Tracy Davidson

There is good news at the gas pump, as Americans get ready to fill their cars, RVs and boats for the Labor Day weekend.
The national average price for gasoline has been falling steadily this month, reaching $2.678 for a gallon of unleaded on Monday, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That’s [...]

When my grandparents bought their first home in 1953, they paid their home builder for the price of the home. The buyer handed over the money, courtesy of the bank; the builder handed over the keys to the home. And that was it, transaction finished.
But that scenario may be fading thanks to the latest real [...]

USA TODAY:
Q: I’d like to pick my own stocks and other investments for my 401(k). Is there a way to move my account to an IRA rollover?
A: If you are frustrated by the choice of investments in your 401(k) plan, join the club.
It’s a pretty common complaint that workers don’t like the selection of mutual [...]

The oft-ignored U.S. cotton market has been steadily gaining ground, and today cotton prices are nearing heights not seen in the last 15 years.
Natural disasters in top cotton-producing countries, coupled with an increase in demand for the commodity and a record crop year, spell good news for American cotton farmers. On Friday, the price per [...]

Say goodbye to those nasty surprise overdraft fees.
Federal Reserve rules that take effect Sunday ban banks from automatically enrolling customers in overdraft protection when making debit purchases or withdrawing money from ATMs.
While banks worried about losing revenue have been aggressively promoting “opt-in” overdraft plans, many customers are choosing to risk having their card declined rather [...]

USA TODAY
A few months into a new job as a contract engineer, Jim Arey was stunned by an $8,000 bill he received for two doctor-administered infusions of an expensive drug he needs regularly.
That’s when the Columbia, Md., man learned that the insurance provided through his placement firm capped doctor’s office care at $2,000 a year. [...]

Wal-Mart Stores Inc has raised average prices at its stores by about 6 percent in a month, according to a recent study in Virginia.
A check by J.P. Morgan Securities said average prices at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Virginia were upped by 5.8 percent, the most significant sequential increase since it started the study in January [...]

It’s official: High unemployment and a resulting decline in payroll-tax collections have taken a toll on the Social Security program. Benefits will exceed revenues for the first time in 2010 — six years ahead of previous projections — according to the Social Security Trustees’ 2010 report released Thursday. But the nation’s vital retirement program is [...]

The debate over tax cuts is really the same debate we’ve been having for months about stimulus versus deficit control. Only now it’s all upside down.
When it came to government spending, the Democrats said we needed more to head off an economic collapse. The Republicans said, No way, we need to show the world that [...]

USA TODAY
Blane Beckwith wants to keep living at home with his mother and younger brother in Berkeley, Calif.
For that to happen, Beckwith, 54, who has spinal muscular atrophy and uses a wheelchair, relies on an aide paid by the state to get him in and out of bed, bathe him, feed him, dress him and [...]