ColumbiaUniversity

In matters of life and death, it turns out that semantics matters. When researchers asked people what age they would "live to," compared with what age they would "die by," people's expectations shot up by an average of nine years. That life expectancy could have a big impact on your retirement finances.

If you or your college-bound kid wants to attend Sarah Lawrence, Wesleyan, Columbia or another prestigious private university, prepare for some serious sticker shock. The three institutions are among the top five most expensive schools for the 2010-11 academic year, according to the Chronicle of...