The fiscal cliff has been averted -- at least for now. But if we've managed to dodge one devastating, intentionally-created crisis, there are plenty more massive problems on deck. Here's a list of the next six ways Washington could mess things up for tens of millions of Americans.
After months of lead-up, America finally went over the fiscal cliff -- for about 34 hours, before a bipartisan compromise was reached. So, with an eye toward the bright side, here's are six things that you no longer need to worry about now that the fiscal cliff has been averted.
As pundits and politicians rush to sew the year up into a neat little bundle, we decided to look at 2012 from a slightly different angle. Here is our list of the year's worst bets -- six developments that seemed like sure things in January, but were bust by December.
Sometimes the most important news stories get overshadowed by short-term crises and teakettle tempests. With that in mind, we at DailyFinance decided to take a look back at the nine stories of 2012 that are likely to have the biggest impact on your wallet in the year ahead.
U.S. home prices rose 6.3 percent in October compared with a year ago, the largest yearly gain since July 2006. The jump adds to signs of a comeback in the housing market. But month-over-month, prices fell 0.2 percent in October from September, reflecting the end of the summer home-buying season.
According to the National Bureau of Economic Records, December 2007 is the when the Great Recession began. Five years later, the economy still hasn't recovered. DailyFinance takes a look back.
The recession hit men hardest, and women are doing better in the recovery, too. But the popular idea that the era of the female-dominated economy is at hand is distracting us from a deeply disturbing trend: Women's apparent gains are camouflaging a massive decline for workers of both genders.
Millions of workers are hoping President Obama acts to extend the temporary reduction in Social Security payroll taxes that he enacted two years ago. That's sure to draw criticism, but it has to be done. Dan Caplinger of The Motley Fool explains why.
Even if you're part of the 47% who don't pay federal income taxes, you probably do pay payroll taxes. A few years ago, President Obama and his allies in Congress cut you a break to ease the pain of the recession: a 2 percentage point payroll tax holiday. Well, the holiday is over.
The credit card market remains plagued by cards built to kill your savings, despite the consumer-friendly reforms of the CARD Act and record-low interest rates for most loans. Here are the five most common ways the worst credit cards prey on unsuspecting consumers.
It's the question every incumbent up for reelection has had to answer since challenger Ronald Reagan first posed it to President Jimmy Carter in 1980. But in this 2012 campaign, the answer is not so simple, for all the rhetoric on both sides.
Median household income in the United States declined for the second straight year in 2011, the Census Bureau reports -- falling more than 8% below its 2007 pre-recession peak. But some states are faring far better than the average -- and, of course, some are faring far worse.
From apartments and cars to clothing and furniture, huge numbers of 20- to 34-year-olds are choosing to rent their possessions rather than buy. In an uncertain post-recession world, are they making the right financial choice?
This fall, as Americans prepare to mark their ballots, Republicans are hoping that voters' minds will be focused on one (and only one) simple question: Are you better off today than you were four years ago? Unfortunately for the GOP, the answer isn't quite as clear as they'd like.
The stock market staged a huge rally after investors got the aggressive economic help they wanted from the Fed. The Dow finished up more than 200 points at 13,540, its highest level since December 2007, the start of the Great Recession.