"Greed is good." (1987 film Wall Street)

"Whoever loves money, never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 5:10)

The financial "crisis" on Wall Street has provided another teachable moment. It turns out that greed is not good after all.

While the media and politicians blame the usual suspects, greed, like illicit sex, is not held in copyright by either party or political persuasion.

WASHINGTON, D.C.-No resounding explanation has presented itself in the last few months for the recent spikes in the prices of oil and food. Many in the commodities market-and many Republicans-attribute it to normal swings of supply and demand.

Dominating the causes of the trouble in the stock market over the last year has been the rising cost of oil. Though the price per barrel has come down in recent weeks (the price was at an all-time high of $147 per barrel in early July), the fact remains that the price has virtually doubled in the last year. While many speculate on the root causes of the price increase, fewer suggest practical applications to your own situation.

A rising fear among economic prognosticators supposes that the burst bubble of the housing market could prove a model for the collapse of another credit-based investment strategy on which millions of Americans are staking their financial futures: student loans. Ominous signs of instability litter newscasts and print media daily-large lenders pulling out of the market, climbing default rates, squeamish investing in student loan-based bonds.

I am frequently asked what I think about whole life insurance. The widespread and highly successful distribution of this product has certainly increased the conversation surrounding it, but a few criteria are key to determining what makes the most sense for you.

Dear Editor:

We heard a news report about having many open credit cards to improve one's credit score. Is this true? We have paid all our debt off except for our house and truck and closed the accounts. Will this hurt our credit score? How can we improve our score?

We are one of many who have an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) on our home and want to get out of it. What is the best way to do this?

Thank you,

Jon and Ruth Carley

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Carley: