Personal Finance - Claudia Buck

Can a few dollars make a big difference? One young man from Grass Valley is attempting to find out.

Some teens learn about money from a book. Some learn it on the job.

When it comes to retirement planning, most women prefer to make their own decisions but rely primarily on friends and family for advice. Few have a written plan for retirement and most admit they "guessed" how much they'll need to live on. Only 8 percent feel "very confident" about their ability to retire comfortably.

As the winter break ends and students flood back into California classrooms, there's renewed attention on getting kids financially fit.

Once the champagne's gone flat and you've watched enough Rose Parade reruns, perhaps there's time to set a few New Year's resolutions.

Happy holidays, everyone.

"What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money …"

For weary job seekers, the holidays can seem like the perfect time to pull up the covers and retreat until January.

When most people think about bequeathing their belongings, it's the obvious: the house, the car, bank accounts, the sentimental family mementos.

Thanksgiving is barely over, but the holiday shopping season is in full swing. Between Black Friday and tomorrow's Cyber Monday, hordes of us are expected to be out scouting the malls and neighborhood boutiques or hovering at our computers to shop online.

It's time to talk turkey. No, not that big bird in the oven, but the chance to chat about a far less mouth-watering topic: family finances.

Amid all the fears over identity theft, the No. 1 tip on how to avoid getting hit is always the same: Shred it.

Credit scores: Like a Halloween fright night, they can be kind of scary.

With three school-age daughters, Rob Lindgren, a stay-at-home dad whose wife is a Sacramento State professor, is sure that all his kids will attend college someday.

Banks. These days, they really know how to irritate their customers.

It's that time of year again. Nope, not holidays, hunting or Halloween. We're talking open-enrollment season for health care coverage.

Got a financial question nagging at you? (And these days, who doesn't?) Between job losses, investment losses and peace-of-mind losses, we're all a little unnerved about our financial futures.

If you're looking for a financial planner, here are 10 questions to consider asking:

Brandon Gonzales has been carrying his black Pantech cellphone with the slide-out keyboard for two years. Brandon is 12.

Whether buying gold stocks, funds, coins or bullion, the Federal Trade Commission urges consumers to do some homework first. Here are some tips:

Hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding. And that was just August on the East Coast.

Between unemployment, the roiling stock market and bad news about the economy, there are plenty of things to be worried about.

As summer winds down and another school year revs up, maybe you're looking for some new ways to entertain – and enlighten – your kids and teens.