Do You Plan to Spend More Money this Holiday Season?

How will your finances affect your holiday spending?

Two-thirds of respondents to a recent poll by the NPD Group said they “plan to spend about the same” as last year, while 10 percent planned to “spend more.” With the economy and job situation still in flux for many families, we want to know what families in Howard County plan to do for Christmas, Hanukah or Kwanzaa gifts in 2012. Will you be more creative with your gifting? Use sites like Groupon, Living Social, etc? Brave Black Friday sales? Cook or bake for familty and friends?

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How Many Millionaires Live in Stoneham?

One in every 2,679 Stoneham taxpayers reported income above $1 million in 2010.

Like the Barenaked Ladies said in their hit song, "If I Had Million Dollars... ...I'd be one of eight taxpayers in Stoneham who made at least a million dollars in 2010." OK, so those weren't the actual lyrics of the song. But they are the actual numbers in a searchable database in the Boston Business Journal. Greater Boston’s suburbs to the west are among the state’s wealthiest, the Boston Business Journal reported, citing state tax data on millionaire filers in 2010. Weston tops the list with a millionaire filer for every 27 residents.  Melrose's number of millionaire filers is ranked 183rd out of 351 cities and towns, with one millionaire filer per every 2,679 residents. The average reported income for every millionaire filer was …

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Will You Have Enough Money Saved For Retirement?

People who retire at 67 need to have banked roughly eight times their annual salary to have adequate finances for their retirement, according to Fidelity Investments in a Boston Globe report.

People who retire at 67 need to have saved roughly eight times their annual salary to have adequate finances for their retirement, according to Fidelity Investments in a Boston Globe report. "In order to reach that level by 67, younger workers need to have saved an amount equal to their annual salary by age 35, three times their annual salary by age 45, and five times their annual salary by age 55, said Fidelity, a Boston-based financial services company whose specialties include retirement savings products," read the report. With this in mind, we'd like to know: Will you have enough money saved for retirement? Let us know by posting a comment in the comments section below.

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Does Massachusetts Owe You Money?

The Massachusetts State Treasury has identified $60 million in unclaimed property that is owed to hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents. Are you one of them?

If you've ever wished for money to (figuratively) fall out of the sky, you may be in luck.  The state's treasury office has identified more than $60 million in unclaimed property that is owed to hundreds of thousands of individuals, charities and businesses. Just in the last six months, thousands more names have been added to the list of people who are owed more than $100.  One in ten people in Massachusetts has unclaimed property in their name. Past individuals with claims have included Tom Brady, Steven Tyler, Chelsea Clinton, Governor Deval Patrick, and Senator Scott Brown. “This new list is just the tip of the iceberg," said Treasurer Steven Grossman. “This is not the state’s money. It belongs to the citizens of the Commonwealth. We …

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POLICE LOG: GPS Units, Money Stolen From Several Unlocked Cars on Campbell Road

Find out what types of calls kept Stoneham Police Department busy recently.

[Editor's note: The following information was provided by the Stoneham Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.] On May 24, Stoneham Police responded to several reports of car break-ins on Campbell Road. Here's a look at the different calls handled by officers that day: May 23 @7:48 a.m.: Police called to Beacon Street for a report of a vehicular hit and run. The victim claims someone hit his vehicle and took off. The suspect's vehicle was possibly a white Acura. The incident was determined to have taken place in Wakefield and victim told police they would contact Wakefield Police Department. @8:13 a.m.: Police respond to the area of Main Street and Montvale Avenue on a report of a minor…

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Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Council: How Do You Teach Kids About Money Matters?

Check out the latest installment of our weekly "Moms Talk Q&A" feature.

How do you teach kids about money matters? From Melisa Thorne: We're just now instituting the concept of an allowance in our house hold. I guess it started when my five-year-old began to say "buy me this" too many times for my tolerance. First, we explained the concept of earning money. I told her that mommies and daddies go to work to make money so that we can buy food and clothes and live in a warm house. We explained that she can earn money too by being responsible for chores around the house. Then, we made a chart with weekly chores and posted it in the kitchen with sticker rewards to signify completed tasks and achievements. At the end of the week we count the stickers and determine the allowance.  For a five-year-old, a few dollars …

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Change You Can Believe In

Gathering Change Inc. will be hosting its first Hunger Awareness Breakfast on March 19 at 9:30 a.m. at the Thomson Country Club in North Reading.

While it's possible to get by without the latest gadget or fancy ride, one thing none of us can avoid is hunger. Every person needs food to live a long and healthy life style.  With that in mind, Gathering Change Inc. will host their first Hunger Awareness Breakfast on March 19 at 9:30 a.m. at the Thomson Country Club, 2 Mid Iron Drive, North Reading. The breakfast will offer insights to the importance of healthy eating and ways to get involved to assist people during this tough time. Gathering Change, which accepts spare change donations and then gives them to North Shore food pantries—including two in Stoneham—and other local social programs, was founded in 2008 mainly due to the economy taking a turn for the worse.     A statistic that …

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