http://www.mail.com/subjects/7698-personal-finance.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.23/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/subjects/7698-personal-finance.html http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1862032-healthier-schools-goodbye-candy-greasy-snacks.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Goodbye candy bars and sugary cookies. Hello baked chips and diet sodas. The government for the first time is proposing broad new standards to make sure all foods sold in schools are more healthful, a change that would ban the sale of almost all candy, high-calorie sports drinks and greasy foods on campus. Under new r... Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:27:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1862032-healthier-schools-goodbye-candy-greasy-snacks.html 2013-02-01T21:27:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1858288-review-blackberry-z10-good-stab-rebirth.html NEW YORK (AP) — Are you ashamed to have a BlackBerry? It's not exactly a status symbol any more, at least not in the U.S., after it got left in the dust by the iPhone. Now, there's a new BlackBerry that wants to get back into the cool club: the Z10. It's the first phone to run the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, and it is, at first blush, a very good ... Thu, 31 Jan 2013 05:40:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1858288-review-blackberry-z10-good-stab-rebirth.html 2013-01-31T05:40:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1857906-families-to-priced-health-overhaul.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Some families could get priced out of health insurance due to what's being called a glitch in President Barack Obama's overhaul law. IRS regulations issued Wednesday failed to fix the problem as liberal backers of the president's plan had hoped. As a result, some families that can't afford the employer coverage that they are offered on t... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:17:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1857906-families-to-priced-health-overhaul.html 2013-01-30T23:17:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1855778-green-thumb-wash-pot-consultant.html TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — Wanted: A green thumb with extensive knowledge of the black, or at least gray, market. As Washington state tries to figure out how to regulate its newly legal marijuana, officials are hiring an adviser on all things weed: how it's best grown, dried, tested, labeled, packaged and cooked into brownies. Sporting a mix... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 22:01:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1855778-green-thumb-wash-pot-consultant.html 2013-01-30T22:01:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1857074-fed-growth-pause-temporary-up-stimulus.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that the U.S. economy "paused" in recent months because of temporary factors and reaffirmed its commitment to try to stimulate growth by keeping borrowing costs low for the foreseeable future. The Fed took no new action at its two-day policy meeting. But it stood behind aggressive steps it launched in D... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 20:20:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1857074-fed-growth-pause-temporary-up-stimulus.html 2013-01-30T20:20:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1855518-review-microsoft-office-pricey-good-value.html NEW YORK (AP) — As much as I like Google Docs for word processing and spreadsheets, I find the online software clunky at times. So I was skeptical when I heard Microsoft is trying to sell its new version of Office as an online subscription. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the subscription gets you the same software you'd get buying it at a retail... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:37:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/news/1855518-review-microsoft-office-pricey-good-value.html 2013-01-30T19:37:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1853468-us-prices-accelerate-november.html WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices accelerated in November compared with a year ago, pushed higher by rising sales and a tighter supply of available homes. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index rose 5.5 percent in November compared with the same month a year ago. That's the largest year-over-year gain in six years. All but one of the... Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:28:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1853468-us-prices-accelerate-november.html 2013-01-29T16:28:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1852872-report-force-jobless-to-pay-needless-fees.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Jobless Americans are paying millions in unnecessary fees to collect unemployment benefits because of state policies encouraging them to get the money through bank-issued payment cards, according to a new report from a consumer group. People are using the fee-heavy cards instead of getting their payments deposited directly to their bank ... Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:10:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1852872-report-force-jobless-to-pay-needless-fees.html 2013-01-29T16:10:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1853104-wash-vows-to-try-to-weed-how.html SEATTLE (AP) — So far, no one is suggesting checkpoints or fences to keep Washington state's legal pot within its borders. But Gov. Jay Inslee insists there are ways to prevent the bulk smuggling of the state's newest cash crop into the black market, including digitally tracking weed to ensure that it goes from where it is grown to the stores where it is ... Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:58:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1853104-wash-vows-to-try-to-weed-how.html 2013-01-29T08:58:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1851034-money-fears-vs-real-benefits-medicaid-choice.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama thinks his health care law makes states an offer they can't refuse. Whether to expand Medicaid, the federal-state program for the poor and disabled, could be the most important decision facing governors and legislatures this year. The repercussions go beyond their budgets, directly affecting the well-being of resid... Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:54:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1851034-money-fears-vs-real-benefits-medicaid-choice.html 2013-01-28T15:54:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1849066-consumer-alert-health-care-markets-way.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Buying your own health insurance will never be the same. This fall, new insurance markets called exchanges will open in each state, marking the long-awaited and much-debated debut of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The goal is quality coverage for millions of uninsured people in the United States. What the reality will loo... Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:50:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1849066-consumer-alert-health-care-markets-way.html 2013-01-28T15:50:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1849250-billions-gas-drilling-royalties-transform-lives.html PITTSBURGH (AP) — Private landowners are reaping billions of dollars in royalties each year from the boom in natural gas drilling, transforming lives and livelihoods even as the windfall provides only a modest boost to the broader economy. In Pennsylvania alone, royalty payments could top $1.2 billion for 2012, according to an Associated Press analysis th... Mon, 28 Jan 2013 03:33:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1849250-billions-gas-drilling-royalties-transform-lives.html 2013-01-28T03:33:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1849070-health-insurance-exchanges-will-transform-market.html Health insurance exchanges will change the way people buy coverage and will help millions of uninsured people get a private plan. Nearly 49 million people are uninsured in the United States, but the numbers vary dramatically by state. Exchanges will be the most visible part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law in everyday life. Open enroll... Sun, 27 Jan 2013 12:19:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1849070-health-insurance-exchanges-will-transform-market.html 2013-01-27T12:19:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1849072-lingo-consumers-health-overhaul-glossary.html President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law has spawned its own jargon. With the law finally about to take full effect, consumers might want to get familiar with some of the terms: Affordable Care Act — The most common formal name for the health care law. Its full title is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or PPACA, pronounced (Pea-PUH... Sun, 27 Jan 2013 12:17:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1849072-lingo-consumers-health-overhaul-glossary.html 2013-01-27T12:17:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1847828-penalties-smokers-obese-sense.html NEW YORK (AP) — Faced with the high cost of caring for smokers and overeaters, experts say society must grapple with a blunt question: Instead of trying to penalize them and change their ways, why not just let these health sinners die prematurely from their unhealthy habits? Annual health care costs are roughly $96 billion for smokers and $147 billion for... Sat, 26 Jan 2013 22:21:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1847828-penalties-smokers-obese-sense.html 2013-01-26T22:21:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1844618-sandy-blow-to-nj-costly-work-costlier-premiums.html SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) — Superstorm Sandy landed one final stunning blow to New Jersey on Thursday as the state adopted rebuilding guidelines that come with sticker shock. They will force homeowners in flood zones to spend tens of thousands of dollars to raise their houses now or pay exorbitant premiums of up to $31,000 a year for flood insurance late... Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:38:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1844618-sandy-blow-to-nj-costly-work-costlier-premiums.html 2013-01-25T00:38:00Z http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1844170-penalty-smokers-health-overhaul.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of smokers could be priced out of health insurance because of tobacco penalties in President Barack Obama's health care law, according to experts who are just now teasing out the potential impact of a little-noted provision in the massive legislation. The Affordable Care Act — "Obamacare" to its detractors — allows health insure... Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:17:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/scitech/health/1844170-penalty-smokers-health-overhaul.html 2013-01-24T20:17:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1842434-why-geithners-treasury-leadership-proved-divisive.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has saluted the outgoing Timothy Geithner as one of the best U.S. Treasury secretaries ever. He's surely been among the most contentious. Not since the Great Depression had an administration inherited so many grave financial threats at once. To many, Geithner deserves credit for helping steady the banking system an... Thu, 24 Jan 2013 07:12:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1842434-why-geithners-treasury-leadership-proved-divisive.html 2013-01-24T07:12:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1842426-changing-family-dynamic-lead-to-tax-relief.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of the sandwich generation — caught between supporting elderly parents whose assets are nearly exhausted and adult children without jobs — might find some relief come tax time. The bottom line is, who's a dependent? Your kindergarten-age son, your adult daughter, her grandparents, or maybe an elderly uncle or aunt? "There's a cha... Thu, 24 Jan 2013 07:08:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1842426-changing-family-dynamic-lead-to-tax-relief.html 2013-01-24T07:08:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1838378-expiring-credits-deductions-extended-congress.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Taxpayers preparing to file their 2012 returns can breathe a collective sigh of relief. The alternative minimum tax or AMT has been patched — permanently — and several tax credits and deductions that technically expired at the end of 2011 were extended as part of the fiscal cliff legislation that Congress passed and President Barack Obam... Wed, 23 Jan 2013 07:16:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1838378-expiring-credits-deductions-extended-congress.html 2013-01-23T07:16:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1838374-numbers-to-when-you-file-your-2012-tax-return.html Key numbers to know when filing your 2012 tax returns, according to the Internal Revenue Service: PERSONAL EXEMPTION: —Each personal or dependent exemption is worth $3,800. STANDARD DEDUCTION: —$11,900 for married couples filing a joint return, and qualifying widows and widowers —$5,950 for singles and married individuals filing separate returns ... Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:03:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1838374-numbers-to-when-you-file-your-2012-tax-return.html 2013-01-22T18:03:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1837202-financial-lobby-group-warns-emerging-markets.html ZURICH (AP) — A leading lobby group for the world's financial institutions is warning investors not to get caught short in emerging markets if rich-country central banks end their stimulus measures. The Institute of International Finance said Tuesday that the U.S. Federal Reserve and other central banks cannot continue to flood the market with cheap money... Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:00:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1837202-financial-lobby-group-warns-emerging-markets.html 2013-01-22T18:00:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1836696-dish-network-to-close-300-blockbuster-stores-us.html DENVER (AP) — Dish Network Corp. says it plans to close about 300 Blockbuster stores across the country, losing about 3,000 employees. Company spokesman John Hall told The Denver Post (http://bit.ly/11MpV0v ) on Monday that the closures will leave about 500 Blockbuster locations in the U.S. Blockbuster is owned by Dish Network. Dish Network last year also... Tue, 22 Jan 2013 03:42:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1836696-dish-network-to-close-300-blockbuster-stores-us.html 2013-01-22T03:42:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1831164-irs-loses-lawsuit-fight-tax-preparers.html FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday barred the IRS from imposing a series of new regulations, including a competency exam, on hundreds of thousands of tax preparers. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington ruled against the IRS in favor of three tax preparers who filed suit last year with the help of a libertarian legal group, the ... Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:34:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1831164-irs-loses-lawsuit-fight-tax-preparers.html 2013-01-18T22:34:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1830994-what-to-watch-earnings-news-rolls.html With fourth-quarter earnings seasons hitting its stride, investors are returning to the familiar comfort of cold, hard numbers — the press releases, conference calls and spreadsheets that provide a real view of corporate America's performance. Trading has been dominated for months by speculation about news events: Washington's perpetual state of gridlock,... Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:02:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1830994-what-to-watch-earnings-news-rolls.html 2013-01-18T21:02:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1830806-medical-privacy-rules-update.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Those medical privacy rules you run into at hospitals, pharmacies and in your own doctor's office are getting an update. Regulations unveiled this week by the Obama administration create new information rights that should make life easier for consumers. They also tighten restrictions on medical service providers trying to use patient inf... Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:00:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1830806-medical-privacy-rules-update.html 2013-01-18T21:00:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1830650-hsbc-to-pay-249m-to-settle-foreclosure-abuse-case.html WASHINGTON (AP) — British bank HSBC will pay $249 million to settle federal complaints that its U.S. division wrongfully foreclosed on homeowners who should have been allowed to stay in their homes. The agreement with the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is similar to deals with 12 other banks that ended a review of loan f... Fri, 18 Jan 2013 19:37:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1830650-hsbc-to-pay-249m-to-settle-foreclosure-abuse-case.html 2013-01-18T19:37:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1826906-lessons-learned-bofa-mortgage-push.html NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America wants a bigger slice of the mortgage market. This time, the bank is being more careful about how to get it. On Thursday, the bank sketched out plans for regaining some of the ground it has lost in home lending. That's a change from the strategy of the last few years, when it has concentrated on shedding the parts of its mor... Thu, 17 Jan 2013 22:12:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1826906-lessons-learned-bofa-mortgage-push.html 2013-01-17T22:12:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1827992-taxpayers-will-ease-banks-costs-mortgage-deal.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer advocates have complained that U.S. mortgage lenders are getting off easy in a deal to settle charges that they wrongfully foreclosed on many homeowners. Now it turns out the deal is even sweeter for the lenders than it appears: Taxpayers will subsidize them for the money they're ponying up. The Internal Revenue Service regards ... Thu, 17 Jan 2013 21:18:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1827992-taxpayers-will-ease-banks-costs-mortgage-deal.html 2013-01-17T21:18:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1827446-dartmouth-college-advanced-placement-credit.html CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — High school students hoping to earn college credits through Advanced Placement exams soon will be out of luck at Dartmouth College, which has concluded the tests aren't as rigorous as its own classes. The Ivy League school currently awards credit in some academic subjects for qualifying scores on Advanced Placement, International Bacc... Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:24:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1827446-dartmouth-college-advanced-placement-credit.html 2013-01-17T18:24:00Z