Personal Finance

President Trump recently announced new tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, in a move that got mixed reviews from business and political leaders. The new tariffs would increase levies on aluminum by 10% and steel by 25%. There is much debate about the sensibility of these tariffs, but rather than wade into that morass, let's examine what tariffs are and how they impact the economy and your investments.

Most people are familiar with the most common kinds of insurance — home, auto, life, and health insurance but there are many additional insurance policies available for things that are probably not covered by your everyday basic policies. Depending on your risk exposure, additional insurance coverage could be worth the cost. Here are some less well known kinds of insurance you might want to consider.

The Student Loan Debt and Housing Report 2017 by the National Association of Realtors and the nonprofit group American Student Assistance shows the obvious: Student debt delays household formation, home buying, and saving. [Here are the details summarized for a fast and easy read].

Investing is about taking advantage of higher rates of return and benefiting from the power of compound interest over long periods of time. It’s also about finding the best ways to mitigate the risk via diversification, being patient, etc. Today's infographic outlines the difference between saving and investing, and provides some basic tips on how to get started in the market.

Daydreaming about retirement is easy, but saving for it, however, takes time and effort — and is something a lot of Americans struggle with - but there are strategies that can help make the process easier. Here are 20 ways to pad your bank account before it's time to retire.

The U.S. is surprisingly low in disposable household income and rather high in income inequality. [In fact,] it is not too much of a stretch to say that the U.S. is now divided into two nations, not entirely separate but increasingly unequal.

When we talk about investing, we frequently talk about stocks as they are likely to make up a the bulk of your investment portfolio during the majority of your investing years but bonds can be a helpful part of your investment mix at any age, and it's important to understand how they work — even if you don't own many of them right now. This article examines bonds and why we should pay close attention to them these days.

So, you don't want to pay full price for anything you buy and why should you? These days, you have so many ways to get around that pesky price on the tag, and with the latest apps and websites on your side, you can save big with very little effort. Here are 28 ways to get out of paying what's on the sticker.

You need to keep your emergency fund in a safe place that gives you easy access to your money but the problem is that traditional savings accounts — the most obvious place to stash emergency fund dollars — pay so little interest. Your money will sit in a savings account safely, but it won't earn you anything, either. This is where T-bills, or Treasury bills, can help.

Why should blue chip stocks be your starting point when creating a diversified portfolio and what exactly defines blue chip stocks? In this post, I...answer those questions and more.