Why the Slowest Investors Win the Race

Anyone who attended kindergarten remembers Aesop's fable about the tortoise and the hare. The story's moral has implications for investors: Slow but steady wins the race.Hare investors try to sprint to the finish line of a comfortable retirement without girding their portfolios against the perils of volatility — frequent ups and downs in asset value. So they tend to lag far behind tortoise investors,...

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Low prices boost SF home sales to 5-year Jan. high

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Home sales in the San Francisco Bay area reached a five-year high for January, as prices and mortgage rates plunged, a real estate tracking firm reported Thursday.However, many of those purchases involved properties that were subject to foreclosures or short sales, indicating the housing market is far from recovered.The survey by San Diego-based DataQuick also showed the median...

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Rate on 30-year mortgage drops to record 3.89 pct.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fixed mortgage rates  fell once again to a record low, offering a great opportunity for those who can afford to buy or refinance homes. But few are able to take advantage of the historic rates.Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.89 percent. That's below the previous record of 3.91 percent reached three weeks ago.Records for mortgage...

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Credit score focus of new celeb-backed debit card

NEW YORK (AP) — Personal finance media personality Suze Orman is thinking big. She's the   first out of the gate in the fast-growing prepaid debit card market with a card that aims to help its users build a credit score. It's a gamble that could pay off, if it can help create a way measure the creditworthiness of millions who function outside the traditional financial system.The latest...

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First Person: What My College Degree Means to Me

*Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Do you have a personal finance story that you'd like to share? Sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own finance articles.My college degree helped me pursue a successful 30-year career in advertising and public relations. However, it only happened after I realized I had not made the right decision in choosing my college...

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Gazans rally with exiled Hamas chief

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas vowed to continue fighting Israel Saturday, as hundreds of thousands of flag-waving Gazans turned out to celebrate the organization's 25th anniversary.Khaled Mashaal's visit to the Palestinian territory — a first in his lifetime of exile — underscores Hamas' rising clout and regional acceptance since its eight-day conflict...

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US officials say no 'pivot' away from Mideast

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Senior American envoys challenged assertions Saturday that Washington seeks to diminish its role in Middle East affairs, insisting that American political ties and energy needs bind U.S. closely to the region.The defensive tone by U.S. officials in response to questions raised at an international security summit in Bahrain reflects growing speculation about a possible U.S....

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Saudi official: Gulf cannot 'tolerate' unrest

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — A senior Saudi official says Gulf Arab states must quash any Arab Spring-inspired unrest or risk threats to their leadership across the oil-rich region.The comments by Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, the Saudi deputy foreign minister, echo calls by Gulf authorities to widen crackdowns on perceived opposition such as rights activists and Islamist factions.His remarks also seek...

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Egypt's military warns against political disputes

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's military has warned of 'disastrous consequences' if the political crisis gripping the country is not resolved through dialogue.The military said in a statement read on state TV on Saturday that serious dialogue is the "best and only" way to overcome the nation's deepening political dispute.Violent protests and clashes between supporters of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi and...

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Brotherhood leader: Egyptians must disown violence

CAIRO (AP) — The spiritual leader of Egypt's fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood  is urging Egyptians to disown violence, saying that working through the ballot box is the best way to lift the country out of its current political crisis.Egypt has been engulfed in turmoil linked to a contentious draft constitution backed by President Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the Brotherhood, and his Islamist...

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