http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance en-us 2009-11-24T19:06:27Z http://www.boston.com/ http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/bcom_logo_140w.gif http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/15/a_plan_for_getting_by_working_less?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance Unemployed and single, Phyllis Werlin didn’t think she could afford to retire. But the Malden resident - laid off twice in 12 months from technical support jobs - was eager to rethink her relationship with work. Lynn Asinof, Globe Correspondent 2009-11-15T00:09:46Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/02/28/readers_tip_hands_on_saving?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance If you've followed our Spending Smart series this month, you've already garnered plenty of ideas on how to save money, or at least be smarter about spending it. Today, for the last day of the series, we leave you with a clip-and-save list, including great tips from readers. If you've enjoyed the series, there's good news - it will live ... 2009-02-28T03:46:06Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/24/funeral_and_burial_costs_continue_to_rise___but_there_are_options?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance I’ve always joked that I wanted my gravestone to read: “Final Sale, No Return.’’ But with funeral prices averaging $7,000 or more, the cost of dying is no laughing matter. Korky Vann, Hartford Courant 2009-11-24T04:32:34Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/24/frontline_examines_the_dark_underbelly_of_the_credit_card_industry?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance There are 100,000 credit card transactions per minute in the United States, and Americans carry nearly $1 trillion in credit card debt. Plastic has become as much a part of the American way as Mom, apple pie, and the flag. At least two of those items you can purchase with a credit card. Mark Feeney, Globe Staff 2009-11-24T01:08:49Z liv http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/11/24/boston_convention_center_expansion_faces_cost_market_hurdles?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, already the largest building of its kind in New England, would double in size under an expansion plan unveiled yesterday by state officials, eventually becoming a 1-million-square-foot tourism “campus’’ on the South Boston Waterfront. Casey Ross, Globe Staff 2009-11-24T07:32:13Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/11/24/convention_industry_has_slumped_nationally_but_boston_has_fared_better?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance It may not seem like the best time to talk about a massive expansion for the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Katie Johnston Chase, Globe Staff 2009-11-24T04:04:46Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/09/30/in_haverhill_former_mills_churn_out_apartments?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance HAVERHILL - On the once-contaminated site of a decaying shoe factory, a thriving neighborhood is growing with the opening of hundreds of chic apartments, part of a renaissance in this Merrimack River mill city, which has seen plenty of hard times. Jenifer B. McKim, Globe Staff 2009-09-30T02:40:40Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/11/23/survey_sees_slow_jobs_recovery_in_early_2010?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance NEW YORK - The joblessness that has weighed down the economic recovery will slowly start to abate in 2010, economists say, but they predict consumers will continue to keep a tight rein on spending, according to a survey. Emily Fredrix, Associated Press 2009-11-23T03:16:23Z eco http://www.boston.com/bostonworks/news/articles/2008/11/09/the_caring_community?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance WINCHESTER - Anne Lang, head of human resources at Winchester Hospital, pulls out a simple, black box and flips it open. Inside is a small but telling stack of reasons why this 229-bed community hospital is the state's top place to work. Maggie Jackson, Globe correspondent 2008-11-09T05:00:00Z works http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/22/you_dont_have_to_look_frumpy_when_traveling_on_business?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance Business travelers cringe at this scenario: You’re called to a last-minute meeting in another city, and you’re on the next shuttle flight out of Logan International Airport. You’ve got about 30 minutes to pack, grab your presentation, and make it to the airport in time to board your flight, when you realize your best suit is at the dry cleaners ... Melanie Nayer, Globe Correspondent 2009-11-21T21:48:44Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/22/independent_atms_pose_more_risk_than_you_think?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance If you’ve ever wondered about those ATMs you see in bars and neighborhood stores that aren’t affiliated with a bank, what Robert Siciliano demonstrated probably won’t inspire much confidence. Siciliano, a Boston-based security expert for Intelius, an identity theft protection company, decided earlier this fall to buy one of those ATMs. Mitch Lipka, Globe Correspondent 2009-11-21T21:44:27Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/22/if_you_still_have_money_to_give_to_any_charity_make_sure_you_give_it_wisely?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance There’s no surprise that charitable giving is down this year. A recession can make even the most altruistic person pull back. Fifty-one percent of charitable organizations responding to a poll by the Association of Fundraising Professionals reported lower fund-raising totals so far in 2009 compared with the same period last year. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post 2009-11-21T22:04:13Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/20/all_business_economics_101_by_way_of_toy_hamster?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance In a world full of economic indicators, the best one during the holiday season may prove to be a furry toy hamster. Rachel Beck, AP Business Writer 2009-11-20T17:02:40Z http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/20/capping_credit_card_rates_would_benefit_banks_and_consumers?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance Jack McCarthy opened his Citigroup credit card statement recently and read something that made him call the company with a pressing question. Steven Syre, Globe Columnist 2009-11-20T03:34:45Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/20/more_college_bound_students_express_willingness_to_help_pay_burgeoning_costs?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance Listen up, parents, would-be parents, and grandparents who want to help: The best time to start saving for a child’s college education is as soon as Mommy is pregnant. The best way to do it is as a family, with the children contributing what they can. Humberto Cruz 2009-11-20T03:54:39Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/19/on_my_list_an_improved_gift_card?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance I have a love/hate relationship with gift cards. I love the concept and the fact that they make gift-buying so much easier. A gift card is a respectable way to give money - without looking as if you have no idea what to get a person, which, if we’re being honest, is often the case. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post 2009-11-19T04:10:14Z eco http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2009/11/18/support_wanes_for_curbs_on_credit_card_interest_rates?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Personal+finance Efforts in Congress to cap credit-card interest rates are faltering because of opposition from Democrats and a lack of specific support from the White House, despite growing consumer outrage over a rush by banks to impose rates as high as 30 percent. Michael Kranish, Globe Staff 2009-11-19T05:09:48Z fan