Expert Picks • Investments • Interest Rates • Real Estate

Some insurance companies use tactics to delay death-claim payments to increase their profit.

Shrinking private pensions might dim your golden years.

It’s easier today to get a student loan from a university’s financial-aid office, but it’s tough to decipher the hidden fees that you will pay.

Insurers use credit scores and higher deductibles, and sell more policy add-ons to cull more cash from consumers.

Banks are living high on the hog while consumers are hog-tied by exorbitant fees. The government can’t be counted on to help.

A struggling economy has led to a buyers’ market. But higher fees are the rule of the day.

Personal finance sites let you manage your money free of charge, but they’re difficult to test to find the one that is best for you.

New rules provide some more protection for consumers, but banks are exploiting the loopholes that are in the reforms.

Liquidation sales often lure shoppers with misleading promises of discounts that amount to no deal at all.

You can get excellent health care and quality of life abroad for less than what it might cost in the United States.

Most of your purchase money usually ends up in the pockets of the company sponsoring the promotion.

eBay has made changes aimed at helping buyers. But other auction services and specialized Web sites are drawing consumer traffic.

New laws make estate planning trickier. Unscrupulous insurance agents and uninformed lawyers compound the problem.

Online shopping features offered by stores are meant to make customers feel as if they have the upper hand, but retailers benefit just as much.