Money Matters

Total student loan debt in the United States has reached the $1 trillion mark. 

Thanks to the down economy, many of the students graduating from college this spring are worried about how they're going to make their loan payments.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein tells KPLU's Dave Meyer there are a few ways to ease the burden.

JPMorgan Chase is the largest banking corporation in America. It stood out as a beacon of stability during the recent U.S. financial meltdown. But not anymore.

The bank shocked Wall Street last week with a $2 billion loss. More losses may be on the way.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer look at some of the lessons to be learned from this surprising development.

Retirement planning can be hard. Traditional, defined benefit pensions are going the way of the dodo bird. The majority of us will depend on a mix of Social Security, IRAs and 401(k) plans.

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer look at the best way to take money out of your IRA during "the golden years".

 “The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.”

It may be a tired old cliché, but it's true.

The gap between the 1 percent and the 99 percent continues to widen, and it could pose dire consequences for the economy and society in general.

Financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU’s Dave Meyer tackle the issue of income disparity on this week’s Money Matters.

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) are a popular alternative to mutual funds.

Are they right for you? 

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein tells KPLU's Dave Meyer that a well diversified ETF can be a great investment.

Every investor dreams of beating the market. But very few money managers are able to pull it off on a consistent basis.

SmartMoney magazine recently profiled a fund manager who has beaten the odds. Allan Mecham, of Arlington Value Management, has racked up an impressive 400 percent gain in the past 12 years. An initial investment of $100,000 in his fund 12 years ago would be worth $500,000 today.

Facebook filed for its initial public stock offering in February, and the IPO could take place at any time in the next several weeks.

Should you buy the stock? We ducked that question a month ago on Money Matters but now, financial commentator Greg Heberlein is willing to offer some advice. 

As with many financial issues, the answer is dependent on your personal circumstances.

When you're not paying with cash, do you prefer a credit card or a debit card?

Organizations such as the Better Business Bureau and Consumer Reports prefer the security of credit cards. 

On this week's Money Matters, financial commentator Greg Heberlein and KPLU's Dave Meyer agree that credit cards offer the most security and benefits, but find debit cards still have a useful role to play.