Kathy M. Kristof

New student loan repayment options came just in time for Jeff Zollinger.

If you want to know why it's important to know the health of your life insurance company, ask Vince Watson. His daughter, Katie, was left severely disabled and in need of 24-hour care because of a series of tragic errors at a hospital.

If you've lost your job, you need to act fast to maintain adequate health insurance.

Millions of Americans who are self-employed, working for small businesses or -- increasingly in this economy -- jobless, are facing the difficult and expensive task of buying health insurance on the open market. ¶ The options are dizzying, with premiums, deductibles and co-payments that vary widely among plans and costs that are not always obvious. People who are older may pay more, as may those who have children and women who are of child-bearing age. Anyone who has needed major medical care in the past might be denied a policy altogether or charged significantly more. ¶ Choose the wrong policy and you could wind up without enough coverage to pay for a lengthy hospital stay or an expensive medicine. ¶ We offer tips on navigating this tangled system and, in related stories, alternatives for those who don't qualify for private insurance or can't afford it. ¶ There are seven key elements that consumers must weigh when choosing a health policy. And it's important to understand the interplay between them, said Shannon Fallick, director of consumer affairs at eHealthInsurance in Mountain View, Calif.

Are executive salaries too high? Should shareholders have a say in how much chief executives are paid? Should the government?

What do you do if the 2008 stock market plunge ravaged your child's college account and you don't have time to build it back up? It may be time to figure out a borrowing plan.

The woman ahead of me at the bank looked grim.

Mary L. Schapiro has been in the job just a few months, but the Obama administration's new top securities regulator already is pursuing an aggressive agenda that blends souped-up enforcement with new rules designed to give investors more power and advisors more responsibility.

About an hour before Charlie Munger, the Oracle of Pasadena, is set to speak, the pilgrims start filling a ballroom at the Pasadena Civic Center.

Uncomfortable putting your hard-earned money in stocks -- even after the recent run-up that has helped recover a portion of the last year's losses? That's probably a good sign.