WarrenBuffett

Call it conscious capitalism or just good business, but these five companies have all prospered in every measure over the last decade by doing good for their employees, suppliers, customers or the general public.

This month, 12 more billionaire families committed to donate at least half of their wealth to charity by taking the Giving Pledge. Here are introductions to some of the new signatories and their pet philanthropic projects.

With the Dow surging past 13,000, capital gains fans are sitting pretty, and a Barron's poll of financial experts says dividend stocks are the place for the smart money to be. But all the exuberance is masking several reasons why it's actually time to get out of those popular equities.

Warren Buffett said Monday that stocks remain relatively cheap compared to other investments as the economy continues to improve. He also said that the company he heads is prepared to replace him whenever the need arises. The billionaire addressed a variety of topics during an interview on the cable TV network CNBC, two days after his annual letter to the conglomerate's shareholders was released.

Monday marks the start of the Chinese New Year -- the Year of the Water Dragon, to be precise, which comes around every 60 years. In Chinese culture, the dragon is seen as "a mystical and auspicious creature." Accordingly, this year is expected to be lucky, even transformational.

In an interview with CNBC on Monday, Warren Buffett said his company bought about $10.7 billion of IBM stock this year, giving it a stake of more than 5 percent in the technology company. Berkshire Hathaway Inc., planned to file a full quarterly update on its U.S. stock portfolio Monday afternoon.

The capital of Pennsylvania just fell into bankruptcy. What? You didn't hear? Neither did the financial markets -- yet. The day after Harrisburg bit the bullet, the Dow barely trembled, while the Nasdaq actually rose slightly. But two of our smartest investors seem to think this is a very big deal indeed.

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett revealed Tuesday that his adjusted gross income last year was $62,855,038. His taxable income was $39,814,784. Buffett said he paid $15,300 in payroll taxes.

Berkshire Hathaway is buying back its own shares. But Buffett's latest move is unlike most repurchasing plans, and investors will do well to inspect it closely for clues on what it might suggest.

Younger voters are weighing in extremely positively on President Obama's proposal to tax millionaires another $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. According to a new survey, 80% of Americans under the age of 30 strongly support the move, while less than 9% oppose it.