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MarksJarvis: Clashing slogans cloud investor strategies
May 1, 2013
The calendar beckons investors to tread lightly through the stock market, according to an old saying.
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Assess degree's potential, college costs, your savings
April 26, 2013
Can you do it? Should you do it?
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MarksJarvis: Nearing record high, market sees growing disconnect with tepid economy
April 24, 2013
Corporate earnings reports have pacified investors this week after a bout of selling followed renewed concerns about a global slowdown last week.
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MarksJarvis: Financial literacy programs well worth the time
April 21, 2013
It's Money Smart Week, a collection of free financial literacy programs offered throughout the week, aimed at helping people deal with virtually every money issue imaginable: from how to get out of debt, to buying homes, paying for college, building a career and investing and saving for retirement.
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MarksJarvis: While 'real economy' struggles, stocks rebound
April 17, 2013
After Monday's plunge of almost 266 in the Dow Jones industrial average, investors were buying again Tuesday, pushing up stocks more than 157 points despite an International Monetary Fund report pointing to a far weaker economy than Wall Street's cheery narrative has described lately.
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Search for financial aid can take plenty of study
April 15, 2013
With jobs tough to get and the cost of getting an MBA exceeding $300,000 when you figure in living costs and lost pay if you go to school full time, potential business students are thinking twice before leaping into such costly programs.
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MarksJarvis: Not all is lost if you save
April 3, 2013
More than a quarter of women earning $200,000 or more are afraid they are going to end up as bag ladies, and about half of women with paychecks around $100,000 fear the same fate.
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MarksJarvis: Stock market's rocky ride may not be over yet
March 31, 2013
Individuals who decided to close their eyes and try to ignore the excruciating losses in 401(k)s and other investments in 2008 and 2009 have to be feeling relieved now.
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Companies offer new model for choosing caregiver
March 29, 2013
The emergency arrived when Jenna Lynn Schoeneman's father failed to pass his driver's test.
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Cyprus bailout raises fears of tapping savings accounts in other troubled countries
March 27, 2013
The prospect of losing money in a bank savings account was once considered unthinkable, but the possibility sent Americans into a panic in the 2008 financial crisis, and the threat recently surfaced anew.
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MarksJarvis: Cyprus crisis keeps investors on edge
March 24, 2013
We've been here before.
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MarksJarvis: Dow dips, but big downturn isn't expected
March 17, 2013
Ten isn't the charm.
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Sooner or later, bear market will growl back
March 15, 2013
Could it happen again? Could your retirement plans end up in shambles, and your college savings tattered?
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MarksJarvis: Jobs, housing coming back, but slowly
March 13, 2013
The job market is on the mend, but it still seems to have a long way to go to lift a wide swath of Americans out of their frugal ways.
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MarksJarvis: Dow record wipes away losses, but will it restore our trust?
March 6, 2013
Finally there.
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MarksJarvis: International news unsettling, but Americans remain confident
March 3, 2013
It was a maybe, maybe not week.
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'Unloved' funds urged as strategy to embrace
March 1, 2013
It's IRA time, with people opening individual retirement accounts after doing their tax returns and then fretting over where to invest the new money.
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MarksJarvis: Economic jitters come rushing back as Italians vote against austerity
February 27, 2013
Our European vacation from stock market angst has ended abruptly, with Italy's elections this week showing investors worldwide that they may have jumped too quickly at the conclusion that Europe's debt crisis had been tamed.
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MarksJarvis: Sequestration likely to halt growth, upset market
February 24, 2013
It's coming, and not by popular demand.
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MarksJarvis: Gold's fade prompts some to say bull market is ending
February 20, 2013
Are the golden years over for gold?
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Deductions, credits not to be overlooked
February 18, 2013
Love those tax deductions because their days could be numbered.
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MarksJarvis: Consumers go shopping despite tax increase
February 17, 2013
In the first test of resilience after January's payroll tax hike, consumers achieved a passing score as they went shopping and bought more than economists had expected.
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Gail MarksJarvis: Retail sales report could hint whether higher payroll tax is hurting recovery
February 13, 2013
Could the federal government's belt-tightening become a noose around consumer spending?
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MarksJarvis: S&P 500 closes in on all-time high
February 10, 2013
After turning squeamish early in the week, investors returned to the stock market and sent the Standard & Poor's 500 index to 1,517 Friday, the highest level since November 2007.
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MarksJarvis: Investors nervous at peak but keep investing
February 6, 2013
It's not unusual to lose your balance while standing on a peak.
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Never too early to plan for college expenses
February 3, 2013
Look at your cute baby, and imagine the little tyke wearing a high school cap and gown about 17 years from now.
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Dow hits 5-year high, closing above 14,000
February 2, 2013
You'd hardly think a 7.9 percent unemployment rate and a negative GDP report would signal a Goldilocks economy and drive the Dow Jones industrial index over the 14,000 mark for the first time since October 2007.
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Don't get infatuated by rising stock market
February 1, 2013
After running in terror from stocks since the financial crisis, individuals are suddenly feeling cozy again about a stock market that's gained 120 percent since early 2009.
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MarksJarvis: 'Just trust me' allure of hedge funds gives way to 'buyer beware'
January 30, 2013
The magic is gone … the infatuation over.
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MarksJarvis: With stocks riding high, some analysts say 'buy'
January 27, 2013
The stock market is at a five-year high after gaining 13.4 percent last year and carrying investors on a remarkable four-week run so far in 2013.
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Research cites parallels of debt and depression
January 18, 2013
Does your debt nag at you and make you miserable?
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Research cites parallels of debt and depression
January 18, 2013
gmarksjarvis@tribune.com
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MarksJarvis: Investors singing a new tune in the new year
January 16, 2013
The stock market has surprised investors with an unusually strong surge, even enticing individuals to throw billions into the stock funds they've feared for years.
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MarksJarvis: Stocks reach pre-recession peak
January 14, 2013
With the urgency of the "fiscal cliff" behind the nation and the earnings hurdle for companies low, investors have pushed the stock market close to the high that occurred before the financial crisis.
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MarksJarvis: Investors seek encouraging words in quarterly reports
January 9, 2013
Investors have been ducking for two days — laying low while they hope that corporate executives assure them during the next few weeks that companies have come through a soft patch and can produce strong profits in 2013.
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MarksJarvis: Mutual funds manage to post pleasing results for 2012
January 6, 2013
If you invested in a solid mix of stock and bond funds at the beginning of 2012, and didn't peek at them during the stock market stress of the past year, you probably will be delighted when you open your year-end statement from your 401(k) or brokerage firm during the next few days.
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Survive your personal 'fiscal cliff'
January 4, 2013
The year begins with a walk to the edge of the "fiscal cliff" and a nauseating look below.
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MarksJarvis: Stocks rally after retreat from 'fiscal cliff'
January 3, 2013
There was a sigh of relief heard round the world Wednesday as Congress used New Year's Day to close the curtain on "fiscal cliff" theatrics and save most Americans from sharp tax increases that were expected to induce a recession.
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MarksJarvis: Stocks climb more than 13 percent in 2012 despite a lackluster economy
January 1, 2013
You had perfectly good reasons for being cowardly about the stock market in 2012, but caution didn't serve you well.
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MarksJarvis: Wealthy preparing for higher estate tax
December 23, 2012
The federal government's hunt for new tax dollars has thrown a twist into this season of gift giving and philanthropy.
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Four ways to save big beyond the holidays
December 21, 2012
It's the time of year when people worry about the money they've wasted, but there's more at stake than a holiday splurge.
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MarksJarvis: Investors flee munis amid D.C. uncertainty
December 19, 2012
A favorite place to duck from taxes is losing its appeal amid Capitol Hill's ongoing debate about debt-cutting.
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MarksJarvis: Consumers grow wary as 'fiscal cliff' threats jobs and taxes
December 9, 2012
A large number of Americans are starting to realize that if Congress doesn't get its act together before the end of the year, all taxpayers are going to be hit by higher taxes next year — whether they earn $12,000 a year or $12 million.
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Year-end tax planning vexing as "cliff" looms
December 6, 2012
There are mere weeks left to maneuver so you keep as much of your money as possible without overpaying taxes for 2012.
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Stock market shrugs off 'cliff' fears
December 5, 2012
We are all cliff dwellers now — wondering about our fate as the Dec. 31 deadline looms for the economy's potential plunge amid political bickering about tax increases and the nation's debt.
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MarksJarvis: Stock market shrugs off 'cliff' fears
December 5, 2012
We are all cliff dwellers now — wondering about our fate as the Dec. 31 deadline looms for the economy's potential plunge amid political bickering about tax increases and the nation's debt.
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MarksJarvis: Economic news takes back seat to 'fiscal cliff'
December 2, 2012
If you were too busy to watch the stock market each day during the last week, you are fortunate.
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Saving for retirement possible prior to a job
November 30, 2012
Q: I'm 24, married with a child and in medical school. Thanks to my wonderful parents I will graduate with no debt. I'd like to start saving for retirement now. I don't have a job, so I can't use a 401(k) or Roth IRA. Is there another account I could use that wouldn't be taxed, and how should I invest?
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MarksJarvis: Dividend stocks risk a drop as 'fiscal cliff' approaches
November 28, 2012
The darlings of cautious investors are sitting on the edge of the "fiscal cliff" and feeling twinges of tax anxiety.
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Gail MarksJarvis: Europe delays decisions on aid to Greece until next week
November 22, 2012
The U.S. isn't the only country hanging from a fiscal cliff.
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MarksJarvis: Cliffhanger has stocks on edge
November 21, 2012
It's a cliffhanger — one that no one will find entertaining if the final episode leads to the economy plunging into a recession next year.
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MarksJarvis: Hope for compromise pulls markets back from 'cliff'
November 18, 2012
The Standard & Poor's 500 has slumped almost 5 percent since the Nov. 6 election, and on Friday it was clear why.
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College degree still holds sway in weak job market
November 16, 2012
Despite a dismal job market for recent college graduates, a record number of Americans are completing bachelor degrees.
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Inaction on 'fiscal cliff' will lead to tipping point, a disastrous thing
November 15, 2012
The nation stands about a third of a chance of avoiding a risky plunge over the fiscal cliff by year end, one of the authors of the U.S. debt-cutting Simpson-Bowles plan told an audience of about 4,000 financial advisers in Chicago tonight.
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MarksJarvis: Look, but don't jump, as 'fiscal cliff' approaches
November 14, 2012
Taxpayers are searching for someone to guide them safely down from the nation's "fiscal cliff" so they can walk away without too many tax bumps and bruises.
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MarksJarvis: Investors turn eyes to 'fiscal cliff'
November 8, 2012
America is marching toward the fiscal cliff, and investors are on alert for the consequences of plunging from the peak.
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Uncertainty keeps markets down, but some economic data encouraging
November 4, 2012
There's an old saying among investors that the markets hate uncertainty.
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Financial planning not based on age alone
November 2, 2012
Q: We are age 79 and 76, retired, in good health, and are fortunate to have enough money to live out long lives and probably leave an estate to our children. I would like to know what is a decent asset allocation for somebody in our financial situation. Naturally, we would like to preserve our principal. We've been told that 100 minus age (79) is the amount that should be allocated to equities, but we've also been told by an adviser that 60-40 is proper. Why would we be getting advice that differs so greatly?
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Gail MarksJarvis: Economic uncertainty to linger, even after election
November 1, 2012
No matter who emerges victorious in the Nov. 6 election, most analysts are expecting only a short-term calm in the stock market for the remainder of this year.
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Plenty of pain to go around
October 28, 2012
Earnings stung investors last week, showing that in a global economy U.S. investors will get hurt when a good chunk of the world is in pain.
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Gender pay gap affects student loan debt load
October 26, 2012
As students ask themselves if they dare take on the student loans they'll need for college, the questions are especially critical for women.
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Europe, China taking toll on U.S. corporate profits
October 24, 2012
With U.S. stocks near five-year highs, the unmistakable reality of a sputtering global economy has hit home, stifling U.S. corporate sales and spooking investors.
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Improvements on rise for 529 college savings plans
October 19, 2012
The quest by states and mutual fund companies to capture the $179 billion that people are saving for college in 529 plans has led to improved investments and more reasonable fees for college savers.
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Retail figures project a rosy picture
October 17, 2012
Just when the economy could use an extra lift, Americans seem poised to provide it. They are in the mood to do a little shopping.
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IMF not as cheerful as consumers
October 14, 2012
Consumers are more cheerful than at any time since before the economic crisis, yet business executives and the International Monetary Fund are wary.
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Credit settlement spurs refund for cardholders
October 12, 2012
If you have a credit card, watch closely.
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MarksJarvis: Lessons from the crash
October 10, 2012
It's an anniversary filled with a sense of relief and foreboding
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Experts take solace in new jobs report
October 7, 2012
The economy is slowly moving toward better days, with the unemployment rate falling to 7.8 percent from 8.1 percent.
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Itchy workers looking to land a better job
October 5, 2012
Although more than 12 million Americans are unemployed and looking for work, many people with jobs are getting itchy for advancement and starting to think about a move.
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Stocks up 15 percent this year, but last 3 months could be dicey
October 3, 2012
If you keep an eye on your 401(k), you might be among the cheerful Americans who told researchers in a recent Conference Board consumer confidence survey that they are feeling better about the economy and their future.
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MarksJarvis: High-frequency trading disrupts stock market, keeps individuals anxious, wary
September 26, 2012
Some people have lost their taste for the stock market, with many concluding it's more dangerous than they can tolerate for their kids' college money or retirement savings.
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Ben Bernanke knows how to make investors feel good
September 16, 2012
Ben Bernanke sure knows how to move a market.
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Fed's latest move no guarantee of success
September 14, 2012
If the Federal Reserve had a manual, the current chapter might be called "Giving it the old college try."
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What do you do first: Pay off plastic or save?
September 14, 2012
What do you do if you are loaded down with credit card debt but you know you should be saving for retirement? Do you concentrate on getting rid of the debt, and put off saving in the 401(k) or IRA for later? Or do you save now, pay off later?
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Stimulus not likely do much, but Fed expected to try anyway
September 12, 2012
As Federal Reserve governors file into their two-day meeting on the economy Wednesday, the dismal image of millions of people giving up their search for work will hover over the proceedings.
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Stocks expected to 'melt up' on stimulus expectations
September 8, 2012
Convinced that the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank are about to ride to the rescue, investors looked past the struggling economy on two continents Friday and pushed stocks to levels not seen since before the financial crisis started raging in 2008.
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Scams target investors frantic for safe returns
September 7, 2012
Q: My retirement CDs, which are currently paying 5.2 percent, will mature next year. Of course, I'm concerned about where I can put the money when that happens. I'm a 74-year-old widow who has been living on Social Security and the required minimum distribution from my IRA. My newspaper in Arizona has ads for what looks like too-good-to-be-true returns. It says: Attention CD owners 7.0% APY, and principal and interest are totally secure. The firm, according to the ad, has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has been serving clients for over 11 years. Can this be a safe investment? I'm pretty much convinced it isn't.
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Gold keeps gaining on prospect of Federal Reserve stimulus
September 5, 2012
The shine is back in gold again, thanks to a tarnished global economy and the expectation that the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank are going to try to spark growth.
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Investors find Bernanke's words stimulating
September 2, 2012
You'd never think of Fed-speak as the warm fuzzies, but that's the way investors took Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech Friday at Jackson Hole, Wyo.
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The matching 401(k) is making a comeback
August 31, 2012
After leaving employees to fend for themselves with retirement savings plans in the 2008 financial crisis, companies are now giving employees extra money to stash away for their futures in 401(k) plans.
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Stocks' summer romance may fall flat
August 29, 2012
Economies in China and Europe have weakened, and the U.S. has slogged through slow growth and high unemployment, yet stocks have climbed a shocking 10 percent since June on the expectation that the Federal Reserve and its counterparts in Europe would soon offer a helping hand.
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MarksJarvis: Stocks anticipate Fed help
August 26, 2012
We're back to the familiar pattern.
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Credit lessons crucial for the college-bound
August 24, 2012
The hunt for the extra-long sheets for the dormitory bed might be complete, and the car is probably packed to the roof for the trip to college, but before dropping your child off on campus make sure you don't forget to talk about money, and especially credit cards.
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Most investors have tasted Apple, even if they don't know it
August 22, 2012
When Apple became the largest U.S. company in history this week, individuals were kicking themselves for missing out and they wondered if they should be buying Apple now to fortify their future.
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The magic of setting up a Roth for children
July 13, 2012
Q: My wife and I have two daughters, 12 and 17, and we have a very good income, have pensions, a 401(k), a couple of large annuities and also college funds for our girls. We would like to start a fund for our girls that they could use in the future for a down payment on a house or for any other purpose. What would be an appropriate long-term investment for them?
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Cost of MBA teaches tough financial lesson
May 18, 2012
Joe Mihalic wasn't thinking at all about how he was going to pay off student loans — which would end up totaling $101,000 — when he was accepted to Harvard Business School.
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Austan Goolsbee leaving Obama administration
June 6, 2011
Austan Goolsbee, President Barack Obama's chief economic adviser, is leaving the administration and returning to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to teach.
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For parents, the ABCs of college finance
February 4, 2011
Look at your child, and think of college.
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College aid: Think like a shopper when seeking financial help
April 12, 2009
Can you afford college?
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How to save for college during a recession
January 9, 2009
5 tips on saving for education
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Tune out hysteria to build your wealth
January 7, 2009
5 tips on recession investing
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What now? Resist urge to flee or freeze
January 22, 2008
Are you OK?
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Housing tilting economy down
January 7, 2008
It's not a pretty picture, and it didn't have to come to this.
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Long-short funds flopped during slump
October 14, 2007
Maybe plain-vanilla stock and bond mutual funds will do the job after all.
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Racial divide in savings
October 12, 2007
If middle- and upper-income African-Americans continue to save and invest the way they tend to do, they stand to struggle financially through retirement in greater proportions than whites at similar income levels.
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Investors find boring often can be fruitful
October 7, 2007
Q. I am 24 and have been saving in my 401(k) for about a year, but I find mutual funds boring. So I started paying attention to stocks. I discovered that I was good at spotting those that would do well. For a while, I just made a mental note of stocks I liked, but when I saw them go up I decided to buy my first stock. It was Garmin, which makes navigation devices for cars. I bought it for $70 and I made money immediately. Now I'm wondering how to decide when it's time to sell. Are there some rules of thumb?
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Make up lost time with swift, smart action
September 30, 2007
Q. I have only $20,000 saved for retirement and am 50 years old. I know I have to get going, but my head is swimming with things I have heard about a deferred compensation plan and a 403(b) variable annuity at work. I'm a teacher, and can use either of the plans. But some people at work say the annuity isn't good and the deferred compensation plan is better. I tried to get help from a person in benefits, but they sounded like they were talking in code. So I haven't been doing anything, although I did pay off my house. What should I do?
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Act early to prevent foreclosure
September 16, 2007
Keep the wolf away from the door.
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Look at jobs, confidence for investing hints
September 9, 2007
According to Wall Street folklore, investors can expect results for September to turn out like the first trading day of the month.
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Saving money for college? Study aid rules
July 15, 2007
Q You recently warned a parent not to let his son open a Roth IRA because it could keep him from getting financial aid for college. We opened a UTMA account for our niece some time ago and wonder if that would reduce the amount of financial aid she could receive when she goes to college.
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Fears crawl into minds of investors
July 9, 2007
Call it the "cockroach theory."
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Fears crawl into minds of investors
July 9, 2007
Call it the "cockroach theory."
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Roth can be expensive gift for 16-year-old
July 8, 2007
Q. My wife and I are thinking about opening a Roth IRA [individual retirement account] for our 16-year-old son. I've paid attention, as you have suggested that small savings early in life can turn into million-dollar nest eggs. Is there any reason why we shouldn't open a Roth IRA for our son?
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Emerging markets ready to step back
July 1, 2007
Your emerging-market fund might have climbed 50 percent during the last 12 months, but that doesn't mean it will be immune from the interest rate worries, housing woes and subprime mortgage angst that have tainted U.S. stocks recently.
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Treasury yield's rise above 5% unnerves market
June 8, 2007
Investors ran for the exits Thursday, second-guessing the enthusiasm that has powered the stock market to one record-breaking high after another the last few weeks.