News

2008

November

30

• Numerous deals can be found via these sites. Here are selected picks from Kiplinger's 2008 best Web sites. Travel booking: Kayak.com. Kayak scours more than 140 sources for the best airfares, hotel rates and vacation packages. Last-minute travel: US.LastMinute.com. Book your whole trip…

• US not getting health care we 'pay for'. Talk to the chief executives of America's preeminent health-care institutions, and you might be surprised by what you hear: When it comes to medical care, the United States isn't getting its money's worth. Not even…

• Flight change roulette: Shop around. So you booked your flight early to get a good fare. Good for you. But now, a couple of weeks before you are scheduled to fly, some important meetings at work have come up and…

• Mortgage lenders become proactive. A YEAR ago, most home foreclosures were concentrated in depressed manufacturing areas of the Midwest and the speculative real estate zones of Florida, Arizona and California. Most other regions were experiencing only modest increases because…

• Holidays downsized: No job and fewer gifts. SUSAN McCABE liked to go all out for Christmas. Presents for friends and 17 relatives: high-end cameras for adults, Nintendo Wii for the children. On Christmas Eve, she proudly treated the immediate family to dinner…

29

• Lawsuit charges mortgage raters enriched themselves. In what appears to be the first legal action of its kind, an association of community-based organizations has filed a federal civil rights complaint against two of the three largest Wall Street ratings agencies, charging…

28

• Frugal families learn how to cope with soaring food costs. As recession worries deepen, food shoppers are trying to scrimp and save. But eating healthy on a budget is not easy. At a time when wages are declining, the nation is experiencing the biggest rise…

• Black Friday shoppers are hunting for bargains. Nearly 128 million Americans say they will shop Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the start of the holiday shopping season, the National Retail Federation says. That's down slightly from last year. Despite the tough economic times…

27

• Short on shopping cash? Put it on layaway. The last time Sears offered layaway for much of its merchandise, acid-washed jeans were the rage, the first Batman movie was released and George H.W. Bush was president. The national chain is just one of…

• Credit still harder to get even as mortgage rates fall. Mortgage rates sank again Wednesday, but investors are worried that getting a loan will still be a tough feat. The credit markets, while not as crunched as they were last week ahead of the rescue…

26

• As debt grows, collections boom. As the economy sinks deeper into a slump, Americans find it tougher to come up with extra money to chip away at their debts. And as the debt piles up, more consumers are getting calls…

• Getting more bang for our bailout. Man, I'm getting tired of this. Once again we're bailing out another too-big-to-fail company -- now it's Citigroup -- and again we're acting like we've got these guys by their you-know-whats because we're imposing some…

• Consumers can find good deals beyond Black Friday. It's wild. It's a ritual. And it's one way to save money on holiday gifts in these financially trying times. But blazing out in the early morning hours after Thanksgiving to hit stores for "door-buster"…

• Mortgage-seekers benefiting from Fed's new credit plan. For consumers looking for a mortgage, the Federal Reserve's plan to boost spending is already bringing relief from high interest rates. But for those hoping to use plastic more freely this holiday season, they likely…

• Americans' food stamp use nears all-time high. Fueled by rising unemployment and food prices, the number of Americans on food stamps is poised to exceed 30 million for the first time this month, surpassing the historic high set in 2005 after Hurricane…

24

• Americans return to thriftiness as a way of life. Fearful that economic conditions could get worse and stay that way, Americans are showing an enthusiasm for thriftiness not seen in decades. This behavioral shift isn't simply about spending less. The New Frugality emphasizes stretching…

• More firms offering health services for workers at office. Even as employers push a greater share of rising medical costs on to workers, a growing number of companies also are providing services like free check-ups, screening exams and prescription drugs that potentially can save…

• Foreclosures, delinquencies skyrocket among 'prime' borrowers. By this year, the bleeding housing market had drained the equity from Judy Jones' home in Murrieta, but her life still seemed secure. She had a government job, after all, and a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage…

• Companies to cut raises, bonuses and benefits. Employers are drastically slashing bonuses, severance packages and pay raises next year to cut costs amid mounting concerns of a prolonged economic downturn. While many employees understand the need for cutbacks as the economy languishes,…

• More people late with car payments. DETROIT — In yet another bad sign for the auto industry, car loan delinquencies rose again in the third quarter, putting up to $22.9 billion at risk for banks, finance companies and automakers who dole…