Since the dawn of the internet, shoppers who take a risk by purchasing something online that they can't see or try on experience enjoyed a small (albeit legally grey area) kickback: avoiding the sales tax they'd pay if they bought the same item from a brick-and-mortar (or, you know, drywall-and-vinyl siding) store.… » 7/17/14 7:45pm 7/17/14 7:45pm

Let’s face it: Even though women live longer than men and will logically need more money in the long run, we aren’t so into financial planning. It's our fear of being a bag lady that keeps (most of) our savings accounts flush, but we’re don't always invest our yams elsewhere. However, the tide may be turning. » 3/31/14 12:00pm 3/31/14 12:00pm

Thanks to heavily lobbied-for changes to laws governing debt collection, student loans don't vanish after the loan holders declare bankruptcy. Nor do they vanish when the loan holder dies. Some loan companies have policies in place that erase student debt accrued by a deceased person; others do not. And the ones that… » 1/16/14 6:30pm 1/16/14 6:30pm

If you happen to be in the market for a hedge fund (lucky you!), you could do worse than to pick one headed up by a woman. A recent study suggests that in recent years, they've beat the competition. » 1/16/14 1:30pm 1/16/14 1:30pm

Jobs do it. Moms do it. Wives of former college flames do it. And now, credit agencies are getting in on the Facebook stalking game. Which is worrisome. » 1/09/14 11:30am 1/09/14 11:30am

Even though the title of sexiest banker was given out long ago (Meredith Whitney, duh), some who work in finance remain unsatisfied, I guess. What other possible explanation would there be for a banking career website to sponsor a "sexiest banker poll" and invite users to vote? And what deep, all-consuming sadness… » 10/03/13 4:20pm 10/03/13 4:20pm

Lawrence "Larry" Summers is the front-runner to succeed Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve when he steps down in January, even though Janet Yellen is more qualified — and doesn't think women are bad at math because they have puny ladybrains and selfishly choose to stay home and raise children. Why?… » 7/24/13 5:30pm 7/24/13 5:30pm

A new report about the sundry ways American men and women nurture their personal finances suggests that women aren't daring enough with their investment portfolios. Financial prudence may seem like a virtue, but some money wizards would really like to appropriate Sheryl Sandberg's "lean in" phraseology and see women… » 3/22/13 6:40pm 3/22/13 6:40pm

Hedge funds controlled by female managers brought in the money last year: according to Rothstein Kass, they produced a return of 8.95 percent through the third quarter of 2012. (In contrast, the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index only logged a 2.69 percent net return through September.) » 1/10/13 12:30pm 1/10/13 12:30pm

Springboarding off of an infamous USA Today infographic (and utilizing a handy Wild, Wild West conceit), finance oracle Whitney Johnson tried her darnedest to unravel the mystery about why female leaders are still a relative rarity in the wide world of investing. It's certainly a puzzle, because, although women are… » 12/30/12 3:30pm 12/30/12 3:30pm

Not into schadenfreude? Better stop reading now. Everyone else, get ready to rub your palms together and cackle: Planned Parenthood saw a near perfect return on its election spending, while conservative groups spent enough to make Donald Trump blush but have little to show for it. » 11/09/12 3:45pm 11/09/12 3:45pm

What good does freaking out over expensive but worthwhile purchases do, especially if you can afford to splurge? Nothing, according to research (from Kipslinger via the New York Times): » 7/02/12 6:00pm 7/02/12 6:00pm

If you happen to be a lady and you happen to have aspirations are followed by at least seven zeroes and preceded by a dollar (or pound, or Euro) sign, it's time for some real talk: no matter how old you are, you're too something something to succeed at a hedge fund. Have you considered an alternate field? Perhaps… » 6/27/12 7:10pm 6/27/12 7:10pm

In today's case for Just Giving Us the Damn Birth Control: new babies are more costly than you might have dreamed, even when it's not you who's giving birth. » 5/18/12 11:40am 5/18/12 11:40am

A new survey of credit-card spending indicates that members of the generation known as Millennials are increasing their spending on "luxury" items — designer clothing and accessories, tech gadgets, jewelry, etc — faster than any other age cohort. Their parents, the Baby Boomers, still spend far, far more on luxury… » 5/18/12 10:20am 5/18/12 10:20am

Ex-Presidential candidate and horrible person John Edwards and the mother of his extramarital daughter that he conceived while his wife was dying of cancer, ex-videographer and horrible person Rielle Hunter, have reportedly stopped making out in public, and this has led some local busybodies to conclude that they must… » 4/23/12 12:35pm 4/23/12 12:35pm