Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine

Independent colleges have boosted financial aid while keeping tuition increases to their lowest levels in decades. We pick the top 100 schools that provide a top-quality education at an affordable price.

For the next few months, the economy is likely to feel fairly good. After four straight quarters of contraction, third quarter growth pegged at an annual rate of 3.5% will buoy the spirits of consumers and business managers, raising hopes that layoffs are over and net job gains are imminent. ...

Feeling queasy? After soaring for more than six months, stocks have started to wobble lately. The 250-point plunge in the Dow Jones industrials on October 30 marked the index’s fourth triple-digit decline over the six past trading sessions. ...

The U.S. and other developed nations are just beginning to crawl out of a brutal recession. But most emerging markets are growing -- some rapidly. For example, China reported on October 21 that its economy grew 8.9% in the third quarter compared w

One of the new paradigms in working with financial planners is that you, the investor, should be in charge. But that doesn't mean you want a yes man as your adviser.

In most states, home sellers must disclose any defect they know about that could affect how desirable -- and marketable -- their home is before they sign a purchase contract. Even in the six states that lack a “mandatory seller’s property conditio

A phantom charge haunts your bill. In July, technical difficulties struck about 13,000 Visa cardholders, who were each charged more than $23 quadrillion for such mundane purchases as gas and cigarettes. (They were dinged by overdr

Since March 9, stock prices have surged -- and so have price-earnings ratios. While Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index has soared more than 60%, earnings have risen more modestly. Third-quarter profits are expected to increase only about 10% from t

Congress is beginning the endgame, with a health care bill likely by the end of this year. This week’s Kiplinger Letter considers the questions on our readers' minds and offers our best answers, complete ...

Appliances and cabinetry hog the spotlight in the kitchen. But in a busy household, the flooring has to hold up under heavy use and look good, too. You have plenty of options for replacing worn or outdated floors for $1,000 or less. Whether you ca

Over the past seven years, Anna Meyer has gone through many life changes. She earned her doctorate in immunology at the Medical College of Georgia, moved to Maryland, got married, had a baby and moved to Charleston, S.C. Through it all, her dogs,

It’s okay to feel a little queasy about the 60% rise in Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index since March 9. Sure, it could be just the beginning of a long-term recovery that could bring further gains. On the other hand, it could be yet another instan

Emotion, not logic, usually rules our investing habits. So to make better choices, we have to understand and embrace our emotions.

Damn, it happened again. Ten years after the internet bubble ballooned, then burst, we're left to pick up our shattered portfolios from another cycle of hope, anxiety and regret. To make matters worse, our own actions added insult to the injury in