The economic downturn has led many to boost their savings. Some economists predict the savings rate, the difference between earnings and expenditures, will rebound to 3% to 5% this year after a negat

A bill before Congress would allow the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to borrow up to $500 billion from the US Treasury.The measure, supported by Democratic Senator Christopher Dodd, of Connecticut,

Small banks are protesting new fees the FDIC says are needed to keep the fund solvent. FDIC Chairman Shelia Bair warns that the deposit insurance fund could run out as more banks fail in the downbeat

The collapse of Washington Mutual may be the least of our worries. An analyst at RBC Capital Markets estimates that about 1,000 banks will fail in the next 3 to 5 years. The good news: Most of the ba

Senator Barack Obama is a either a naïf or a ninny. Based on his tax proposals, the key to any economic program, the nincompoop out-points the naïf. Here’s why: Obama proposes to rais

Imagine you’re running a marathon. Against incredible odds, you’re in first place. The finish line is just yards away; as you cross it, triumphant, the feeling of ecstasy immediately vani

Volatile swings and crushing losses in the stock market are enough to drive you crazy. Literally. The phones of psychologists in New York have been ringing off the hook as Wall Street’s executi

While October may be the cruelest month, its final week was even crueler: It gave us false hope. The Dow was up 10%, the S&P was up 11% - their biggest one-week gains since 1974. Even staid blue-

BRIC Stocks Cheap, ScaryEven after a record 20% gain in emerging-market stocks last week, some of the world’s biggest money managers think tougher times lie ahead for the BRIC nations (Bra

The private sector is actively engaging the mortgage crisis with the first broad-based, systemic attempt to prevent foreclosure. Both Bank of America (BAC) and JPMorgan (JPM) are attempting to h