Personal Economics

Budget Battles

  • How Health Reform Could Affect the 'Young Invincibles'

    By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News

    Low-cost insurance plans under the Senate bill and the new White House proposal would make insurance less of a financial burden, but they would require high deductibles — at least $5,950 in out-of-...

  • Even the rich and the famous sometimes avoid paying taxes.

    Helping the IRS Crack Down on Tax Cheats

    By Tom Herman, The Fiscal Times

    President Obama wants to make it harder to cheat on your taxes. In his recently proposed budget, the president asked Congress to give the Internal Revenue Service an increase of about 4 percent for...

  • A loss of faith in political institutions will keep American businesses from jump-starting the economy.

    The Trust Deficit

    By The Fiscal Times Staff

    When my friend and her husband bought their Tuscan-style cliff house in Marin County late last year, they thought they were among the luckiest people on the planet. As they saw it, the sprawling...

  • Medical technology has increased quality of life in myriad ways. But that same science has proven painful and costly for mid-death patients.

    Life at All Costs: Part One, The Mid-Death Crisis

    By David Ewing Duncan, The Fiscal Times, The Fiscal Times

    As the first wave of the 78 million baby boomers near 65, The Fiscal Times offers a special report about the end of life, a discussion that should have taken place during last year’s health care...

  • Debt settlement companies are likely cost you a bundle, and worsen your credit score.

    Settle Credit Card Debt for Pennies?

    By Steve Bucci

    Beware of debt settlement companies that promise to wipe away debt; they are more likely to make your financial problems worse and the Federal Trade Commission is investigating them.