Makin' Money

I don't think investors should fear the march of time. The specter of a baby boomer-driven stock and bond market implosion seems implausible to me largely because of the move toward market economies around the world. By the time retiring boomers are selling in earnest, markets will be even more global than they are now. There are a lot of foreigners to buy U.S. assets.

Consumer borrowing is on the rise. Here's the thing: Credit card borrowing is down. Student loans and auto loans -- investment debt -- is up.

The personal savings rate seems to have moved up to the 4 percent to 5 percent range, despite savers making 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent on their money. We're back to the range that held for much of the 1990s. Considering how harsh the last couple of years have been on so many people -- from young adults seeking their first full-time job to retirees watching their pension values slide -- it's doubtful that the savings habit will erode. Memories aren't that short.

Tips for saving money without feeling (too much) pain.

There is an important personal finance lesson in Apple's enormous cash hoard: Savings is an anchor that allows for experimentation, risk-taking and innovation in both companies and at home.

College dropouts don’t get the job, earnings and career benefits of postsecondary education, but they do get a student loan repayment book.

Investors eagerly wait to read the annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders by its CEO and stockpicker-in-chief, Warren Buffett. As always, it’s an illuminating, insightful read into business, the economy and investing.

A substantial fraction of people die with virtually no financial assets -- 46.1 percent with less than $10,000.

More Americans are at risk of a lower standard of living in retirement.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is proposing that it examine the business of large debt collectors and to closely watch the major credit reporting bureaus. The focus would be on the larger firms. It's a good move.