California Home Loan 360

Should they buy a new, smaller car or hang on to the money? If they decide to buy, will they qualify for a loan? These are among the questions some local car dealers are finding customers wrestling with in today's shaky economy.

WASHINGTON - Fevered talk in the capital of possible government fixes for the mortgage crisis belies an inconvenient truth of the credit market: Banks simply are not eager to lend money.

A growing industry involves buying, selling and profiting from life insurance. Robert Mannheim was stunned when he found out that strangers wanted to lend his mother in West Los Angeles money to buy her a $2-million life insurance policy and pay her premiums.

It was easy for many small investors to ignore the credit markets' woes a few months ago, when the crisis was centered in high-risk mortgages owned by big-money investors.

Countrywide and others tell thousands of homeowners that they can no longer borrow against their credit lines as the companies tighten standards. Tens of thousands of homeowners with home equity lines of credit are getting a rude surprise: They've been told by their lender that they can no longer take money out on their credit lines because sinking home prices have left them with little or no equity.

If you can't stick to that New Year's resolution, try putting your money where your mouth is. Over the years, I've had a lot of trouble keeping off weight. I'd go on a serious diet and lose dozens of pounds fairly quickly, but usually most of it would come back on within a year.

If you're in debt, the Fed rate cut could give you immediate relief. If you bank up your money, it'll grow a lot slower. For many Americans, the effects of the Federal Reserve's aggressive rate cut will be swift and striking. The average borrower could save hundreds of dollars within a few months -- and the average saver could lose just as much.

The most costly mistake is not making the effort to apply at all -- and missing out on money for college. High school seniors have been scrambling for months to complete their applications for college. Now it's their parents' turn to sweat.

Is the secret to joy a pricey pair of Louboutins? A new study finds that money really can buy you happiness — at least for a short time.

Real estate and financial services dragged down the average total return. You were more likely than not to make money in U.S. stock mutual funds in 2007.