In the world of personal finance, knowledge is power. And you already have the power to become richer than you think. Those were the key messages from nationally syndicated personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary, the keynote speaker during the spring semester's first HYPE Day on Tuesday. With 401Ks, IRAs, stocks, bonds, annuities a...

Michelle Singeltary Beyond Speaking Podcast Transcript Intro: Welcome to Beyond Speaking with Brian Lord. A podcast featuring deeper conversations with the world's top speakers. Brian Lord: Hi, I'm Brian Lord, your host of the Beyond Speaking podcast and today we have on Michelle Singletary. Michelle is a nationally syndicated personal...

WASHINGTON - At the beginning of the year, we often talk about the new things we want to see happen in our lives. When it comes to your finances, you might promise to save more or spend less. You may now have a plan to reduce your debt. But what causes so many people to fail at their financial goals? They can't change and move forward bec...

There is a method to what some readers consider my madness. Some people hate that I hate debt. Others disagree when I encourage families not to borrow for college. And, man, do I get a lot of email when I recommend that college students, especially freshmen, not have credit cards. I value this feedback, so I created the Color of Money "Talk ...

Stop complaining about the demise of pensions, and start preparing. As with a category 5 hurricane, Americans are in for catastrophic problems if we fail to address the looming retirement crisis. Retirement planning cannot be shoved down on your to-do list. If you're in your 20s, start thinking about it now, because you've got plenty of time ...

Like many rental car customers, my husband and I declined the expensive insurance offered at the counter. We knew we were covered through our auto insurance provider. Additionally, the credit card we use covers rental cars. In my mind, if we got into an accident, I would just use the coverage offered by the credit card company. But during our ...

In 1966, Margaret McNamara took a bag of used books to four boys she was tutoring in reading in Washington. She allowed each child to keep one, and they were delighted. Her giving soon developed into a program that would bring books to millions of children nationwide: Reading Is Fundamental. Since I started writing a column, I've tried to do s...

Every year, someone asks me what financial books I recommend as holiday gifts to teach children or young adults about money, to help somebody prepare for retirement - or for someone who is trifling with his or her money. Let's be honest, not many people are going to exclaim great joy when they unwrap a personal finance book. They are likely to ...

My husband and I were talking with our children about what they wanted for Christmas. All of them are in their teens, and any pretense of Santa has long been gone. The holiday has now become their chance to break down our frugal barriers.But we do love to hear their squeals of delight at finally getting a coveted item. And then there are the gif...

We have become a nation charmed by offers that something might be free. Especially when it comes to credit. Let's look at the offers many consumers will receive as they shop for the holidays. Professionals call these promotions "deferred interest plans."; But more commonly the advertising may say something like "No interest for 18 months"; or "...