Illinois

Extreme couponers are still essentially a fringe group, but the Great Recession has given rise to a savvy new breed of mainstream shoppers who've finely honed the art of couponing. Here are a few of their stories.

TopRetirements.com has named the 10 worst states in which to retire, based in factors such as taxes and climate. Every retirement is unique, but before you end up living out your golden years chilly and underfunded, check out this list.

Balancing the budget isn't just a federal problem -- it's a state one, too. The Great Recession resulted in some of the lowest state revenues in years, and some of the biggest budget shortfalls ever -- in some cases, into the billions of dollars.

Unemployment has been slipping, according to a new U.S. Labor Department report Friday. But what about underemployment? According to a new Gallup poll released Friday, national underemployment averaged 19% last year, and Illinois, California and Michigan had the highest rates.

Wall Street and the media have been fixated with the debt crises in countries such as Greece, Portugal and Ireland. But we're not hearing nearly enough about a much bigger economy closer to home that's on the brink of disaster. We're talking about California -- the eighth largest economy in the...

As the state of Illinois prepares to hike income taxes by 66% and corporate income taxes by 45%, the neighboring state of Wisconsin is seeing dollar signs. Critics of the tax hike, which awaits final approval by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, argue that Illinois will see an exodus of individuals,...

Illinois lawmakers approved a 66% increase in the state's income tax in the final hours of the Legislature's session. Lawmakers raised the state income tax to 5% from 3% in a bid to close the state's deficit, which could be as large as $15 billion, The New York Times said. It's the first such...

Illinois' attorney general is suing a company for allegedly operating debt relief and mortgage rescue scams that targeted the Chicago area's sizable Polish community - allegedly bilking more than a dozen customers out of $300,000. Attorney General Lisa Madigan said the Omega Business Center...

The recent winning bidder for a low-mileage 2008 Ford Escape hybrid may have gotten more than he or she bargained for -- especially if it's dark gray in color. It seems that matches the description of the vehicle President Barack Obama drove prior to his bid to become president of the United States.

The housing crisis is getting worse and spreading to more places across the country. Home foreclosures are up in the Northwest and Midwest, areas that had previously escaped the brunt of the mortgage crisis, says real estate data firm RealtyTrac. Foreclosure rates in Utah, Idaho, Illinois and...