Personal Finance

The issue: College students who want financial aid from the federal government must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, most commonly known as the FAFSA. The information provided on that form determines whether a student qualifies for Pell Grants, federally-subsidized education loans and work-study programs. Many colleges and universities also require students to submit a FAFSA to qualify for other aid, including grants and scholarships the school offers.

So the city you cover is considering raising property taxes and your editor wants a story today. If you’re like many journalists, you didn’t get a lot of training in college on municipal budgets. Where do you begin? We’re here to give you some pointers.

Writing about property taxes, a main revenue source for local government, can be complicated. But we can get started by asking these three questions:

Decades ago, if someone had trouble affording a medical procedure or paying a child’s hospital bill, friends and community members sometimes organized bake sales, car washes or other fundraisers to help out.

A new study offers insights on how states can assist mobile home residents facing eviction, but notes that even helpful policies can have unintended consequences.

The oldest of the U.S. baby boomers turned 65 in 2011, inaugurating a new era of challenges for the country’s long-term care system. In response to this ongoing demographic shift, the nursing home industry has introduced assisted living facilities that can accommodate a range of lesser ailments — and potentially attract healthier and wealthier residents. How this expansion may indirectly influence the quality of care provided by the nursing homes is unclear.

In the old days, according to popular allegory, you worked for a company most of your life. At retirement, that firm rewarded you with a pension, a guaranteed income for your golden years. These days, retirement planning is a bit more complicated. Fewer employers offer defined-benefit pension plans. Instead they require employees to parse byzantine literature and make life-altering choices for themselves. And more options are available than ever before.