The financial crisis has turned into a tryout of sorts for the next president, an unexpected chance for Barack Obama and John McCain to shine - or stumble - just as most voters are deciding whom to back. ...more

September 22, 2008

With the upheaval convulsing Wall Street this week, many average investors have spent the last several days wondering what they should do with their 401(k)s, money market accounts and other important investments. To help guide readers as they review savings and investment portfolios this weekend, we interviewed Gary Stempinski, a financial adviser with Raymond James Financial in Tampa, for top things to keep in mind and questions to ask your financial adviser. ...more

September 20, 2008

Financial advisers and brokers in the Tampa Bay area found themselves caught up in the turmoil of Wall Street this week as anxious clients called looking for help making sense of the breathtaking sweep of events. The tumult culminated Friday with a federal government plan to cleanse banks of the bad mortgages that had touched off a world financial crisis. The government plan ignited a two-day rally on Wall Street on Thursday and Friday that erased shattering losses earlier in the week when insurance giant AIG, swept up in the mortgage mess, teetered on bankruptcy. ...more

September 20, 2008

Here's a sobering thought that nobody seems to be raising: If we had followed the plan to privatize Social Security by investing in Wall Street securities, then this week's meltdown of our financial system would be eating up the retirement plans of millions of seniors. And the government bailout of major financials - at a discount - would have cost all Americans even more than it's costing us now. ...more

September 19, 2008

With Wall Street engulfed in crisis, the Securities and Exchange Commission is planning measures to rein in aggressive forms of short-selling that were blamed in part for the demise of Lehman Brothers and which some fear could be turned against other vulnerable companies. ...more

September 16, 2008

The bankruptcy filing by Lehman Brothers on Monday and the sale of Merrill Lynch to Bank of America over the weekend rocked Wall Street, so it's no surprise that the ongoing crisis has many average Americans nervous. Before you start pulling money out of your bank account or sell off investments, here are some things to keep in mind: ...more

September 16, 2008

Pending U.S. home sales fell more than expected in July as the housing market's struggles continued, an industry group said Tuesday. ...more

September 10, 2008

On the surface, U.S. companies' second-quarter earnings were fairly respectable when you strip away the financial sector - profits for Standard & Poor's 500 members rose about 10 percent from a year earlier after falling sharply the two previous quarters. ...more

August 6, 2008

HOUSTON - Exxon Mobil reported second-quarter earnings of $11.68 billion Thursday, the biggest quarterly profit ever by any U.S. corporation, but the results fell well short of Wall Street expectations and shares fell in premarket trading. ...more

July 31, 2008

Wachovia Corp. reported a surprisingly large second-quarter loss Tuesday, deflating Wall Street's hopes that the nation's big banks are weathering the credit crisis well. ...more

July 23, 2008