Interest Rates

Houses are cheap. Interest rates are low. And the economy is improving. Even Warren Buffett says that housing might be the best investment today. So should you run out and buy a home? Not necessarily.

The U.S. is again closing in on its debt limit, and if a recent statement by Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner is any indication, another fight with the Obama administration over the issue is ahead. Here's a preview of what we might expect.

Sunday's elections in France and Greece were a firm vote against austerity, and regardless of the merits of either side of the debate, that means the future of the eurozone is again in doubt. Here's why the bond markets care so much -- and why you should, too.

When car buyers take possession of a vehicle before their financing arrangements are complete, they're risking a big money mess if the loan falls through. And some less scrupulous dealers will take advantage. Here's what you need to know to avoid the yo-yo financing trap.

Rising Spanish bond yields: If you've heard those four words in the news recently, you may not have paid much attention. But that phrase foretells a potential crisis that could swamp America's fragile economic recovery.

This income investment has become more attractive recently. Yet because it's perceived as being strictly for the wealthy, many ordinary Americans never think twice about it.

Start early and get less each month? Wait longer and get bigger checks, but fewer of them. We break down the math.

The Federal Reserve offered a more positive view of the economy after a burst of hiring since its last meeting. It held off taking further steps to boost the recovery and reiterated its plan to keep short-term interest rates near zero until at least late 2014. The Fed's statement issued after Tuesday's one-day meeting was more upbeat than the one it released in January.

It's easy to understand the allure of brokerage credit cards. They're cash-back cards that route the the kickbacks into a brokerage account for capital appreciation. Free money creating more free money: What could possibly go wrong?

Wells Fargo stopped offering free checking to new customers in 2010, but if you already had it, they didn't take it away. Now, it's introducing a $7 monthly charge in six (thus far, unidentified) states for customers with those formerly free checking accounts.