The financial squeeze on Americans got tighter over the past decade as housing expenses - everything from mortgage payments and rent, to utilities and insurance - far outpaced the growth in incomes, a new study shows. ...more

October 12, 2008

Ernie Harpster fell behind on his mortgage payments last year, so he tried to persuade his bank to give him time to sell his home and pay off what he could. ...more

October 5, 2008

Highlands Today staff compiled this Q&A on a proposed multi-billion rescue package Congress is deliberating to shore up the financial markets, and the $500 billion the government has pledged to help some troubled financial institutions. ...more

September 26, 2008

As acts of Congress go, the one hacked out in hopes of staving off Great Depression 2008, Return to Misery, appears to be an equal-opportunity offender. Left, right, center or blissfully uninvolved, everyone is bound to identify something about the $700 billion package that stinks like backwoods roadkill on a summer night. ...more

September 26, 2008

As Congress hashes out the details of the mortgage bailout plan, another wave of problem loans will soon come crashing down, especially in Florida. ...more

September 24, 2008

As Congress hashes out the details of the mortgage bailout plan, another wave of problem loans will soon come crashing down, especially in Florida. Nearly $100 billion worth of loans are deemed at risk for foreclosure over the next two years nationwide as borrowers with adjustable rate loans, called option-ARMs, see rates adjust, some ahead of schedule, according to a report released this month by Fitch Ratings. ...more

September 23, 2008

An AARP study released Thursday challenges the perception that older Americans have been left out of the current real-estate crisis because they have built enough home equity to avoid delinquencies and foreclosure. ...more

September 19, 2008

Gov. Charlie Crist wants to tap Florida's savings accounts to pay today's bills - a short-term fix that fails to address the significant revenue challenges facing this state. ...more

September 5, 2008

This economy has left people behind on credit card bills, short on mortgage payments and low on cash to cover basics such as gas and food. Those are gaps in the budget that have to be filled, and too often, people are raiding their 401(k) to come up with the extra money. ...more

August 31, 2008

You're stressed. How do I know? Because my mailbox is overflowing with e-mail from people who are overwhelmed. ...more

August 24, 2008