Blog Profile / Life Inc.

Buzz: How much it takes to get by in America

This week on Life Inc., we wrote about a new Gallup survey finding that, on average, Americans think a family of four needs to bring in a minimum of $58,000 a year to get by in their community. Many of our readers seemed to find that to be about right. About half of the more tha …

Reduce the hassles of summer travel (and save money)

? There’s a lot that can go wrong on a summer vacation. You can pay too much for a plane ticket, get stuck in a lousy hotel or get sick in a foreign country. The best way to reduce your odds of having a vacation nightmare is to plan ahead and know how to work the system. …

Big gas savings! Kmart goes for giggles again

Kmart, the retailer that brought you the viral play-on-words “ship my pants” commercials, is back - and this time it’s promoting “big gas savings.” Say it again. Fast. Get it? Sears Holding, which owns Kmart, is no doubt hoping that the ads wi …

Cheapism: Best budget umbrella strollers

With LCD dashboards, smooth handling, and independent suspension, high-end strollers can sound like luxury cars. They can also be tough to fit in the back of a car, not to mention a public bus or train. After about six months or so with a full-featured travel system, many parent …

How to tie the knot on a shoestring

Thinking of getting married? Get out your wallet. The average cost of a wedding is as high as $28,400 by one estimate, and close to $26,000 by another. After plummeting in the wake of the financial crisis, spending on nuptials resumed its rise in 2010, and is once again approach …

Here's how much Americans think families need to get by

Americans think that a family of four would need to bring in a minimum of $58,000 a year, on average, just to get by in their community, a new Gallup survey finds. That’s more than double the 2012 poverty threshold for a family of four, which was around $24,000 a year, acc …

Buzz: Snooping bosses don't surprise many

Your boss may have a pretty good idea of what kinds of e-mail you are sending or where you are going with that company truck – and in this modern age, many readers said they aren’t that surprised. A Life Inc. post on how employers are able to more easily monitor thei …

Budget brides save by buying canceled weddings

Getting left at the alter is bad enough, but it’s even worse if you’re also stuck holding the bag filled with bills. One website is helping would-be brides cut their losses if they’ve planned a wedding and then called it off. Couples can lose thousands of …

So your kid wants a credit card. What do you do now?

Your high school graduate wants a credit card. Is that good or bad? Experts say it all depends on the child and how he or she will use the card. “If they look at the card as a ticket to more spending, you should be worried,” said Laura Levine, executive director of t …

Great Recession will haunt millions into their retirement years, study finds

The Great Recession hurt a lot of people and this loss of wealth will follow millions into retirement, according to a report released Thursday. Early baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1955) may be “the last group on track to retire with enough savings to maint …

Retirement age in US rises to 61 (from 57 in the early 90s)

Big Brother may not be watching, but your employer probably is

The idea of a totalitarian government monitoring your every move is probably still the stuff of fiction, but that doesn't mean your boss doesn't have a pretty good idea of your workday habits. Experts say an abundance of fast-developing new technology is making it cheaper a …

Bus drivers top obese workers list; doctors tip lighter

Does this job make me look fat? If you are a bus driver, the answer is probably yes. The news is also bad for manufacturing and production workers, as well as installation or repair workers, according to a survey for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Transportation workers …

How to protect a prepaid debit card

It's like cash, only better. Or so say the marketers. Prepaid debit cards are usable wherever credit cards work, protect your privacy, and are - of course - compact. Not surprisingly, use of the cards has been soaring: Mercator Advisory Group estimates that consumers loaded $77 …

Credit score confusion: What you don't know could hurt you

Credit scores are critically important. They determine your ability to obtain credit and how much you will pay for it. These scores are also used to screen job applicants. A bad score could prevent you from getting a credit card or renting an apartment. It can increase the cost …

6 ways retailers get out of price-matching guarantees

Many of the nation’s top retailers tout low-price guarantees: Someone else is advertising a lower price? No need to go to the other store -- we’ll match it. In practice, though, a price-match guarantee is no guarantee a store will match a competitor’s price. A …

Retired couples will need $220,000 for medical expenses

Planning for retirement usually means budgeting for food, travel and other expenses. Don’t forget to include $220,000 for health care costs. That’s how much the average 65-year-old couple will spend on medical expenses through their retirement, according to the …

5 money-saving trends we love (and want you to know about)

You know that old newspaper adage: "If it bleeds, it leads?" The same is true of personal finance news: The headlines love to bleat about all of our (collective) bad money habits: "Workers Saving Too Little to Retire!" "Mortgages Underwater!" "Student Debt Crisis Looming!" …

'Til death (or economic recovery) do us part

As the real estate and employment markets improve, Americans are no longer stuck in houses they've outgrown or jobs they can't stand — and that's not the only baggage they're unloading. The recovery seems to have sparked an increase in divorces. “There’s …

Having fewer kids, or none at all, because of the economy?

Have you decided to have fewer kids - or no kids at all - because of your personal financial situation or the economy in general? If so, we want to hear from you for an upcoming story. Please send us an e-mail telling us a little bit about yourself, including how old you are, you …