Personal Finance

There are many reasons the middle class feels squeezed right now: unemployment, underwater mortgages, rising college tuition. But it's a combo of three other factors that made the 2000s a lost decade for average Americans: declining household income, shrinking net worth, and a smaller middle class.

Lately, it seems like you can't go a week without hearing about how some new mobile payment platform is poised to revolutionize how you spend money: Apps like Square, PayPal's Zong and Google Wallet, to name just a few. We run done the options so you can pick the right for you.

Reloadable prepaid cards, which work like debit cards without a bank account, have been growing in popularity. But prepaid cards are riskier than you'd realize, and most come with between 7 and 15 fees - many of which aren't disclosed - reveals a new study from a nonpartisan think tank.

By the time we hit the big 3-0, we expect our lives will be on track: Careers under way, finances under control, and perhaps even a partner to share the journey with. But the downturn has knocked millions of early 30-somethings off the track they expected to follow.

Interest rates are at historic lows, and the housing market is showing signs of rebounding. Still, many people who want to are unable to get in on the action. But what if that's actually good for them? Here are five reasons why people with damaged credit maybe shouldn't buy a house right now.

When pundits talk about the fiscal cliff, they7 usually focus on the damage that'll be caused by the expiring Bush tax cuts and the across-the-board budget cuts. But what you'll probably feel first will be the end of the payroll tax holiday, which will take an instant bite out of your paycheck.

This might not be a Ponzi Scheme bust, but the Securities and Exchange Commission is charging a rather well known financial ';guru.'  The SEC has charged Ray Lucia for spreading misleading information about his "Buckets of Money" strategy at a series of investment seminars that he and his company...