MarketWatch.com - Personal Finance

With interest rates at record lows, there's never been a better time to save money on your mortgage. But watch out for pitfalls in the rush to refinance, advises MarketWatch's Andrea Coombes in her Personal Finance Minute.

What to look for in this month's edition of Trading Strategies from MarketWatch.

More sellers are dissatisfied with their real-estate companies these days, griping mostly about the marketing of their home and some of the other services offered by the firm with which they’re working, according to a report released by J.D. Power and Associates this week.

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When it comes to feeling as though you’re enjoying the good life, money matters. Make no mistake about it. But it’s just one critical ingredient, according to a new study.

Concerns about personal financial prospects and the overall economy weigh down consumer sentiment, according to the final sentiment survey for July released by Reuters and the University of Michigan.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. consumer sentiment fell in July, according to media reports of a survey released Friday by Reuters and the University of Michigan. The UMich index fell to 67.8 in late July from 76 in late June. An earlier sentiment reading for July was 66.5 Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a final July level of 67. The June reading was the highest level in more than two years. The average level of the index is around 87. Jobs and a weak economy have been worrying consumers, according to recent data.

Forget gold, says Wealth Adviser columnist James Altucher. He tells Dow Jones Newswires' Veronica Dagher why and where investors should put their money instead.

If a couple takes out a reverse loan, but then one spouse dies and the survivor remarries, it's time to give the lender a call. Even though reverse mortgages are nonrecourse loans, there are reasons to consider refinancing into a new loan.

Bullish sentiment is on the rise, but which investors are we talking about? A recent survey shows once again that people’s ability to handle market uncertainty hinges on what type of investor they are.

Almost half of large U.S. companies say they now use, or they plan to use, financial penalties against employees who don’t participate in certain health programs, according to survey cited by MarketWatch contributor Marla Brill in her story today.

The number of people applying for initial state unemployment insurance benefits fell 11,000 to 457,000 in the week ended July 24, the Labor Department reports.

Ever notice how the things you need most in sweltering heat -- a bottle of water, ice cream -- seem to be everywhere you turn?

The interest rates charged on fixed-rate mortgages inch down to a sixth straight weekly record low, according to Freddie Mac’s latest survey of conforming mortgage rates.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The number of people applying for initial state unemployment insurance benefits fell 11,000 to 457,000 in the week ended July 24, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected an initial claims level of 460,000. The four-week average of initial claims -- a better gauge of employment trends than the volatile weekly number -- fell 4,500 to 452,500, reaching the lowest level since early May. Continuing claims in the week ended July 17 rose 81,000 to 4.57 million. The four-week average of these continuing claims fell 18,000 to 4.55 million, hitting the lowest level since late December 2008. The total number of people collecting some type of unemployment benefits in the week ended July 10 was about 8.3 million, down about 82,000 from the prior week. Although Washington has approved extending some federal jobless benefits it will take some time before the weekly payments resume for some workers.

Life settlements are not wildly popular investments. But they are wild investments. And to that end, federal regulators and lawmakers are fast at work trying to tame these slippery products.

Employees have a new reason to drop the donuts and stop smoking before benefits enrollment season begins in a few weeks.

Yesterday I spent what felt like a very long time but was probably about 10 minutes on hold with my telephone and Internet-services company, in the hopes of finding out how to improve the range of my home network. After the long wait, someone picked up the line and then immediately hung up. Thanks, guys.

Small-cap Chinese companies promise rapid sales and earnings growth, and may have a good shot at listing on major U.S. stock exchanges. Still, you need to mind the risks before you invest, says MarketWatch's Jonathan Burton.

The financial crisis continues to change what investors want in their relationship with their financial adviser. Merrill Lynch's Lyle LaMothe and Dean Athanasia discuss the findings of Merrill's Affluent Insights Quarterly report.