Nell Minow has settled into her seat in a Georgetown theater, her black loafers propped up on the railing in front of her, a notebook on her lap. She and about 15 other local movie reviewers are here to see "Knowing" -- a PG-13 action flick about a boozily depressed father and scientific genius, played by Nicolas Cage, who cracks a coded alien message about earth's imminent fiery destruction. At particularly cliched moments, Minow, the 57-year-old film reviewer known to hundreds of thousands of online followers and radio listeners as Movie Mom, giggles. She shakes her head and scrawls a few notes between the intermittent chuckles.

Thomas Jefferson died so deep in debt that his beloved estate, Monticello, had to be sold to satisfy his creditors. James Madison also left behind mounds of financial obligations. But John Adams, the man Jefferson turned out of the White House in 1801, died rich and debt-free -- despite sharing his predecessor's careless attitude toward money. What was his secret?

The job market for the newly laid-off and soon-to-be college graduates is the worst in years. So if you're one of those seeking but not finding work, what can you do? Consider volunteering.

NEW YORK -- That old saying "cash is king" certainly rings true these days. Investors can't seem to get enough of it, which ultimately could be bad news for the stock market and the economy.

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Vacaville is only about forty minutes from Sacramento, about 20 minutes west of Davis where the University of California at Davis is located. Vacaville real estate is considered a great investment, whether it is for family homes or for ...

Much has changed in the world of real estate over the past 18 months.

Some of the most difficult questions I receive from readers concern the relationship between making extra mortgage payments and refinancing.

Q: I am shopping to refinance my condominium mortgage of about $400,000. The outstanding loan balance is $160,000, and my credit is stellar. In order to refinance with my current lender, they want $2,200 in closing costs. I just financed with this lender three years ago, and there seems to be no special benefit for refinancing with them again. I don't understand why they wouldn't want to keep a good customer and not charge me anything. Any insight?