Morning Call

Many tips for saving home energy that are doled out this time of year cost more money than they will ever be worth in heat savings--replacing all the windows in...

Countless Americans have decorated their homes for Halloween, but many could have received better value for their money if they had bought those decorations at a dollar store. Holiday decorations...

Whether you call it a rainy-day fund, an emergency fund or a cash cushion, making plans to have significant cash available when bad things happen is fundamental to financial planning....

The old question about whether you should spend extra money on paying off the mortgage early has a new twist. In a recent research report, economists for the first time...

Americans have a love affair with bottled water. According to the Beverage Marketing Corp., they spent $10 billion last year to prove it. But many of the reasons for buying...

Paying hundreds of times more for something you've already paid for is probably the silliest of all spending habits. Yet Americans spent some $10 billion on bottled water last year....

Some lottery winners go broke. Some athletes and entertainers amass millions and go bankrupt. Regular people every day squander inheritances, court settlements and salary bonuses. Why? Because, contrary to popular...

Free is a bargain-hunter's delight, and the Internet has recently become a hotbed of Web-based freebies that could be alternatives to pricey retail software. This new generation of software, sometimes...

American Express is credited with the phrase "membership has its privileges." But that applies not only to credit cards but many groups, clubs and organizations. Do you know what all...

For the consumer, knowledge is power. And when you talk to nearly 100 experts about the most important consumer topics, the collective wisdom can make for smarter spending. Sid Kirchheimer...