financial crisis

In the wake of the financial crisis, almost all investors are looking for safety. As a result, financial firms are peddling a number of investments that promise protection of your principal, regular monthly payouts or guaranteed minimum returns. But beware, many of these products aren't all they're cracked up to be. Some don't meet their goals, and many charge high fees. "They may Read more...

Many Americans' retirement nest eggs have fallen and cracked into pieces. Is yours still intact?Our plight has been on the minds of legislators lately. The House Education and Labor Committee recently held a hearing, "Strengthening Worker Retirement Security," at which the disastrous condition of our retirement plans was discussed among experts from academia and the investment industry. Read more...

What’s to blame for the global financial meltdown? Is it the banks? The government? Greed? Try DNA. New research from scientists at Northwestern University has linked two specific genes to risk-taking in financial investment decisions. The researchers started with the theory that many of the investors who took the excessive risks that led to the current financial crisis may carry two gene Read more...

All across the nation, Wall Street's wild swings and steep losses have been throwing retirement accounts into disarray. With the Dow Jones losing more than 40 percent since its record high close a year ago and suffering an eight-day loss of 22 percent in early October, investors have racked up more than $8 trillion of losses this year.It's not a pretty picture for anyone watching their retirement Read more...

If what doesn't kill you really does make you stronger, then retirement investors will rule the roost in 2009. While the financial world crashed and burned in 2008, there was hardly a moment to pause and ask, "OK, but what can we learn from this?" Now as consumers take a breather, pop the corks and usher in 2009, it's a great time to reflect on how those costs came with a few lessons. Read more...

Some people blame a fair-lending law for the mortgage meltdown and the resulting global financial crisis. Evidence shows otherwise. The Community Reinvestment Act, passed in 1977, requires banks to extend loans where they accept deposits. It was conceived as a way of fighting redlining -- the practice of denying loans to residents of minority neighborhoods. Conservatives have periodically Read more...

What should you do about big losses in retirement accounts?The typical 401(k) account balance fell between 19 percent and 25 percent this year through mid-October, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute.Conventional wisdom suggests that you stay the course and not sell out of downtrodden investments, only to see them rebound when the economy recovers.Selling out at the lows may not Read more...

Deflation is a word on the lips of more financial experts these days. The term refers to a fall in prices (despite no change in product quality or quantity) and is the opposite of inflation. But like inflation, deflation can have a devastating impact on individual pocketbooks and the broader economy. On the surface, deflation sounds great. Most consumers cheer when gas prices fall or Read more...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Got the money blues? Lighten up with Bank Shots, our new financial humor column. We've sent veteran Bankrate contributing editor Jay MacDonald into the wilds to explore the wackier side of humans and money -- no calculators required. From: Alice Re: Wonderland Gentle Reader: The most extraordinary events have transpired since I first glimpsed the White Rabbit and, Read more...

As the nation's economic problems grind on, the government has shifted its recovery efforts into overdrive, according to Bob Walters, chief economist for Quicken Loans. "We're obviously in incredible times," he says, adding that the government has gone beyond measured action. "Now they're throwing in the kitchen sink -- and they're pulling out the plumbing," he says. Read more...