New regulations will soon crack down on shady debt settlement companies. Until then, don't let desperation guide your decisions. Plus: What to ask before signing on.

The last thing you want on vacation is a costly surprise. Here are 3 ways to ensure you've got coverage.

Millions of Americans going through foreclosure will become renters by necessity. Many others will rent by choice. Should the government keep subsidizing owners?

Whether you want travel perks, cash back or a discount on gasoline, there's a card that caters to you.

If you give up your 'underwater' house, your credit might recover faster than your home value ever would have. But here's why it could be worth sticking it out.

The rules on imposing overdraft fees have tightened, and the deadline for customers to opt in has passed, but don't expect banks to let go of this revenue source.

The business of death is struggling. Not only will we settle for cheaper caskets and fewer flowers for our loved ones, but we may move services to, say, a park.

Are you ready for your golden years? Make sure you've got enough money to last the rest of your life. But addressing financial concerns is just half the battle.

One man's odyssey through New Jersey's unclaimed property bureaucracy unearthed more than $5,000 his family was owed. Can you duplicate his success?

States and the federal government now offer temporary insurance to buyers who have been denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions.

Much of the focus has been on the wealthy, but what would the expiration of the tax cuts mean for everyone else? Let's run the numbers.

It really is possible to graduate debt-free. The no-loan lifestyle is tough while you're in school but oh-so-liberating afterward. Three students show how it's done.

Banks may believe "the customer is always right," but that doesn't mean they'll put your best interests ahead of their own. Here's what they're not telling you.

As parents and students look for value -- and sometimes question whether the expense is justified -- U.S. News & World Report offers its 27th annual ranking of the nation's colleges.

If you take your bank's 'courtesy' offer of overdraft protection, you're inviting penalty fees that are often bigger than the purchases that spurred them.

Your scores are important, but there are times when they shouldn't even cross your mind. There can be bigger fish to fry that take precedence over your credit ratings.

Consumers love tax 'holidays,' and some states are expanding the annual events to encourage energy conservation or even to stimulate sales of hunting supplies.

Interest-rate policies are still widely misunderstood, and card issuers' explanations about how they work have failed to enlighten consumers.

If you were dying, what would you not want to worry about? A brother's estate planning got him past mundane money issues to focus on what mattered most.

New technology could soon allow blind people to get behind the wheel. How would insurance companies figure rates for that?