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As today’s economic environment puts pressure on older homeowners to find new sources of retirement income and stretch their savings, growing numbers are starting to tap their housing wealth, using home-equity loans or reverse mortgages. However, with little guidance, they are often unsure about how to include this asset as an integral part of their financial strategy, rather than as a last resort. Tapping Home Equity in Retirement: The MetLife Study on the Changing Role of Home Equity and Reverse Mortgages, issued today by the MetLife Mature Market Institute (MMI) and the National Council on Aging (NCOA), calls for a more comprehensive approach to ensure that this asset is used appropriately and effectively to deal with the growing uncertainties of retirement.

U.S. economic woes and stock market volatility have prompted changes in the investment and social behaviors of high-net-worth Americans, according to a new survey of CPA Personal Financial Specialists conducted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

While President Obama, Congress, and the American people debate financial regulatory reform, foreclosures continue to mount as embattled housing markets bump along the bottom.

Charles Schwab, in collaboration with CFO Research Services, released the details of a new study “Getting Retirement Savings Back on Track: Employer Views on the 401(k) and Financial Education in the Workplace,” which reveals that a majority of senior finance and human resource executives in corporate America support the 401(k) as an effective savings tool for retirement. According to the study, employers believe they play a role in improving the 401(k) as a benefit for employees, including making 401(k)-specific and general financial education more available in the workplace.

After five months in office, there may be a small bump in the road for President Obama as Americans appear to be a little more negative towards him. While his job approval is still strong with 54% of U.S. adults giving him positive ratings and 46% giving the president negative marks. This is down from last month, where three in five Americans (59%) gave President Obama positive job ratings while two in five (41%) gave him negative job ratings.

Twenty-five percent of Americans say they had difficulty paying for healthcare in the past 12 months, with the Baby Boomer and Generation X age groups leading the way, according to a study published by Thomson Reuters. The study, which tracks the impact of the recession on consumers' healthcare behaviors, also found that Generation X and Baby Boomers are 3.5 times more likely to postpone care due to the cost than are older Americans.

Regional and state unemployment rates were nearly all higher in May. Forty-eight states and the District of Columbia recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases, 1 state registered a rate decrease, and 1 state had no rate change, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported.

An international survey shows U.S. managers are more stressed about the recession than their global counterparts, but they are among the most optimistic about their professional future.

The economy is taking a toll on the day-to-day lives of business owners, but most said they still have a balance between their work and outside interests. The latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, surveyed April 1-14, shows nearly one third (31 percent) of respondents said they’re working more hours than they used to.

Consumers are still committed to healthy, natural and organic foods, but are changing their buying habits to maintain these priorities during the economic recession. That's according to a recent MamboTrack(TM) quick poll by Mambo Sprouts Marketing, the leader in natural and organic product marketing and promotions. The company surveyed the buying habits of natural and organic product consumers to identify recent changes in organic shopping and eating patterns.