Biography
Award-winning personal finance columnist and author Gail MarksJarvis cuts through the stock market chatter, investing hype and the get-rich- ...
Rising U.S. consumer optimism runs up against analysts' anxiety about Europe
May 26, 2012
American consumers are feeling more carefree than they've been since just before the Great Recession. That attitude arrives just as analysts worldwide are fretting about the prospect of a new global recession.
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Card debt still choking low, middle incomes
May 25, 2012
Americans have been successful at getting some of their debts off their backs, but many still have a long way to go.
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Eurozone's turmoil threatens global economy
May 24, 2012
When economic and financial conditions have grown particularly dicey in the eurozone during the last couple of years, European leaders have made a habit of throwing pacifiers at the markets.
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Eurozone's turmoil threatens global economy
May 23, 2012
When economic and financial conditions have grown particularly dicey in the eurozone during the last couple of years, European leaders have made a habit of throwing pacifiers at the markets.
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Fear and speculation amid Europe's woes and Facebook IPO
May 19, 2012
Is that all there is?
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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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Face it: Facebook IPO not the best buy in open market
May 15, 2012
Facebook may be your friend or where your friends hang out. But that doesn't mean the stock will be friendly to you if you rush to buy it within the next few days.
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1st-quarter earnings exceed expectations, but skeptics say the bar was low
May 12, 2012
Not bad.
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Key money pointers for moms on their day
May 11, 2012
Mothers would probably do just about anything for their families. That's among the character traits praised in millions of households onMother's Day.
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Teaching financial experts about the cost of bad investments
May 9, 2012
Americans would like an apology from Wall Street for the financial crisis.
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Early year optimism fades amid fears of lethargic growth
May 7, 2012
Another slap in the face from a jobs report, and we start another week looking at a limping recovery rather than a confident stride.
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Fund on target as long as you accept the risks
May 4, 2012
Q: I work for a company with a 401(k). I'm 24 and investing in the T. Rowe 2055 investment fund. Am I investing the right amount and am I using the right year fund? I get a 2 percent match (of salary) from my company and I put in 3 percent of every paycheck.
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Is 'sell in May' the way to go?
May 2, 2012
"Sell in May and go away."
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Corporate earnings keep investors happy
April 28, 2012
Encouraged by earnings reports, investors have shrugged off European debt worries and lackluster U.S. growth and are positioned to possibly make April the fifth-straight month of gains in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.
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Parents also must avoid crippling student debt
April 27, 2012
Student loan debt has soared to about $1 trillion, with many college students naively tying a noose around their futures with crippling levels of debt. But what about their parents?
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Austerity debate carries consequences that can be explosive
April 25, 2012
The world's great austerity debate is under way and you've been feeling it in your 401(k).
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Earnings season off to strong start
April 22, 2012
McDonald's Corp. threw an earnings Happy Meal at investors late last week and allowed them to go through the weekend in better spirits than they've been able to muster lately amid renewed angst over European debt woes.
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Make it your business to start retirement plan
April 19, 2012
If you started a business during the last few years, and then watched too much of your earnings evaporate at tax time, you might be able to change that.
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How long can Apple reign?
April 18, 2012
Apple was knocked off its lofty perch this week, as the market's most beloved stock fell almost 10 percent over five trading days.
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Jobs, Fed and Europe throw a scare into the market
April 8, 2012
Back in the dumps again.
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Student has a chance at college of choice
April 6, 2012
Q: I'm a counselor trying to help a high school senior who wants to go to an expensive college she can't afford. She's been accepted to both Boston College and New York University for this fall, but the financial aid they are offering is vastly different. Unfortunately, her favorite school is offering only a $5,000 Pell grant, and the college that interests her least has promised her $31,000 in scholarships. Is there anything she can do to get her favorite college to make this more affordable?
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Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner likes what he sees in economy, cautions against sharp deficit cuts
April 4, 2012
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Wednesday in Chicago that improvement in the economy is "promising" after strong gains in investment and exports, but he emphasized that aggressive deficit cutting now could undermine the recovery.
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Idea of weaning off Fed support makes market jittery
April 4, 2012
Investors want their fix from the Federal Reserve, and the prospect of not getting it sent shudders through the stock market Tuesday.
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Stocks register best 1st-quarter gain in 14 years
March 31, 2012
If you were brave enough to invest money in the stock market early this year, you have been sweetly rewarded.
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A step-by-step guide to setting up an IRA
March 30, 2012
Do you feel like an IRA dummy?
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Joblessness, underemployment could undermine U.S. economy for years to come
March 28, 2012
If all you did was watch the stock market go up and the unemployment rate go down, you might think it's just a matter of time before the economy finishes the healing process and good times return.
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Time to get to work on next year's taxes
March 23, 2012
Let your tax return be a lesson to you.
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Complaints about Goldman Sachs add to financial advisers' credibility problems
March 21, 2012
When Greg Smith took Goldman Sachs to the woodshed on the New York Times opinion page last week, the public bashing told individuals once again that they have good reason to wonder if they can trust bankers, 401(k) managers, insurance salesman or financial advisers extending a warm handshake.
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Make this the moment to invest in an IRA
March 16, 2012
Do not let good intentions get away from you this year.
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Many workers eyeing retirement with dread
March 14, 2012
A ruthless job market, suffocating household debt and a shocking decline in the stock market have left millions of Americans feeling fragile and with little confidence they will ever have the money to retire.
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Europe remains a hurdle in economic recovery
March 11, 2012
The U.S. jobs picture is improving, Americans are feeling more optimistic about the future, and Greece took a long-awaited step last week to escape from debt doom.
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A roundabout way to avoid Roth IRA penalty
March 9, 2012
Q: I had an unusual year in 2011, and my income exceeded the eligibility limit for a Roth IRA. But I had already put $5,000 into my Roth account, and my tax software said I owe a penalty for having the Roth. Do I have any option other than paying a penalty?
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Time heals market wounds
March 7, 2012
Happy anniversary ... Or is it?
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Investors step back from stock rally
March 4, 2012
Investors just couldn't take it any longer.
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Save yourself: Now is the time for a Roth
March 2, 2012
The incessant blabber about the nation's deficit and debt might be enough to make you numb.
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As Dow closes above 13,000, experts offer advice on how to proceed from here
February 29, 2012
Finally, the Dow Jones industrial average returns to 13,000. Proof that what goes down, does come up.
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Will oil burn recovery again?
February 25, 2012
Now you see it; now you don't.
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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.