Plan B

Geneen Roth and her husband Matt were ripped off by Bernie Madoff -- victims of his now-notorious Ponzi scheme. Her first reactions when she found out were panic, terror, self-blame and rage. But her struggle to deal with the financial catastrophe led her to see another side of life.

Do you fear something awful is around the corner when it comes to your finances? Given recent years' economic woes, it's not unreasonable. But you can turn your worries to your advantage by planning for the worst before anything goes wrong.

As summer's end nears, many of this spring's college graduates are finding they still have no jobs, no apartments, and no obvious prospects. One potential Plan B is relocating, and the fourth annual Top 10 Best Cities for Recent College Graduates survey has some suggestions of where they might go.

Having a plan in case of a major life crisis is important and, according to State Farm's Financial Plan B survey, 81% of us know it. But only 45% of those surveyed said they've actually planned ahead for that crisis. If you have a plan, it may not be a solid as you think. And if you don't, here's how to begin creating one.

For sexually active women and men who use contraception, the cost of birth control ranges from $10 to $100 or more a month. That's not terribly high, but in tough economic times, the impact of that expense is magnified. Here are options and prices for avoiding an unplanned pregnancy.

I can't speak for all scientists, but I think most of us are hopeful that the new administration will usher in a new era in which health policy is dictated by scientific evidence instead of religious and political ideology. An indication of just how much of a switch that would be from the previous...