Master the Financial Aid Process

Applying for financial aid can be intimidating and confusing. That's why so many scams offer to do the work for you -- for an up-front fee, of course. There are legitimate services out there, too, but you could get the same...

Four Facts of Living Trusts

Living trusts can be valuable estate-planning tools, but they are sometimes oversold to people who don't really need them or who buy them for the wrong reasons. Consider the following claims often made for living trusts. The...

The Lowdown on Funeral Costs

Let's face it: Most people don't plan their own funerals. The planning gets compressed into a few days by those they leave behind, who aren't in a frame of mind to go shopping around for the lowest possible price. And because...

Should You Prepay Your Funeral?

Plan your own funeral? Hah. Most of us not only avoid talking about it, we manage to avoid thinking about it. Even writers of personal-finance get a little queasy at the thought.But for those of you who've made it to the...

Preferred-Provider Organizations

In the 1970s, preferred-provider organizations (PPOs) began changing the rules of fee-for-service care. PPOs steer employees to cooperating doctors and hospitals that have agreed to a predetermined plan for keeping costs down...

A Policy When You're On Your Own

If you work for yourself, retire before Medicare kicks in, or don't have health insurance through your job, it often comes as a rude awakening to look for insurance on your own -- especially if you've been spoiled of years of...

Take Advantage of Tax-Deferred Accounts

Whether you're employed by a large corporation, a small company or you work for yourself, chances are you can funnel money through a special tax-deferred account that can save you one-third or more on your health care costs....

Smart Shopper's Guide to Auto Insurance

Accidents happen. In cars, they happen nearly 100,000 times a day, and insurance can be the only thing standing between you and financial catastrophe. Here are explanations of the major parts of a typical policy,...

Liability Coverage: In Case You're at Fault

Liability coverage protects you if you (or another person driving your car with your permission) injure or kill someone or damage property.Assume an accident for which you are clearly responsible: You run a red light,...

Should You Keep Your Old Car?

Here's the single most reliable way to save money on cars: Keep your clunker and drive it till it drops.A decently cared-for vehicle should still be running long after the odometer has clocked 100,000 miles. Keep...