MSN Money Multimedia

Featured Series

Art goes boom!

Featured Series

Fear and greed

Featured Series

Walk the talk

Featured Series

Weekly Feature

Help! My debts are killing me!My debts are killing me!

Mary Pollack is running out of money. Here's how she can get afloat again.

Launch Your Life

Big Risk . . . Big Money?

Raising a Millionaire

Art Goes Boom!

Fear and Greed

Walk the Talk

  • Investing tips: Save the planet, make a buckInvesting tips: Save the planet, make a buck

    Here's how to think smarter about socially responsible ways to increase your money.

  • The cost of eating greenThe cost of eating green

    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.

  • 10 easy ways to 'green' your house10 easy ways to 'green' your house

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

  • Wal-Mart: Jolly 'green' giant?Wal-Mart: Jolly 'green' giant?

    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.

  • Pay zero in heating billsPay zero in heating bills

    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.

  • Ethanol reality checkEthanol reality check

    Does it make sense to fill your car's gas tank with corn? Not necessarily. It may not make sense to invest in it, either.

Middle Class Crunch

  • The squeeze on the middle classThe squeeze on the middle class

    For a generation of workers finding it ever harder to afford homes of their own, the American dream seems to need readjustment.

  • How to fix: The US tax systemHow to fix: The US tax system

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

  • Middle-class reality check: The 'essential' indulgencesThe 'essential' indulgences

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

  • How to fix: America's energy woesHow to fix: America's energy woes

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

  • The child-care crisisThe child-care crisis

    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.

  • How to fix: Health careHow to fix: Health care

    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.

  • America's health insurance crisisAmerica's health insurance crisis

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

  • How to fix: Credit woesHow to fix: Credit woes

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

  • America's killer commuteAmerica's killer commute

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

  • How to fix: EducationHow to fix: Education

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

  • Retirement? FuhgeddabouditRetirement? Fuhgeddaboudit

    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.

  • How to fix: RetirementHow to fix: Retirement

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

  • Why you might never own a homeWhy you might never own a home

    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.

  • How to fix: US jobsHow to fix: US jobs

    Want more middle-class opportunities for American workers? For starters, we're going to need more immigrants.

Keeping up with the Wangs

  • Land of 1.3 billion shoppersLand of 1.3 billion shoppers

    China's consumer class is booming. But now that shoppers are learning how to spend their yuan, companies need to figure out how to sell to them.

  • Shopping 101: China's consumers catch onShopping 101: China's consumers catch on

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

  • China's new love: The carChina's new love: The car

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

  • What's on the shelves in China's Wal-Marts?What's on the shelves in China's Wal-Marts?

    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.

  • '4 Manhattans a year''4 Manhattans a year'

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

  • What do Chinese teens want?What do Chinese teens want?

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

  • Luxe life in ChinaLuxe life in China

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

  • Taking on CokeTaking on Coke

    A Chinese beverage maker fights back against the multinational giant.

  • Notebook: Not my father's ChinaNotebook: Not my father's China

    My father left a country that no longer exists. Now I have returned to see what has taken its place.

Buy Me Love

Extreme Luxury

  • The $800 haircutThe $800 haircut

    Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow are among the boldface names paying Orlando Pita $800 to cut their hair. Shear lunacy, or worth the buzz?

  • The $100,000 showerThe $100,000 shower

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

  • The $36,000-a-year personal conciergeThe $36,000-a-year personal concierge

    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.

  • The $5,000 home-cooked dinnerThe $5,000 home-cooked dinner

    Can an instant gourmet kitchen make you an instant master chef?

College Crunch

  • Planning for HarvardPlanning for Harvard

    The best way to guarantee that you can afford your child's expensive education is to start planning early.

  • Raising a mini-mogulRaising a mini-mogul

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

  • The financial-aid road mapThe financial-aid road map

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

  • Honey, I shrunk the savingsHoney, I shrunk the savings

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

  • Saving for college? Do your homeworkSaving for college? Do your homework

    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.

  • The 529 lowdownThe 529 lowdown

    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.

  • 5 ways to beat big tuition5 ways to beat big tuition

    College costs seem overwhelming? Here are smart but unconventional ways to finance your education.