cost-cutting

In the midst of a divorce, a mom of five faces a financial horror story: $40,000 in credit card debt, a huge mortgage payment and minimal college savings -- and she has no idea how to budget. DailyFinance's Laura Rowley offers a few ways she can begin her escape from the financial twilight zone.

Last year, stocks rose as cost-cutting helped businesses set record profits. But its not too late to buy in, says venture capitalist Peter Cohan: With the corporate world's focus shifting to sales growth, and profits likely to beat expectations, stocks still look undervalued.

The path to profits for most of Corporate America lately has been cutting costs rather than raising revenue. But a careful look reveals a few companies that are poised to deliver real revenue growth. We've found six with a plus: Their stocks look like bargains.

The "new normal" coined by Pimco posits a long era of diminished earnings and stock prices as overleveraged consumers and companies cut back. But it's not playing out that way. It seems Corporate America is growing less and less dependent on America.

Employers who used job cuts to save money during the economic crisis knew that layoffs would put strains on the workers who remained. But now, those cost-cutting measures are impairing their ability to attract the top talent they'll need to rebound in the current sluggish economy.

Publicity stunt or penny-pinching? That's the question being asked about Dollar Tree's decision to discontinue playing music in its 3,899 stores. In response to customer complaints on its Facebook page, Dollar Tree explained the decision to remove music from its store: "... keeping our expenses...

Pharmaceutical sales representatives have been battered during the recession -- thousands were laid off by drugmakers hunting for ways to trim their budgets. But even if the economy recovers with a vengeance, don't expect pharmaceutical firms to go on a hiring binge.

Microsoft (MSFT) is going on a major cost-cutting diet to reign in expenses. The goal of CFO Chris Liddell is to save billions in costs to compensate for much slower revenue growth (if any) and adjust to a five-year market outlook that's far from rosy. Yep, it's the time-honored way for...