Even the experts don't agree. But for many, paying a pro is the best way to navigate the increasingly complex financial landscape.

Patience isn't the sexy route -- but a slow and steady strategy is the most certain way to end up with a pot of gold.

Once you've figured out what Christianity, Judaism or Islam preach about making and spending money, teach your kids early and often.

America's youth will command more than $21 billion in pocket money by 2010, according to one study. Here's how they're dropping their cash.

Forget lemonade stands: Today's young entrepreneurs have real businesses -- and bring in real money.

You won't be starting with Warhols and Klimts -- but you can work your way up to them. Here's how to do it.

Sure, a smart art investment can make you richer. But a bad one can put you in the poorhouse. Here's how to be smart about it.

Avoiding the buzz in the art market is hard. Here's how to navigate a world of body fluids, puppy dogs and diamond-encrusted skulls.

You can buy a designer vase at Ikea for $39.99. Yet there are buyers willing to pay $60,000 for a vase by the same artist. We examine why.

Can buying art make you rich? Buying the right art can. To see how it works, we look at the sale history of one artwork: 'Orange Marilyn.'

It's always easier to follow the crowd. But it's almost never smarter.

Most people are. Here are four things you do that don't add up.

Don't wait until you've made your fortune to kick back. Some proven methods can help put your mind at ease and your finances in better shape.

Your brain's pleasure center can lead you to financial ruin. Here's how to keep it under control.

Smart investors figure out how much uncertainty they can stand. Risk profiles can help, but they have limitations.

Local is the new organic -- and a great way to cut your carbon footprint. But unless you get creative, you'll end up paying more.

Among our tips: Power down, put up a clothesline and go a little retro.

In an effort to go from retail villain to eco-hero, the chain is saving with its new sustainability program. Now it wants shoppers to change, too.

Futuristic 'green' buildings are fighting global warming, offering perks to residents and workers, and, for some progressive homeowners, cutting power costs to nothing or almost nothing.

When even the ultrarich are saying that they should be paying more in taxes, you know the system is out of whack.

It's not food and rent that are busting our budgets, say experts. It's those little luxuries that we now consider basic needs.

Oil addiction is squeezing the middle class, with the costs now including climate shifts. Can a race toward green technology solve both problems?

When parents work, someone needs to mind the kids. With costs reaching $14,650 a year, day care can eat most of one parent's wages.

The middle class is getting hammered by health costs. It's time to start paying doctors for the one thing that really matters: Patient health.

The middle class is burdened by a system that covers too little, costs too much and leaves people afraid of falling through the cracks.

America's middle class is facing a debt crisis. To solve it, the US needs to rein in credit card companies and home lenders.

To afford a middle-class lifestyle, many workers are trading in time at home for time on the interstate.

Our schools are failing the next generation of Americans. How can they be fixed? Universal pre-kindergarten is a start.

What with car, mortgage, child-care and college costs, middle-class workers are finding they may never have enough money to quit the daily grind.

Many middle-class Americans will have to depend on their own retirement savings. But here's the problem: We aren't saving enough.

Houses used to be an essential part of the American dream. But for many families, a home of one's own now seems out of reach.

For consumers who grew up with almost no choice, savvy shopping isn't a leisure activity -- it's a survival skill.

Today’s Chinese consumers are hustling to get wheels of their own. That's good news for dealers but bad news for commuters.

Forget about the frozen food and bulk toilet paper. Wal-Mart shoppers here are more likely to find live crabs, 'black chicken' . . . and a blow-dry.

Fueled by an economic boom and accelerating migration from rural areas, China's cities are exploding upward and outward.

Millions of only children -- ambitious, modern and spoiled rotten -- are coming of age. Marketers are still figuring out what makes them tick.

For the surging millionaire class, status has an ever-increasing price tag.

A Chinese beverage maker fights back against the multinational giant.

When lovers from opposite sides of the tracks marry, the endings sometimes aren't so happy.

Prenuptial agreements can protect you and make divorce less painful if your marriage fails. So why are women so resistant?

Today's talented, ambitious women are staying single in droves. Are they too busy, too picky or -- horrors -- too awesome?

Secretly overspending from the family coffers can be a deadly marital money conflict.

It's more than a pricey stream of water. Think of it as your own personal massage therapist and a custom work of art.

Pampering may not help you grasp the meaning of life, but finding the time for a more relaxed way of life is the ultimate luxury.

At age 10, Tarik has been helping his single mom save for his college since he was barely out of kindergarten.

For many families, paying for a college education is out of the question. Here are tips and tricks for navigating the tuition assistance system.

Need help paying your kids' tuition? It's time for them to start taking some financial responsibility for their education.

If you've started a college fund, you get an A for effort. But it's equally important that your higher-education spending decisions make the grade.

College-savings plans help you save a for your kid's education, but they're not for everyone. Here are five tips for picking the right one.