Class of 2012 Owes Almost $30K Each

 

http://www.newser.com/story/178677/class-of-2012-owes-almost-30k-each.html

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

 

• STORY
• COMMENTS (21)

(Newser) – The class of 2012 entered a tough jobs market buckling under an average debt load of $29,400, according to the annual report from the Institute for College Access and Success. That's up from an average $26,600 in 2011, and the rise can be blamed on rising tuition fees combined with stagnant family incomes. The struggling economy is a "double-edged sword in many ways because (students) and their parents have fewer resources to pay for college costs, which may lead them to take on more debt," the institute's research director tells USA Today.

When should you start cashing in on Social Security?

http://finance.fortune.cnn.com/2013/12/04/social-security-payout/?iid=F_F500M

If you wait until 70 to collect and live to your mid-eighties, you win big. But who says you'll make it that far?

FORTUNE -- Year-end festivities are approaching, with Hanukkah lights nearing their peak, Christmas lights going up, and the New Year's celebration almost upon us. So what better time than the season of light is there to talk about ... mortality?
No, I'm not raising this gloomy topic just to be contrarian at a time of widespread celebrations.

Obamacare Medicaid Enrollment Outpacing Private Insurance

http://www.mainstreet.com/article/family/family-health/obamacare-medicaid-enrollment-outpacing-private-insurance 

 

  NEW YORK (MainStreet) — According to data published by the Kaiser Family Foundation regarding Obamacare state marketplace statistics, 523,973 of 1,360,231 people who have completed applications have been determined to be eligible for Medicaid or CHIP.

 

 

 

 

White House: Extend jobless benefits

 

http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/05/news/economy/white-house-unemployment-insurance/index.html?iid=H_E_News

 

 (CNNMoney)

President Obama's newest priority is pushing Congress to extend federal unemployment benefits by another year, and Republicans say they're willing to consider the idea.

Benefits for 1.3 million workers will expire Dec. 28 if Congress fails to extend a recession-era program by the end of this month.

Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a Business From Home

 

Launching a business from home can provide tremendous flexibility and the kind of work-life balance that we all crave. But the reality is that home businesses bring their own set of challenges, says Caroline Daniels, lecturer for entrepreneurship and technology at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. For example, "doing your business on your own from home can get stale. It's hard to keep feeding the imagination all on your own."

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224875#ixzz2mdXjc2mJ

Rent or Buy? The Ultimate Real Estate Question

 

http://www.mainstreet.com/article/real-estate/rent-or-buy-ultimate-real-estate-question

 

 

 

 

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — That is the urban question: should I rent or should I buy?
Flashback to 2007 and the answer - from just about every expert - was rent, moron, because real estate is hideously overpriced.
Then the crash came, home prices tumbled by 50% or more in many areas and, suddenly, the obvious answer became: buy, because you will never again see home prices so low along with mortgage interest rates that are at historic 3% lows.

How to Protect Yourself from Overzealous Debt Collectors: Know Your Rights

 

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/10/11/protect-yourself-debt-collectors-know-your-rights/

 

A couple of weeks back, a debt collection agency based in Glendale, Calif., agreed to pay $1 million to settle complaints from the Federal Trade Commission over its business practices. The agency, which went by the name "National Attorney Collection Practices," had been harassing delinquent borrowers with debt collection notices bearing an illustration of Uncle Sam's fist upending some hapless soul and "shaking him down" for loose change.