Blaine Vess harnesses the Internet to help students succeed

The gig: A couple of weeks into his first semester at North Central College in Illinois...

Does homeowners association have to carry earthquake insurance?

Question: I've been president of our homeowners association for several years. We have fewer than 20 units and have managed...

A crisis for the very old: They're outliving their assets

Senate confirms Richard Cordray as consumer bureau chief

WASHINGTON — The nation's consumer watchdog for credit cards, mortgages and other financial products is set to emerge from a legal...

Telemarketers call in reinforcements as they ignore do-not-call list

Dan Yeh has been on the federal government's Do Not Call Registry for years. And for a while, it seemed like the leave-me-alone system...

Consumer Portfolio Services a subprime-auto-lender survivor

Consumer Portfolio Services Inc. operates on a simple principle: Everyone needs a car.

Battle flares over 38-year-old medical malpractice law

SACRAMENTO — A long-dormant conflict over medical malpractice is heating up again at the state Capitol.

Property owners aim to tap into an urban-foodie vibe

Traditional Southern California supermarkets, already facing growing competition from leviathan discounters such as Wal-Mart and Target, are...

How Mark Suster became a go-to guy for tech start-ups

The gig: Mark Suster is an entrepreneur, angel investor and managing partner at Century City venture capital firm Upfront...

Is switching to Roth IRA worth losing current tax break?

Dear Liz: Everyone talks about Roth IRAs and how beneficial they are. But I am self-employed, my husband contributes 16%...

It's time to focus on fixing the Affordable Care Act, not gutting it

The woman in the TV commercial is identified as Julie, a mother of two. She's...

June retail sales jump 4.1% in biggest increase since January

Retail sales got a summer shape-up in June as cheerier job prospects, toastier temperatures and more affordable fuel prices gave the gauge...

U.S. and China talks move forward

WASHINGTON — The U.S. reached agreement with China to cooperate on improving investments and climate change, among other areas, but...

Condo, retail and park projects near completion in Santa Monica

A sedate seaside stretch of downtown Santa Monica is about to get busy as a sprawling residential and retail complex and a 6-acre city...

It's time to fix California's outdated medical malpractice law

It's a very rare thing for a legislator to admit that a law he sponsored hasn't worked out as expected. It's even rarer for him to label...

When debt collector seeks payment, who has burden of proof?

The business world is fond of presenting consumers with Catch-22s. Richard Leza received a real beauty from a debt collector.

Thornburg's Developing World Fund is ahead of its peers

This has been a tough year for emerging-markets investors.

How to stop medical bills from going to a collection agency

Brian Davis is no stranger to surgery. Born with clubfeet, the 35-year-old Playa del Rey resident has endured multiple reconstructive foot...

Banker unites East and West

The gig: Dominic Ng, 54, is chairman and chief executive of Pasadena's East West Bank, formerly a savings and loan...