Finance

...With the fiscal cliff on the horizon — more than $600 billion in spending cuts and tax increases coming January 2 — lawyer and certified public accountant Leon LaBrecque predicts in a Bankrate analysis that Americans could face a 17% increase in their 2013 federal income taxes, in addition to increases in state, local and property taxes and, if the nation slips into another recession, they’ll see a significant dent in their portfolios. [That being said, below are some suggestions on how to minimize such an impact by taking some evasive action before the beginning of the new year.] Words: 576

Staying in school has always been seen as the way to get ahead. Post-secondary education, especially a university degree, is often the ticket to the big pay cheque but not all degrees are created equally when it comes to earning potential. Which programs lead to the best paying jobs? Check out our list of the top earning degrees. Words: 775

In a recent article* Morgan Stanley tobacco analyst David Adelman compares the average price of a package of cigarettes to how long it takes to buy that package based on minutes of work. How many minutes do you think it takes to pay off a pack of cigarettes in Canada, the U.S. etc.? Words: 557

Although a four-digit PIN may seem like a little detail in the scheme of things, it can play a major role in your financial security. Why do we use PINs? How unique is yours? Could it be easily guessed? Find out.

Retirement planning is more intimidating for most than any other personal finance topic. We know we should be saving but not how much. We know it's important to use a tax-deferred account but not which one. Most devastatingly, we often leave saving itself completely up to chance trusting that we will have enough willpower to set money aside for 30-50 years. Luckily, finding a secure and enjoyable retirement need not be mysterious. Here's exactly what to do.

We’ve all been told that politics and religion are the most sensitive conversational topics, but if the recent T. Rowe Price 2012 Parents, Kids, and Money Survey study is any indication, perhaps we should add family finances to the list. According to the study, a shocking percentage of parents are routinely deceiving their children about money or, in some cases, failing to instill basic financial skills. Are you acting as a sound financial model to your children? Learn more from the informative infographic below.

Throughout history humans have specialized in producing goods and figuring out ways to pay for them. This infographic shows how we began by bartering goods with each other, moved on to more sophisticated methods of payment like metal and paper currency, and finally, today, to making payments with credit cards and smartphones.

We all know that the true cost of a car doesn't end at it's purchase price but most people don't really know what the annual cost will actually amount to. The next time you are shopping for a car consider these additional costs.

There is a lot of debate these days about the extent at which the "rich" among us should be taxed. That is an argument that no one is going to win but the findings of a study comparing the tax rates of such individuals on a comparative basis by country is most enlightening. Take a look to see how your country's tax rates on the "rich" compare with other countries. Some of you will read this article and be quite displeased while the majority of you should realize that you have nothing to complain about (relatively speaking, that is). Words: 455

The notion of government raiding personal retirement accounts for funds may seem extreme...but other governments have done it. Argentina did in 2008, Ireland has indicated it might [and the U.S. might well do so as it's] financial crisis worsens. This article puts forth reasons why it is possible they would undertake such a grab or 'confiscation' of your retirement accounts and how they likely would go about implementing such an event. Words: 700