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chicagotribune.com Curse? Gardener didn't live to enjoy cash he found By Lisa Black Tribune reporter 6:50 AM CDT, July 4, 2013 Advertisement Click here to find out more! The death of a McHenry County man, just days before he was to collect some of the $150,000 he found in his garden, is causing some to wonder if his elderly neighbor was right all along. She said the money was cursed. Wayne Sabaj, 51, was an unemployed carpenter when he reported finding the bags of cash while picking broccoli in August 2011. He was due to enter into a settlement in...

As we edge closer to a cashless society, some consumers are quietly challenging the idea of money in the first place––by giving it up completely. Daniel Suelo, 50, traded his nine-to-five for dumpster diving and a cozy cave in Utah's canyonlands back in 2000. But even before Suelo, there was Germany native Heidemarie Schwermer. In her early 50s, Schwermer decided to see what it'd be like to leave her cushy job as a psychotherapist and live money-free, a journey that's been documented in the film "Living Without Money." Sixteen years later, she hasn't looked back. Schwermer, now pushing 70, recently...

Sweden really is annoying. We've made both Germany and Russia look like fools on battle fields. We haven't experienced war for two centuries by now, but we're prepared for the next one. We once were poor, but today, we enjoy a standard of living that clearly is better than that of the average American or any other country on Earth for that sake. Few Americans could afford a car like the Volvo V70 (best selling car in Sweden) and only a small percentage of the American population own second homes (very common in Sweden). Furthermore, my Sweden is more technologically...

Russia may ban cash payments for purchases of more than 300,000 rubles (around $10,000) starting in 2015. The move is expected to boost banks’ cash reserves and put a damper on Russia’s shadow economy. However, the middle class will most likely end up having to pay the price for the scheme....Given the substantial criminal activity and illegal entrepreneurship, the grey and black economies account for 50–65 percent of GDP. Even former Central Bank Chief Sergey Ignatyev had to admit that about $50 billion was taken out of Russia illegally in 2012 alone.

It was very much unavoidable. As of right now, people in Cyprus are hungry for hard cash. For paying in gas stations, even groceries, suppliers want cash. Milk and medicine for your child? Cash only.

Photos: protests in Nicosia • Crucial parliamentary vote delayed until Tuesday • Reports of a rethink on bank savings levy • Vladimir Putin: savings levy is unfair and dangerous • Midday: Markets claw back some losses

Dear Dave, Recently, my husband had to quit his job due to an old back injury. We have $25,000 in debt, but I’ll be receiving a $38,000 inheritance in a couple of weeks. Should we use the money to pay off our debt, or hold on to it in case he needs surgery?KristenDear Kristen,Now is the time to keep the cash piled high. You’re in the middle of an emergency, and that means you push the pause button on your Total Money Makeover and stop paying extra on debt. Surgery is a possibility at this point, plus you may need...

When James Labrecque listed an old safe—to which he did not have the combination—on eBay, the seller warned, "What you see is what you get, no returns, and no money back." A Tennessee man purchased it for $122.93, had a welder cut it open—and found $26,000 inside. The buyer shared the news with Labrecque via a positive review on the auction site, and Labrecque quickly attempted to convince the buyer to give him some of the cash, to no avail. In fact, WMC-TV reports, the buyer quoted Labrecque's own eBay disclaimer right back to him when turning him down. "I...

To the question "Can you use a check ordering from Pizza Hut online?" We have this answer: You can only used a credit card or a Pizza Hut gift card to purchase online, no checks accepted. And, driving up to their window in South Central Texas, the same sign is posted. No checks accepted as of January 1. Wonder how many other establishments are going to do the same? I thought the economy was recovering....

Dear Dave, Our son is graduating from high school next spring. We’ve saved cash to pay for his first year of college, and we have enough in mutual funds to pay for another semester. When should we pull out the money to use for his education? Denise Dear Denise, I wouldn’t touch the money until right before you write the checks. However, I don’t want you to follow my advice just because I said so. My mutual funds have made a little more than 16 percent this year. If they stay at that pace, or if they make just 10...

I have heard conflicting stories as of late. I know Obama has more cash than Romney when looking at the individual accounts. But that doesn't include national committees and Super PACS. What is the current scoreboard? How much covert coordination goes on between candidates, committees, and SuperPACS?

China’s Corporate Cash Crunch, Illustrated 19 September, 2012, 15:00. Posted by Zarathustra Paul J. Davies at FT wrote about China’s cash crunch last week. He found that one-third of companies experienced operating negative cash flow in the most recent quarter. More interestingly, he also found that many of the companies’ cash flow slumps are not seasonal. The fact that the economic slowdown is creating troubles for many Chinese companies is not a secret. Even though the economy is still growing fast relative to many other countries, corporate profitability has been declining. Sales are slowing as the economy slows, while costs...

In the aftermath of one of the worst recessions in history, more Americans have limited or no interaction with banks, instead relying on check cashers and payday lenders to manage their finances, according to a new federal report. Not only are these Americans more vulnerable to high fees and interest rates, but they are also cut off from credit to buy a car or a home or pay for college, the report from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said. Released Wednesday, the study found that 821,000 households opted out of the banking system from 2009 to 2011 and that the...

OMAHA, Neb.—State Sen. Brenda Council has apologized for misusing more than $60,000 in campaign donations at casinos and filing false reports to conceal it. Attorney General Jon Bruning says Council agreed to plead guilty to misdemeanor charges of filing false campaign reports that omit the casino withdrawals and cash deposits. In a statement, Council says she "made an error in judgment," and that she takes "full responsibility." She says she's receiving professional treatment for a gambling addiction and will not "give up or quit fighting for the issues."

ROME: Italian police Saturday announced a 78 percent jump in the amount of gold, silver and cash they have prevented from leaving the country illegally in the first seven months of 2012. The "Yellow Flame" financial police seized 41 million euros' ($50 million) worth compared with 23.2 million euros in the same period last year, they said in a statement. In addition to large quantities of cash and treasury bills, they seized 88 kilogrammes of gold and 570 kilos of silver, the statement said. Dogs trained to detect the scent of money played their part. A Labrador named Tango nabbed...

(Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee raised $101.3 million in July, turning in another big month of financial strength for their battle to defeat President Barack Obama on November 6. In addition to the July numbers, the Romney campaign also planned to announce on Monday that Romney, the Republican National Committee and state party participants have $185.9 million cash on hand. Romney has been outpacing the Democratic incumbent in fund-raising, and his July total of $101.3 million is another sign that Romney and his allies are on course to wash away any cash advantage...

Never before in history has the great American middle class obsessed so much over financial planning as during the last forty years or so. ... And yet here we are today. According to a recent study by the Employee Benefits Research Institute, fully 44 percent of Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers lack the savings and pension coverage needed to meet basic retirement-age expenses, even assuming no future cuts in Social Security or Medicare, employer-provided benefits, or home prices. Most Americans approaching retirement age don’t have a 401(k) or other retirement account. Among the minority who do, the median balance in 2009...

Democratic Convention Benefits From Corporate Cashby The Associated Press July 21, 2012 Shortly after last year's high-profile announcement that the 2012 Democratic National Convention would be the first in history not to rely on special-interest money, organizers in Charlotte quietly set up a nonprofit entity to rake in corporate cash. Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Duke Energy have all sent checks to New American City Inc., a non-profit entity being run by top officials on the convention host committee. Corporate money is bankrolling operations in direct support of the convention, including paying the salaries of the 41 full-time host...

During the time that President Obama has been in office, he has earned some $2,711,340 from foreign sources. That’s 30.1 percent of Obama’s total income during that time. During that period, Obama forked over $87,429 to foreign countries. Most of that cash comes from book sales. That’s an inordinately large amount of money coming from overseas – far more than the typical American, certainly. And the question becomes whether President Obama is outsourcing his book sales. After all, why not pay American tax rates on that income? Why not ship from the United States, rather than printing abroad?

President Obama’s campaign team and top supporters are telling donors they need to get off the sidelines now so they can compete with GOP super-PACS waging an expected $1 billion campaign against them. The deluge of cash from outside groups backing Republican Mitt Romney has prompted a sense of urgency among Obama’s supporters. Their message to donors is simple: send money now.