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While researching hotels for a recent trip to Italy, I found that several places offered discounts if you paid in cash. They were mostly smaller hotels, and they offered discounts of 6 to 10 percent, on average. The savings aren't enormous by any means -- but they can easily add up to the cost of a nice dinner. ''I find that anywhere in Europe small hotels, guest houses, and B&B's often prefer cash,'' said Rick Steves, the travel expert. ''Any tourist can ask if there's a cash discount, and often give their hotel an excuse to discount the rate.'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Even now, when women represent half the work force, they're still paid considerably less then men -- and part of that pay gap may be a result of what happens at the salary negotiation table. That's assuming that women make it to the table, since research shows that they are less likely to ask for raises. Even when they do, their requests may be perceived as overly demanding or less agreeable. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

You can add Vanguard to the list of brokerage companies that have lowered their trading commissions and waived trading fees on exchange-traded funds, a move that will apply to all 46 of its funds. Exchange-traded funds are basically mutual funds that trade like stocks. They are pegged to indexes that track different parts of the market. E.T.F.'s also tend to be less expensive and more tax-efficient than their mutual fund counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Several personal finance books aimed at women landed in my mailbox recently. They were hard to miss. The books had pink covers and the catchy, if cringeworthy, titles, ''Shoo, Jimmy Choo!'' and ''Hot (Broke) Messes.'' And then there was the one I found on Amazon, ''A Purse of Your Own.'' The titles may seem better suited for the cover of Glamour magazine. But that doesn't mean women don't face special financial challenges. Women live longer, earn less and take more breaks from the workplace to care for children and elderly parents. And though studies show that women tend to save a slightly higher percentage of their paychecks then men, they ultimately end up with smaller balances because of their lower earnings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The adage that you can't take out a loan to pay for retirement is not entirely true. Reverse mortgages, which allow older homeowners to pull cash out of their homes without making payments, have been around for decades. They are often used by people who want to stay in their homes, but need extra money to pay medical bills, for instance, or to retire other debt. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Most Americans aren't fluent in the language of money. Yet we're expected to make big financial decisions as early as our teens -- Should I take on thousands of dollars of student debt? Should I buy a car? -- even though most of us received no formal instruction on financial matters until it was too late. While no course in personal finance could have prevented many Americans from getting caught up in the housing bubble, it's clear that most of us need some help, preferably starting when we're still in school. And I'm not just talking about learning to balance your checkbook. It's understanding concepts like the time value of money, risk and reward, and, yes, the importance of savings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The angry comments flooded in after the federal government announced it was expanding its program to assist unemployed homeowners, as well as borrowers who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are now worth. Why, some asked on The New York Times Web site, should we have to pay for the mistakes of homeowners who lived far beyond their means when credit was easy to get? Shouldn't they pay for their own mistakes? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

YOU probably get an annual physical. Your doctor will ask about your concerns, take your blood pressure and 30 minutes later you're out of the paper gown and off to work -- maybe with a new prescription for Lipitor. A similar annual checkup takes place in another type of practitioner's office: financial planners. But instead of analyzing your good and bad cholesterol levels, a planner may evaluate your good debts (mortgage) and bad debts (credit card). And instead of testing your reflexes, they may look at your savings and assess your ability to respond to a financial emergency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

EVEN economic oracles would have trouble predicting their retirement needs with a high degree of precision. But most Americans face that task anyhow, without having the slightest idea about what the future holds. Using sophisticated calculators and other tools can help, but they're only as good as the assumptions you feed into them -- about future earnings, how your portfolio will perform over time, the inflation rate, your tax bracket and more. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

American consumers, who spent a year watching Congress scratch and claw over sweeping health care legislation, can now try to figure out what the overhaul would mean for them. The uninsured are clearly the biggest beneficiaries of the legislation, which would extend the health care safety net for the lowest-income Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

What would happen if all the small investors banded together and cast their ballots during proxy season, the time of year when all shareholders get to vote on corporate issues? How much of an impact would they have? Until recently, the votes of small investors -- the ones who didn't just throw their ballots in the trash -- were largely meaningless. Even if they were angry about soaring executive pay and risky business practices, there was little they could do. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

You have probably seen the television commercial, the one where you seem to be watching an intimate conversation between family members. But at the end, you learn that the conversation was actually between a broker and his client. The advertisement is meant to evoke the idea of financial adviser as confidant, and is part of brokerage firms' broader effort in recent years to recast their image -- from mere stock pushers to trustworthy advisers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

While most of the debate about financial overhaul legislation has focused on the impact on how big banks do business, one piece that would affect consumers directly has received little public notice: a requirement that stock and insurance brokers act in their customers' best interest. And that provision may not make it into the final overhaul plan. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Most everyone needs financial advice. The big question is how much. There are tens of thousands of advisers out there, with varying levels of expertise, who charge varying fees for their services. And professional advice doesn't guarantee good returns. You need look no further for evidence than the market collapse of 2008-9, when most people lost money, even those with the supposedly ideal mix of investments, hand-picked by their financial planners. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Don't be surprised if your broker calls in the next few months and asks if you have thought about converting your traditional individual retirement account to a Roth I.R.A. That's because as of Jan. 1, anyone can convert their regular I.R.A. into a Roth regardless of income. Before the rules changed, only people with modified adjusted gross incomes of $100,000 or less could convert their accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With the holidays in full swing, tax season seems like a long way off. But there are only 10 days left to lower your 2009 tax bill. Along with the perennial advice, there are some tax breaks that are specific to 2009 but will require you to make big decisions quickly -- like buying a new car. Others can be completed in a matter of minutes, whether it's contributing to your children's 529 college savings plan or making a donation to your favorite charity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

So you think you've picked out the perfect gift for your loved one. But there's one more thing you should consider: how hard will it be to return it? Before you take out your credit card, take the time to closely read the fine print of the store's return policy, or ask about it, because there is a huge gulf between the most generous and the most restrictive. And do not assume that the stores you shopped in last year have the same return policies this season. About 17 percent of retailers have tightened their holiday policies this year, according to the National Retail Federation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

You may be tempted this season to give in to the plea from that persistent sales clerk at one of the big retailers -- ''Are you sure you don't want to save 15 percent today?'' -- and open up a couple of store-brand credit cards. After all, a 15 percent discount, or no interest payments for 18 months, sounds enticing when you are buying gifts by the armful. But before you start filling out the application, there are some things you need to know. If you carry a balance on store-brand cards, known in the industry as private-label cards, or if you miss a payment on your no-interest purchase, you can end up wiping out those initial savings, and then some. And when you open a new credit card, your credit score can suffer, too. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

So you're looking to buy a new home, and you think a foreclosed house may be the best deal. You've probably noticed, then, that many of the big banks' Web sites are beginning to look a bit like real estate brokerages, showcasing the many properties that they've repossessed. These houses often sell for about 15 to 20 percent less than comparable homes in the same neighborhood, according to the National Association of Realtors. And while the banks have been careful not to flood the market with all their properties at once, there are hundreds of thousands of listings now, and half a million more expected in the coming year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Remember the old game show where contestants could choose which door was hiding the best prize? A variation of that is happening online this holiday shopping season. Say you are looking for a digital camera. Instead of going straight to the Web site of a retailer like Best Buy or B&H, online shoppers may do better by choosing another entrance to the retailer's site. That can be a site like FatWallet.com or Ebates.com, or even a credit card issuer's online shopping portal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Much of the debate over legalizing gay marriage has focused on God and Scripture, the Constitution and equal protection. But we see the world through the prism of money. And for years, we've heard from gay couples about all the extra health, legal and other costs they bear. So we set out to determine what they were and to come up with a round number -- a couple's lifetime cost of being gay. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The tumult at the town hall meetings has mostly died down and the debates over socialized medicine have gotten a bit old for everyone. But the fate of a benefit that puts hundreds of millions of dollars in Americans' pockets each year remained unresolved this week, with senators pitching in with suggestions to keep as much money as possible in the hands of their constituents. Who would have thought that so many people would go to the mat over the lowly flexible spending account? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many professionals are heading back to the classroom. Executives in ailing industries are trying to reposition themselves in more promising fields, while laid-off workers are strengthening their resumes with fresh skills. But how do you pay for tuition when your existing paycheck has been cut, or has disappeared? How much borrowing is too much? And is it ever smart to use your retirement money? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marcia Tillotson and Joy Kenefick aren't your typical drill sergeants. They run what they call a retirement boot camp, aimed at making sure their investment clients who are contemplating retirement know exactly what they're getting into. The exercise focuses primarily on finances -- after all, the two women are partners in a financial advisory practice that is part of Wells Fargo Advisors in Charlotte, N.C. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Collecting Social Security as soon as you are eligible is a tempting proposition -- but experts agree you should try to resist if you can. The majority of people don't follow that advice, choosing instead to start benefits early. Why wait to collect what is rightfully yours? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Target-date funds have come under fire in recent months for failing to shelter investors, especially those near retirement, from the market maelstrom. Many of the funds -- which are supposed to have an increasingly conservative investment mix as an investor reaches a retirement date -- failed investors last year. But so did a lot of broadly diversified portfolios carefully customized by financial planners. The market collapse spared no one (except for those heavily invested in Treasuries, of course). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Securities and Exchange Commission proposed more stringent rules for money market funds on Wednesday in an attempt to avert runs like the one that erupted last fall. Until last September, money market funds had been deemed a safe place to store cash. Then investors rushed to pull their cash out of the Reserve Primary fund, a multibillion-dollar fund, during the worst of the financial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The stock market's damage has already been done. And if you're one of those people near or already in retirement, you already know you're going to have to work longer, save more or spend less. But what should you do right now with the money you have left? Should you wade back into the stock market, if you bailed out when the market was plunging? Or if you watched your investments drop and then recover a little in the last few months, should you just hold on? What happens if the market doesn't fully recover for a long time? (That happened in Japan in the '90s.) [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The economic crisis has spawned several unscrupulous companies that prey on homeowners who are having trouble paying their mortgages. The companies promise to save borrowers' homes from foreclosure in exchange for a significant upfront fee, often thousands of dollars, but consumers often end up worse off than when they started. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As the American government continues to pump money into the economy, many investors have started to worry that inflation is inevitable. Most economists don't expect inflation to arrive anytime soon. But nobody really knows when it will appear or how corrosive its effects will be. In the meantime, financial planners are suggesting that investors make sure that their portfolios are well positioned to withstand any impact on their hard-earned money -- before it's too late. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

IF the last 18 months have taught Americans anything, it's that market collapses don't discriminate. Even the most sophisticated and affluent investors lost big chunks of their fortunes. Access to the most exclusive hedge funds did not always limit the damage, as many participants had hoped it would. As a result, a new mentality has emerged among some investors, who are rethinking the traditional approach to asset allocation. The upheaval in the markets and in the broader economy has led them to question long-honored principles of investing and to sound a death knell, at least for now, for the buy-and-hold mind-set. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many consumers are buckling under the weight of mounting credit card debt. So it should come as no surprise that some have been lured in by often-hollow promises from debt settlement companies, claiming they can reduce debts to a small fraction of what is owed by negotiating with creditors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Obama administration's plan to help millions of troubled homeowners avoid foreclosure by reducing the size of their mortgage payments is just getting off the ground. So far, two months after the program went into effect, about 55,000 homeowners have been extended loan modification offers, according to a senior administration official. At the same time, foreclosures continue apace. RealtyTrac reported Wednesday that foreclosure filings reached 342,000 last month, up 32 percent from April 2008. Moody's has estimated that more than 2.1 million homeowners will lose their homes this year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

They bought into the notion that if they went to college -- never mind the debt -- their degree would lead to a lucrative job. And repaying their student loans would never be a problem. But the economic crisis has turned those assumptions on their ear as thousands of recent graduates have been unable to find jobs or are earning too little to cover the payments for loans that are sometimes as high as $50,000. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With just a few more days to file your tax returns, you may be tempted -- especially in this down economy -- to shave a little income, maybe, or add a little more to your deductions. After all, what are the odds of being audited? (For the record: Only about 1.4 million of the 135 million returns filed each year are audited and of those, only about 310,000 taxpayers are forced to look an I.R.S. agent in the eye and explain their numbers.) [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Companies eager to conserve cash are trimming their contributions to their workers' 401(k) retirement plans, putting a new strain on America's tattered safety net at the very moment when many workers are watching their accounts plummet along with the stock market. When the FedEx Corporation slimmed down its pension plan last year, it softened the blow by offering workers enriched 401(k) contributions to make up for the pension benefits some would lose. But last week, with Americans sending fewer parcels and FedEx's revenue growth at a standstill, the company said it would suspend all of its contributions for at least a year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It's the time of year when personal finance writers offer suggestions on end-of-the-year tax planning. The problem this year is that there are so many unknowns. Are tax increases in the works? Will you keep your job next year? Will your income drop? And what about all those terrible investment losses? Even some tax experts are scratching their heads. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

When wealthy investors are willing to hand over a sizable sum to a single money manager they heard about at the country club, certain first principles of investing bear repeating. That manager, Bernard L. Madoff, is accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission of running a fraud scheme that may be the biggest in Wall Street history. But if it ends up in the record books, it will be because scores of people made outsize bets on his prowess without taking the time to fully understand what they were investing in. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Companies whose pension funds suffered big losses this year will not have to replenish the money quickly under a relief measure that flew through the Senate Thursday and will next go to the president for his signature. Because of strong market performance, big contributions made in the past, and a two-year phase-in of tougher financing rules passed in 2006, many companies have not had to pump much money into their pension funds in the last few years. But they suddenly faced the prospect of having to come up with a lot of cash because of this year's financial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The housing market may finally be getting some relief, with lower mortgage rates already encouraging refinancing and Treasury officials considering ways to entice new buyers. Last week, the Federal Reserve announced that it would buy $500 billion in mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae. Mortgage rates immediately dropped, and that led to a surge in mortgage refinancing activity for the week -- even with the Thanksgiving holiday. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

If you're buying a home, refinancing a mortgage or seeking an auto or student loan, the new government plans to make borrowing cheaper and easier sound like a gift. One problem, however, is that whole categories of people may be ineligible. If you are refinancing, you could be out of luck if your mortgage balance is more than your house is worth. And for all kinds of new loans, lenders have raised their standards even as their customers' credit records are deteriorating because of late payments and other problems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The economy's deep troubles are pushing a growing number of already struggling consumers into bankruptcy, often with far more debt than those who filed in previous downturns. Plummeting home values, dwindling incomes and the near disappearance of credit have proved a potent mixture. While all the usual reasons that distressed borrowers seek bankruptcy -- job loss, medical bills, divorce -- play significant roles, new economic forces are changing the calculus of who can ride out the tough times and who cannot. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Massachusetts, California and Connecticut -- have legalized same-sex marriage. And now, three states, California among them, have proposals on their ballots this month to ban gay marriage. But given that the federal government views same-sex married couples as perfect strangers, ineligible for the many federal rights given to opposite-sex married couples, the question for gay couples is this: Is it worth it to tie the knot? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The American housing market, where the global economic crisis began, is far from hitting bottom. Home prices across much of the country are likely to fall through late 2009, economists say, and in some markets the trend could last even longer depending on the severity of the anticipated recession. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The economic bailout package contains an assortment of benefits for consumers. It more than doubles the amount of insurance backing bank deposits and protects millions of taxpayers from paying the more onerous alternative minimum tax. It includes perks for green-minded consumers and puts mental health coverage on an even footing with physical health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

[Updated 7:41 p.m.] With the cloud of uncertainty still looming over financial markets, hundreds of readers responded to an invitation to submit questions about the effect on their personal finances. And several recurring themes emerged. Many individuals are still concerned about the safety of their money market mutual funds, as well as the specifics behind the alphabet soup of insurance, from F.D.I.C. to S.I.P.C. Some are worried that they will not be able to get student loans for college, while others have questions about their retirement funds. Answers to many of these questions appear below. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The $700 billion bailout package developed by Congress is primarily intended to put financial institutions on a firmer footing. That, consumer experts said, can only be positive for most Americans. The package should ease tight credit, hold down interest rates and prevent a sharp rise in unemployment. But it does not go as far as some Democrats and consumer advocacy groups would have liked in helping distressed homeowners. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Money market funds have been among the few places that investors could put their cash and sleep peacefully. At the moment, that is not necessarily true. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One clear implication of the tumult in the financial world is that some of the biggest brains in the business, from the Federal Reserve to Wall Street, have no idea what will happen next or how to respond. So you are forgiven if you found yourself panicking as two Wall Street firms fell victim on Monday and the stock market took the biggest one-day fall in seven years. It's incredibly difficult to predict where the markets are headed in the coming weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

IF you ask married people why their marriage works, they are probably not going to say it's because they found their financial soul mate. But if they are lucky, they have. Marrying a person who shares your attitudes about money might just be the smartest financial decision you will ever make. In fact, when it comes to finances, your marriage is likely to be your most valuable asset -- or your largest liability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]