Category: personal finance

Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold and Other Commodities (Dec. 7)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for January delivery fell $2.24 to $72.01 a barrel Wednesday. Brent crude for February delivery fell $2.18 to $77.17 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for January delivery fell 7 cents to $2.08 a gallon. January heating oil fell 14 cents to $2.78 a gallon. January natural gas rose 25 cents to $5.72…


Retiring Early? Nail Down Health Insurance

By Lisa Gerstner From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance If you’re 65 or older when you retire, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll be eligible for Medicare. But if you want to leave the workforce earlier than that, you’ll have to find a way to bridge a health insurance gap. Here are some options: Get on…


Your Right to File a Claim for Benefits

Here is the bottom-line message of this column: If there is any doubt or question in your mind about your eligibility for any Social Security benefit, insist on filing a claim for that benefit. You have every right to do so. Now, let me explain this in more detail. I hear from readers all the…


Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold and Other Commodities (Dec. 6)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for January delivery fell $2.68 to $74.25 a barrel Tuesday. Brent crude for February delivery fell $3.33 to $79.35 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for January delivery fell 5 cents to $2.15 a gallon. January heating oil fell 8 cents to $2.92 a gallon. January natural gas fell 11 cents to $5.47…


Investing: Nibble at These Core Index Bargains

By Nellie S. Huang From Kiplinger’s Personal Finance When the stock market gets wobbly, we suggest making a shopping list of stocks you can pick up at lower prices. But it’s hard to pull the trigger on shares in a single company if you think prices will fall further. Here’s another idea: Invest some money…


6 Ways to Boost Your Credit Card Rewards This Holiday Season

Get your wallet ready—it’s that time again with the holidays right around the corner. An estimated 91 percent of Americans will celebrate in some form this holiday season, a November report from the National Retail Federation shows. And for most people, celebration means spending. According to a September study by the Deloitte Center for Industry…


Love Your Christmas, Not Someone Else’s

Christmas is supposed to be a season full of joy. And sometimes, you have to be intentional about protecting that joy. One thing that instantly puts the spirit of the season at risk is comparison, because it doesn’t just steal your joy—it steals your paycheck, too. One minute you’re scrolling through social media, then suddenly…


Life Insurance Strategies for Small Business

Building a business is challenging, but keeping that business going after you’re gone is another challenge. So, clear succession plans for a small business are vital. But funding these plans is just as important. Life insurance can be used to fund succession strategies for small businesses. It’s a way of protecting both the company and…


The Financial Cost of Scrubbing the Market of a Bad Brand Ambassador

As a business continues to grow and increase profits, it is essential to expand its brand. They need more people to see the company and its potential for profitability. Marketing a business correctly to attract a large audience is crucial. Many companies turn to brand ambassadors to help them get their products or services seen…


Closing Prices for Crude Oil, Gold and Other Commodities (Dec. 5)

Benchmark U.S. crude oil for January delivery fell $3.05 to $76.93 a barrel Monday. Brent crude for February delivery fell $2.89 to $82.68 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline for January delivery fell 8 cents to $2.20 a gallon. January heating oil fell 17 cents to $3 a gallon. January natural gas fell 70 cents to $5.58…