The holiday season often means houseguests. What does it mean to be a good host — or a good houseguest? “Remember the spirit of the holidays. It’s...

Hotel loyalty benefits — such as access to room upgrades, late checkout and other amenities — aren’t reserved only for the most faithful, highest-...

The wallet-emptying experience of raising kids understandably fuels a lot of interest in the child tax credit. Thanks to some recent big changes, the...

Each holiday season, we throw away miles and miles of wrapping paper, much of which can’t be recycled because of inks, coatings or other additives....

The holidays are a huge deal — and every year, the expenses threatened to gallop out of control. Keeping the holiday joyous and less stressful means...

Around this time of year, many taxpayers begin the annual ritual of pondering: Do I take the standard deduction or spend time hunting for receipts...

Only about half of Americans give any holiday tips, according to a recent Consumer Reports survey. Those who do tip often give less than the amounts...

NEW YORK — This holiday, all gifts seem to be in animal prints. Zebra, leopard, giraffe, cheetah, tiger: Pick your print, type of item and price...

NEW YORK — Advent calendars are hitting the bottle. The cardboard calendars, typically filled with chocolates, are now being stuffed with cans of...

International air travel has become remarkably safe in recent years, with deadly accidents like last month’s Lion Air crash in Indonesia becoming...

Cast iron, once a common material for pots and pans, recently tended to be used most visibly by either pro chefs or campers. Now it’s trending again...

TAMARAC, Fla. — Waterbeds still elicit a wink, wink, nudge, nudge whenever they come up. But two pioneers of the industry in the United States are...

NEW YORK — As temperatures drop and winter looms, homeowners and property managers are sweeping chimneys, insulating pipes and swapping screens for...

NEW YORK — Single-use plastic straws are a recent target of environmental activists. Lawmakers are working on bans against them to protect the ocean...

Food, water and shelter are the basic requirements for attracting birds to your yard. But you can boost the number and variety of species that visit...

WASHINGTON — Cat lovers know when kitties groom, their tongues are pretty scratchy. Using high-tech scans and some other tricks, scientists are...

Thanksgiving is just around the bend, and if you are hosting you might already be thinking about how you might plan things better this year, how to...

A solid 70 percent of Americans plan to shop on Black Friday this year, according to a recent NerdWallet study. But the nature of a day centered...

Winterizing fragile trees and shrubs is a simple and prudent exercise in landscape management. Mulching and watering before the ground freezes up can...

Stories about student loan borrowers with six-figure debt loads might appeal to our sense of financial schadenfreude. But borrowers with very high...

If you’re a veteran with student debt, you have repayment rights unique to military service members that can keep you out of default. How veterans...

Life insurance provides a financial safety net for families. Decisions over whether and how much to buy can get complicated, and mistakes can be...

Creating an estate plan is a gift to the people you leave behind. By expressing your wishes, you’re trying to guide your loved ones at a difficult,...

Shopping for Halloween costumes doesn’t have to be scary. Discounters like Walmart and Target are expanding their costume offerings and creating...