Blog Posts by CBS MoneyWatch.com

by Ilyce Glink for CBS MoneyWatch.com

Actress Nicole Kidman and her country singer husband Keith Urban have just bought a new apartment in Manhattan - but the $10 million price tag isn't what's catching people's attention.

-- Michael Jackson's Last Home for Sale

-- $30 Million House for Dr. Phil

-- 4 Biggest Lies in Real Estate

-- Country Superstar Sells Mansion for $28 Million

-- 11 Kitchen and Bath Trends for 2010

The most newsworthy feature of the home is a reported car elevator.

Entering on street level, owners ride in their car up the elevator to their floor and reverse into their garage.

by Stacey Bradford for CBS MoneyWatch.com

A friend of mine recently had a problem and I love the way he solved it. Earlier in the summer his college bound daughter started begging him for a new MacBook. But the New York City father wanted her to learn the value of work and the meaning of a dollar. So he made a deal with her: he would buy her the computer if she babysat her younger sister for a set number of hours. The 18-year-old got her laptop and Mom and Dad are enjoying their Saturday night dates.

Want to teach your kid one last lesson before he heads off to college? Then don't simply buy him his school supplies or hand out spending cash for the semester, ask him to work for the money. If babysitting isn't an option for you, here are some other jobs to consider:

-- Best Car for a Teenager

-- Kids' Allowance: How Much Should You Pay?

-- 5 Ways to Say No to Your Teenager

-- Give Your Teenager More Money (No, Really)

by Farnoosh Torabi for CBS MoneyWatch.com

It's midnight and you're about to close the bill at the local Italian eatery when you're suddenly reminded: It's cash only. Slightly embarrassed (and very annoyed), you desperately rush outside, squinting in the dark to find those three letters that should hopefully relieve you from dishwashing duty back at the restaurant.

You see it in neon light: A-T-M.

Ah, but this transaction will cost you - probably around $3.50, including your bank's non-network ATM fee and the ATM's own surcharge. While you shrug it off because you're in a bind, let's be honest: This isn't the first time that week you've paid up for withdrawing money. A closer look and you see you've spent close to $10 on ATM fees over the last 7 days. In a year, that's more than $500. The pain sets in.

-- Best New Credit Cards

-- 7 Tips to Save Money Online

-- Best Ways to Ditch Your Cell Phone Plan

-- 29 Fees We

by Marlys Harris for CBS MoneyWatch.com

It's bad enough that our faith in government, the media, banks and corporations has been destroyed over the past few years. Now, it turns out, olive oil manufacturers have been doing us dirty too.

If you like food-and who doesn't?-you've probably noticed that extra virgin olive oil (or EVOO, as Rachael Ray calls it) has become the gold standard of culinary lubricants among professional chefs and home cooks. Not only is olive oil yummy, at least in my book, but according to the Mayo Clinic website, it can lower your risk of heart attack by reducing bad cholesterol in your blood. And EVOO, the least processed form of the stuff, is even more healthful because it contains powerful antioxidants which, I guess-I am no scientist-keep your innards from rusting out like a 1989 Ford Taurus. Even if you're on a diet, the FDA recommends that each day you drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil-better yet if it's EV-onto your lettuce leaves.

by Sarah Lorge Butler for CBS MoneyWatch.com

Do you like your family vacation? Honestly? Is it what you want to do?

I hope the answer is "yes," because too many parents I know go on vacations they endure rather than enjoy.

-- How Much Does the Tooth Fairy Pay?

-- Travelers: 5 Ways to Keep Bed Bugs Away

-- Best Ways to Lose 20 Pounds

-- Easy Way to Lower Your Phone Bill

-- Travel Deals: 10 Best Secrets from Peter Greenberg

I'll hear about how when they finally squeeze in a week off from work, they're packing up, driving all night to the beach, fighting traffic, arriving exhausted. After they get home, the wife will whisper to me, "I don't even like the beach that much."

Or they're doing a theme park, and the husband wants to scream at the long lines and relentless cheesy music piped over them as they're waiting. When he's back at work, it's a relief to shut the office door,

by Farnoosh Torabi for CBS MoneyWatch.com

We already know some of the best shopping deals are found online - but did you know some days are better than others to find the steepest discounts? ShopItToMe.com, which scours sales at more than 100 online retailers, ran a survey for me showing what days of the week certain categories of items carry the biggest discounts. Their data was compiled between June 2009 and June 2010 and analyzed over 1 million sale items on the web. From sunglasses to bathing suits to handbags and menswear, they got me the inside scoop.

My advice is to read this through, click print and keep the list stored by your computer as a helpful reminder next time you want to shop on the Web.

-- Get Free Stuff All Year Round

-- 5 Things You Should Buy at Walmart

-- Make More Money: 4 Easy Side Gigs

-- 6 Things Never to Post on Facebook

-- How to Get the Best Deals Online

by Kathy Kristof for CBS MoneyWatch.com

Maybe it's because the country was raised on the Protestant work ethic. Or maybe it's that our mother's words still ring in our heads: "If you don't work hard, you'll never amount to much." Whatever the reason, Americans think they need to work hard to make money and that's not always true.

Sure, you've got to show up and diligently toil at the office. But when you save and invest, you're better off being a couch potato. The lazy approach to portfolio management wins over "hard work" pretty much every time.

-- Biggest Mistake Investors Make

-- How to Become a Millionaire

-- 6 Things Never to Post on Facebook

-- Where the Couch Potatoes Live

-- Best Car for a Millionaire

How much does it pay to be lazy? A conservative estimate is that it would pay an average investor somewhere north of $250,000. That's right. You gain a quarter of a

by Stacey Bradford for CBS MoneyWatch.com

I'm a huge advocate for day care. However, a recent article in Slate magazine reminded me that all facilities are not created equal. Indeed, the first child care center I sent my daughter to was shameful. But over the past two years I've figured out a way to differentiate the facilities that employ the Mary Poppins versus the Miss Hannigans.

Here are my five ways to spy on your child care provider:

1. Tour the Facility Multiple Times

You can bet that caregivers are on their best behavior during parent tours. If you want a more realistic picture, show up unannounced and ask if you can sit in on a class. Good day cares that have nothing to hide will often let you observe the children provided it isn't nap time.

2. Mix It Up

-- Infant Gear: 10 Items You Don't Need

-- 3 Money Rules for Stay-at-Home Moms

-- What's the Best Way to Lose 20 Pounds?

-- Why Your Kids